khichadi: ayurveda’s magic porridge
Greetings, my astral companion. It’s so good to see you again!
It is no secret that food makes up a huge part of daily wellness. Our diets have the power to largely determine our measurable states of health, more than most people are taught to realize!
But proper nutrition is not a luxury experience available only for the wealthy few. With help from Ayurveda, which regards food as medicine, we can start to discover that eating well can be accomplished in delightfully simple and inexpensive ways.
My personal favorite, a meal highly regarded as an Ayurvedic superhero food, is a dish called khichadi.
Maybe you’ve heard of it, or have seen one of its many alternative spellings: kichadi, khichari, khichdee, khichuri, cutcheree, khichdi, but no matter how you spell it, this delicious meal offers extraordinary benefits every time. (I learned it as the above spelling).
For an Ayurvedic detox cleanse called a Panchakarma, and for weak, undernourished patients, khichadi is an everyday staple that works to strengthen the body, remove toxins from the GI tract, regulate metabolism and blood sugar, and provide overall satisfaction and pleasure - because it’s not just good for you, it’s also just so damn delicious.
And this mysterious wonder-porridge traditionally only takes two main ingredients to make: split mung dal (mung beans) and white basmati rice. Throw in a 1:1 ratio, add a spoonful of ghee, a touch of Himalayan pink salt, black pepper, cumin, mustard, turmeric and ginger, or try a khichadi-specific spice blend, and you’ve got yourself the perfect meal full of complete protein, carbs, healthy fats, and a wealth of micronutrients.
You might be wondering, “Why so simple?” and the answer makes sense: it was created as a gentle healing food. For a patient working on reaching digestive homeostasis, or who is recovering from a serious illness, the diet cannot be too complex. Energy in the body needs to be directed for use in recovery and repair, instead of working up the digestive system to process intense flavors and properties. For Panchakarma patients specifically, khichadi is eaten as a “mono-diet” for up to 28 days - meaning it’s all you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - while being supplemented with a program of personalized Ayurvedic botanicals.
I know that may sound intimidating, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it: the very first time I tasted khichadi, actual tears were brought to my eyes. It was so delicious that I inhaled it and went back for seconds, then thirds - and I still love it so much that I want to eat it every single day, even if I wasn’t intentionally trying to do a cleanse.
And if you are strong enough, which most people are, you have the creative freedom to add any number of nourishing ingredients to enhance it: carrots, mushrooms, onions, garlic, celery, sweet potatoes, parsley, and cilantro are all-stars. I even feel brave sometimes, and stir some fresh kale into the pot right before it comes off the heat. The possibilities are endless and the risk factor is zero. Anyone can make this stuff!
So here’s how you can do it:
Find an organic, pre-blended 1:1 khichadi mix like this one from Banyan Botanicals.
Alternatively, if your kitchen is already a home to a large bag of rice, just buy the mung dal by itself - make sure it does not contain any added yellow dyes. You may use whole mung beans if you’d like, but the legume’s hull adds more fiber to the dish, and could potentially be harder to digest. I prefer split mung dal, and I also get my 5-pound bags from Banyan Botanicals.
You can experiment with mixing your own spice ratios for this dish - I personally think you can never have too much turmeric. But, if you’re a hardcore fan like I am, and khichadi is in your kitchen’s regular rotation, you might also love this khichadi spice mix from Banyan Botanicals: a balanced formula of flavors that gladden the palette with botanical properties that nourish the body and mind. The main advantage of this spice blend is that it contains asofeotida, a powdered gum resin from the tap root of several species of the celery family. It has a remarkable onion-garlicky flavor without the same pungence of these ingredients, and it is much harder to find in your average grocery store than cumin or mustard.
The last vital addition to every batch of khichadi I make is ghee - an Ayurvedic hero in its own right. You do not have to buy a premade jar of $18 clarified butter - it is SO easy to make it from scratch at home.
