Khichdi (also spelled kitchari, kitcharee, khichadi, kitchadee, and in many other variants) is one of the staple healing foods in Ayurveda. Khichdi is a mixture of two or more grains. Ayurvedic scholars attribute various advantages to Khichdi meals:
- balances Doshas,
- detoxes the body and de-ages cells,
- purifies the digestive system.
Khichdi is the preferred food during fasts and cleansing programs, such as panchakarma, which is a therapeutic cleansing process used in Ayurveda to free a person from excess Doshas. Recently, western dietitians started embracing Khichdi as well, as it is easy to prepare and offers rich nutrition alongside other tangible benefits. It generally does not create any abdominal discomfort, like gas or bloating. Khichdi can also help to recover from overeating or overdrinking during the holiday season.
Read on for more about Khichdi, including a delicious, easy to prepare recipe
Content
General ingredients
Khichdi’s main components are grains and legumes, enriched by vegetables and spices. Pick any two of the following options for a solid Khichdi base:
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orange lentils split (masoor dal),
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blackgram lentils (urad dal),
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split pigeon peas (toor dal),
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yellow split peas (chana dal),
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green split peas (mung dal),
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basmati rice,
- brown rice.
The preferred choice for our recipe are mung dal and basmati rice, as they are tridoshic and balance all three Doshas. Additionally, Mung dal is a rich of source of protein. Of course, other combinations are possible. Certain combinations even help re-balance specific Doshas without influencing their counterparts.
The choice of vegetables and spices is equally vast and mostly up to personal preference. However, an influence on the Dosha composition is undeniable. Read more about vegetables and spices that go well Khichdi, as well as their respective effects in the next section.
Most popular Khichdi vegetables and their effects
The most popular Khichdi vegetables are carrots and cauliflower. They supplement fiber, glucosinolates, antioxidants and beta-carotene. They are also tridoshic and balance all three Doshas. Asparagus is another tasty and tridoshic choice.
Other options are more suitable to balance specific Doshas:
- Zucchini for Vata & Pitta
- Sweet potatoes for Pitta & Kapha
- Spinach for Vata & Kapha
Most popular Khichdi spices and their effects
There are various spices that enhance a Khichdi’s flavour. Of course, the choice of spices should suit the selected grains and vegetables. However a few spices are especially versatile and capable to balance all three Doshas. Those spices include black pepper and mango pickle.
The following spices balance specific Doshas:
- Cumin for Vata and Kapha,
- Ginger for Vata and Kapha,
- Turmeric for Kapha and Pitta
- Coriander for Pitta
Khichdi helps provide many benefits to spirit and body. Being quick and easy to prepare is just an additional quality. Without further ado, let’ get to our Khichdi recipe.
Ayurvedic Khichdi
Equipment
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Clay pot
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Wooden spatula
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Basmati Rice
- 1 cup Mung Beans or Lentils split or whole
- 6 cups Water approx
- 1 tbsp Ginger chopped or grated
- 1/2 tbsp Mineral salt
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 1/2 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1/2 tbsp Cumin powder
- 1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds
- 1/2 tbsp Mustard seeds
- 1/2 tbsp Turmeric powder
- 1 pinch Asafoetida (Hing)
- Coriander leaves fresh
- 2 cups chopped vegetables optional, check the notes below
Instructions
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Carefully check the rice and mung dal/lentils for any stones. Remove, if any.
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Soak mung dal/lentils and rice together for atleast 30 min in water. Run it under water after soaking.
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Put the soaked rice and mung dal in the clay pot and add 6 cups of water to it. Cover it and cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and cook until it becomes soft, for another 10 minutes.
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While that is cooking, prepare the vegetables that suit your constitution. Chop them into smaller pieces. Add the vegetables to the pot and cook for another 10 minutes.
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In a separate saucepan, sauté the cumin seeds in the ghee until they pop.
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Then add other spices and stir to release the flavors. Stir the sautéed spices into the cooked dal, rice and vegetable mixture.
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Season with chopped fresh cilantro and serve hot.
Video
Notes
- You can add other vegetables such as zucchini, asparagus, sweet potato, carrots, peas, cauliflower, spinach. Please check FAQs below for each Dosha friendly spices and vegetables.
- For Vata or Kapha Dosha: Add a pinch of ginger powder
- For Pitta Dosha: Skip mustard seeds
- Soaking the beans (or lentils) helps with digestibility and also shortens the cooking time in half.
- For porridge texture, add more water or vegetable broth.
Khichdi Variations
Lifestyle choices are one of the basic tenets of Ayurveda. Diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and Khichdi is essential to an ayurvedic diet. There are as many variations as there are cooks. One’s perfect combination of grains, vegetables and spices is mostly a function of personal preference but there are additional factors to consider as well.
Our FAQ section provides further information, such as about Khichdi cleanses and advanced ways to Dosha balance.
Frequently asked questions about Khichdi
What grains are best for Khichdi?
