Mung Dhal Kitchadi (Ayurvedic)

(recipe, Carrie Stewart)

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice
1 cup yellow or green mung dhal
1 in chopped ginger (for vata and kapha, warms, potent digestive stimulant)
2 Tbsp. shredded coconut
1 handful of coriander leaves
3 Tbsp. ghee or coconut oil
3 bay leaves (warms, digestive)
1½ in fresh cinnamon bark
5 cardamom pods
5 cloves
10 black pepper corns
½ tsp. each of turmeric
cumin seeds, fennel
1 pinch of hing.
Optional: one cup of diced carrots or celery; fresh lemon juice (to increase agni) and chopped coriander leaves to serve.

Steps

Soak dhal for a few hours to make it more digestible. Wash rice and dhal separately in at least 2 changes of water. Blend the ginger, coconut, coriander and ½ cup water. Heat large saucepan, add ghee, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns and bay leaves. Stir for a moment until fragrant. Add blended items, then turmeric and salt. Stir until browned. Stir in mung dhal and rice and mix very well. Add 6 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Then simmer until dhal and rice are soft (25-30 minutes). You can add vegetables that suit your constitution for a one pot meal.