A nourishing and delicious meal which is great for grounding vata dosha. This is a particularly nice recipe from autumn through spring.
If you are feeling creative, you could try adding different combinations of 60% augmenting and 40% extractive vegetables. The vegetables may be mixed into the kitchari (the rice and mung mix) or had as a separate side dish. Make sure to keep the 60/40 augmenting to extractive ratio. Check-in with an experienced practitioner if you feel you have a special condition to address.
Avoid rajasic and tamasic vegetables, such as onion, garlic, radishes, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum, and arugula, and enjoy getting creative with this nourishing, easy dish!
Augmenting & Extractive
SERVES: 4 people
PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes (mostly unattended)
YOU’LL NEED:
3 tbsp ghee
2 tsp mineral salt
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp dried sea vegetable, optional
1 tsp black cumin(nigella) seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
⅓ cup split mung dhal
⅔ cup white basmati rice (or ½ cup rice with ⅙ cup teff)
4 cup water
4 long leaves of kale chopped or torn into narrow ribbons
1 large sweet potato chopped into cubes
1 tbsp ghee
¼ c sunflower seeds, optional
small handful of chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)
10 dried curry leaves or 5 fresh
l½ tsp ground cinnamon
HERE’S HOW:
Place all of the ingredients into a pressure cooker. The sweet potato and kale can be added directly into the pressure cooker or sauteed separately with lid on in 1 tbsp ghee, a pinch of salt, and water. Add to the mung and rice afterward.
Let it cook for 16-18 minutes at pressure. Or, if you aren’t using a pressure cooker, allow it to simmer for around 30 minutes until everything is cooked.
Let the pressure come down naturally.
Mix everything well so the sweet potato and kale are distributed throughout the dish.
Adjust the consistency by adding more boiling water, if desired.
Toast the sunflower seeds in ghee for a minute or two on low heat, add the curry leaves, cinnamon, and cilantro, and sauté until the aroma is present. Place on top of the One pot.
Serve with a homemade chapati.