Grains compose most of the ayurvedic Khichdi. Using two or more variety of grains adds more color and flavor to the Khichdi. Generally, Mung dal and Basmati rice goes well and is also friendly to all Doshas. You can use any grains of your choice, as long as it does not affect your Doshas negatively. For more information on Dosha specific grains, check our next question.
How does Khichdi help balance my Doshas?
Khichdi can help balance Doshas through careful selection of its ingredients.
There are certain ingredients that are suitable for all Doshas (tridoshic), such as Mung Dal and split mung beans. Mung Dal is among the most valued ingredients in Ayurveda. Split mung beans are nourishing and easy on the digestion. Other tridoshic ingredients include Asparagus, Carrots, Peas, Cauliflower.
However, certain ingredients are Dosha specific and should be used only to balance a particular Dosha. They are listed below.
For Grains:
- For all Doshas: Basmati Rice, Mung Dal
- For Vata: Red lentils, Yellow lentils
- For Pitta: Red lentils, Black lentils, White beans
- For Kapha: Black beans, Red lentils, Yellow lentils
For Vegetables:
- For all Doshas: Asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, peas
- For Vata & Pitta: Zucchini
- For Pitta & Kapha: Sweet potatoes
- For Vata & Kapha: Spinach
For Spices:
- Balancing Vata: Cumin, Ginger.
- Balancing Pitta: Turmeric, Coriander, whole pepper.
- Balancing Kapha: Turmeric, Cumin, Ginger.
All information is summarized in our infographic below:
What is a kitchari cleanse?
A kitchari cleanse is an eating plan that’s designed to reset your eating habits and give your body a break. The cleanse focuses only on a handful of easy-to-digest foods including different variations of Khichdi.
Kitchari cleanses have eclipsed the confines of Ayurvedic medicine. The food you consume during a kitchari cleanse is hearty enough to give your body the energy it needs to realign your doshas. The rest of the energy, Ayurvedic practitioners say, is spent on eliminating toxins that build up in your body.
In fact, any cleanse can help you change your habits and rest your digestive system. Cleanses are often promoted as a way to reset after a period of overindulging, such as during the holidays.
Please note: Kitchari mono-diet can lead to constipation if taken exclusively for several days, as some kitchari recipes are low in fiber.
Which Khichdi is best for weight loss?
Khichdi is neither particularly helpful in losing weight nor does it have the opposite effect per se. For weight loss, a general rule of thumb is to reduce calorie intake below your body’s calorie burn rate. However, it is important to maintain a sufficient consumption of proteins, fibers and micronutrients.
A good khichdi offers a balanced combination of carbs, fat, and proteins without the loss of fiber. The following tweaks reduce a khichdi recipe’s calories per serving while maintaining its nutrional advantages:
- Adjust the mixture of grains; increase dal / lentil portion and reduce rice portion. Mung dal is an excellent choice. The optimal ratio is beteen 1:3 or 1:2 of rice to dal / lentils.
- Replace white rice with other variants, such as brown rice, wild rice or even quinoa.
- Increase the proportion of added vegetables. Vegetables are low in calories and provide additional fiber and micronutrients.
- Reduce fats, such as Ghee, Butter or Oil.
Can I prepare Khichdi in a metal vessel?
Cooking Khichdi in a metal vessel is faster than cooking it in a clay pot but metal vessels get extremely hot and damage the nutrients in the food. On the other hand, heat and moisture is circulated throughout the clay pot as clay is porous and naturally insulated. This causes the nutrient loss in clay pots much lower than cooking in the metal vessel.
Learn more about Vedaleben’s Curry pot. Our recommended option to prepare healthy and tasty Khichdi.
Where can I buy authentic ayurvedic ingredients?
You can buy authentic ingredients on any indian store near you. Many german stores like Rewe, Aldi etc. also have a separate asian section where you can find these spices. Moreover, you can find them online on below sites:
What is Birbal's Khichdi?
Birbal’s Khichdi is not actually a dish but an ancient Indian story of Akbar the great and his advisor Birbal. It is also used as a proverb and is used under a situation when some work takes longer than usual time.
Maigen Bosch
I love this recipe!! Thank you for your great blog Vedaleben! These are just the kind of recipes I want to make. Simple and healthy! 🙂
Vedaleben
We are glad that you liked our recipe! More Blogs coming soon. Thank you! 🙂
Niharika
Tried the recipe with split pigeon peas and must say, it’s one of the best things I have ever cooked. I received a lot of compliments for the amazing khichdi. The recipe is easy to understand and replicate. Looking forward to more recipes from you!!!! Thanks a lot, Vedaleben!
Vedaleben
We are glad that you tried the recipe and enjoyed it. Thank you! 🙂
Mukesh Jain
You can use Garlic in Khichari if having any inflammatory issues. Garlic contains diallyl disulfide, an anti-inflammatory compound that limits the effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, garlic can help fight inflammation and may even help prevent cartilage damage from arthritis.