Not only full of flavour, this healthy dish will also help to nurture your gut health.
Serves 4 | Preparation time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 1 hour | Fibre: 20g per serve
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 cups (400g) moong dal (a.k.a split mung beans), soaked for 6-8 hours, drained (see tips)
3⁄4 cup (150g) basmati rice
1 litre salt-reduced vegetable stock
1⁄2 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a large (about 7 litre) saucepan or stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and zucchini and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes, until the veges are very tender. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander and turmeric and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
2. Add the moong dal and rice and stir through the spiced vegetables. Add the stock and 2 cups (500ml) water. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring regularly, for 25 minutes. Keep an eye on it and add more water as needed to maintain a loose porridge-like consistency; you may need anything from 2 cups (500ml) to 1 litre of water.
3. Add the cauliflower and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is cooked through, and the moong dal and rice have broken down and are tender to the bite.
4. Divide the kitchari among four bowls. Top with coriander leaves, chilli flakes, yoghurt and almonds and serve. Store any leftover kitchari in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cook’s tip
Moong dal is also known as mung dal or split yellow mung beans. You can buy it in health food stores or Asian grocers, but if you can’t find it, use red lentils instead. It’s important that you soak the moong dal beforehand to reduce the cooking time and make the meal easier to digest.
