Tri-Colour Quinoa Kichari

Hi I’m Evangeline! Welcome to my blog. I am mom and lover of all things health and wellness. By profession- a Registered Massage Therapist and Yoga & Ayurveda consultant. I started this blog back in the early days of Covid19 as a way to stay in touch with my clients, and it’s grown into a space to share what I love most. Here you’ll find health tips and nourishing recipes I make for my family, sprinkled with Ayurveda and Yoga wisdom. My hope is that these posts inspire you to care for yourself in small, joyful ways and feel a little more balanced in everyday life.

Kichari is a nutrient dense meal of lentils and grains. An endlessly adaptable, 1-pot dish, and when using split lentils, ready in about 20-30 minutes. This version is a combination of split mung beans, tri-colour quinoa, and a touch of basmati rice keeping the dish light and easy to digest. Warming spices, balancing for the winter season, help kindle digestion. Tender greens of bok choy added. Red and black quinoa for colour and texture. Simple, satisfying, and soulful. Kichari is a simple everyday meal when you want something grounding, balanced, and nourishing. Check out my other kichari style recipes here.

Tri-Colour Quinoa Kichari

Serves 3-4 servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

⅓ cup split mung bean rinsed well
¼ cup tri-colour quinoa
⅛ cup basmati rice
4 - 4 ½ cups water
1 tsp ghee or olive oil
1 tsp fennel
1 tsp coriander
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp fenugreek leaves
⅛ tsp turmeric
1 small chunk of ginger, sliced thin
5 - 7 curry leaves
1 small Thai green chilli (optional)
2 bunches bok choy
Soma salt or natural salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak lentils and grains for 10-15 minutes, and rinse well, until the water is clear. Set aside. While they are soaking, prep the spices, and rinse bok choy well cutting its stems and rinsing off dirt that can get trapped at the bottom.

2. On medium-low heat, put the ghee or olive oil, spices, curry leaves, fenugreek leaves, ginger and chilli- if using in a medium size pot. Stir until aroma is released- about a minute.

3. Add well rinsed basmati, tri-colour quinoa and split mung bean and incorporate with all the spices.

4. Add water, and turn up to medium-high heat to a full boil.

5. Turn down heat to low and cover with a lid to cook for 30 minutes.

6. Stir in a bit more water towards the end cooking if you’d like it more soupy.

7. Add bok choy and cook for another few minutes until greens turn bright green.

8. Add salt to taste.

   Serve warm with a few squirts of fresh lime.

Enjoy!

Tri-Colour Quinoa Kichari with balanced, warming spices for the winter season to kindle and support digestion.

Ayurvedic Profile of Spices

Ginger- anti-inflammatory, aids with digestion; heating quality- use dry ginger (sunthi) with high pitta dosha

Thai Green Chili- heating quality, channel opening; contains more soma than thai red chili and not as fiery burning heat as red chili

Curry Leaves- cleans the liver

Fenugreek- helps metabolize fat and protein

Fennel - aids in digestion balancing digestive agni; has a cooling quality

Coriander- ushers out toxins and heavy metals; cooling quality

Cumin - helps in absorption of nutrients

Turmeric- “friend to the liver”, cleans the liver, antioxidant, anti-viral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory

Soma salt- also known as Soma Lavan, a rock salt; written in the Ayurvedic texts as the best salt “Queen of the salts”; a cooling salt beneficial for high pitta dosha

References
Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015