A friend of mine who frequents this fantastic little Ayurvedic café, learned how to make this dish from the chef there. This is a staple of the Ayurvedic diet and it is suppose to balance the body and detoxify. It is simple to make and delicious on its own or with steamed or roasted vegetables.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup moong dal, rinsed and soaked overnight

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed well and soaked 2 hours

1 tbsp. ghee

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garam masal

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp asafoedita

3 bay leaves

2 tsp curry leaves, crumbled

1 Tbsp ghee, optional to finish the Kitchari

sea salt to taste

Cilantro Sauce:

1 bunch cilantro – leaves removed from thicker stems

1/4 cup coconut flakes

1 /12 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp cumin

juice from one lime, adjust to desired taste

1 small green chile pepper, mince (optional)

Preparation:

Put the moong dal in a pot of water. Add in 1/2 tsp of asafoedita. Bring to a boil and skim off foam. Allow to simmer until cooked al dente. Drain and set aside

Melt 1 tbsp. ghee in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add all of the spices except the bay leaves. Saute for a minute or so. Add in rice and coat with all the spices. Add boiling water to 1/2 inch over the rice. Add bay leaves. Stir well. Allow to simmer slowly so the rice absorbs the water. About halfway through the cooking time, add in the dal. Continue to cook until the rice and dal are cooked through. Add more water if necessary. Do not cook until mushy. Leave it a little al dente, then turn off the heat and cover and allow to steam.

Make the Cilantro Sauce by rinsing the cilantro leaves and putting in a Cuisinart. Process and add enough water to make a semi-thin mixture. Add in coconut flakes, ginger, cumin and lime juice (and optional chili), and continue to process. Taste and adjust flavors adding more lime juice and coconut and salt as needed.

Remove the bay leaves from the Kitchari. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt.

Serve with Cilantro sauce on the side. (It is all about the sauce, trust me.)