The wonderful people over at Banyan Botanicals have made this process even simpler for you. Read this deep-dive into the magic of ghee and how to make it.
Once you have these main ingredients, you are off to the races and will undoubtedly make a fabulous pot of khichadi.
My personal recipe is as follows:
“guru-kula” khichadi
For the batch pictured here, I experimented with putting khichadi in a blender. Instead of the classic squishy-rice-like texture, this extra step achieved more of a thick, soupy consistency that happily clung to warm naan. (This can serve as a huge advantage for anyone sensitive to food textures!).
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 2 large servings
ingredients
1/2 cup split mung dal
1/2 cup basmati rice
If substituting for a pre-blended khichadi mix, use 1 cup
2 & 1/2 cups filtered water
1-2 tbsp ghee (up to personal preference)
1 tsp khichadi spice mix
if substituting for individual spices, measure with your heart using whatever you have on hand. The following are classics: salt, black pepper, cumin seeds or powder, mustard seeds or powder, fenugreek, turmeric, and garlic or asofoetida powder. You can even get crazy and add some cayenne, cinnamon, cardamom, or cloves to the mix.
2 cups of your favorite seasonal veg, diced
directions
Prepare all your ingredients in bowls in your cooking area (mise en placé) prior to using the stove.
Measure your rice and dal into one medium size bowl. Using a fine mesh sieve, rinse/drain the mixture a minimum of 3 times. Swirl with a clean hand and gently massage the grains to help remove the starches and impurities. Transfer to the sieve and place over the bowl. Set aside to drain.
Optional: You may also soak this mixture in filtered water overnight or up to 24 hours - it will make it even easier to digest.
In a small saucepan (it should have a lid - set this aside for now) over medium heat, add the ghee and heat just until melted. Immediately add your spice mix to the melted ghee - you may want to remove it from the heat at first so it does not splatter and burn you. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Toast the spices for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is fragrant and nutty, and the ghee has taken on a deep amber color.
If you want to add fresh onion, garlic, and/or ginger, reduce heat to medium-low and add these right into the spiced ghee mixture. Let simmer for 2-4 minutes.
Once all your aromatics are infused in the ghee, add the rinsed rice and dal mixture to the saucepan. Stir well to incorporate all that flavor. At this point, you may also add in your favorite seasonal veg.
Pour your filtered water over this mixture - it will make a delightful sizzle. Stir to remove any sticky bits from the bottom. Bring back to medium heat until just boiling. Be quick with it - it can overflow if it boils for too long!
As soon as the mixture begins to bubble, reduce heat to the lowest setting. Put the lid on and let simmer at low heat for 25-30 minutes.
Your finished batch of khichadi should be cooked-through and creamy, like a thick soup, and be bright and colorful, especially if you add veg.
Garnish with fresh cilantro, parsley, chili flakes, and maybe even some unsweetened plain yogurt (cashew yogurt is my favorite dairy-free option). Serve with a side of naan, as a complimentary dish in an Ayurvedic feast, or enjoy by itself as a cozy rejuvenating food.
Troubleshooting is easy: if it is too thin, you can increase the heat to medium and boil off some of the water, or use a ladle to spoon out excess water at the top. If your rice and dal aren’t completely soft, just start a 5 minute timer and let it simmer a little longer - it’s hard to overcook it. It is much faster to fix an extra-thick khichadi: just add small amounts of filtered water at a time, and stir. The perfect consistency is truly yours to decide, but I like mine to be smooth and dippable (with a side of homemade naan).
So simple, and so rewarding, khichadi is one meal that can easily make you feel like a professional Ayurvedic chef. It doesn’t take much: just good ingredients, intention, and creativity. And suddenly, you have a pot of one-size-fits-all fuel, that is just as delicious as it is nourishing.
I hope you enjoy this magic porridge as much as I do. And don’t ever forget the secret ingredient and arguably the most important one: love!
Wishing you a warm and cozy existence,
