Red Lentil & Amaranth Kichari

Kichari is a traditional Indian dish, naturally rich in nutrients. Made with lentils and grains, it’s a simple one-pot meal that can come together in as little as 20 minutes. With the wide variety of grains, “pseudo-grains”/seeds (such as quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat), lentils, and spices available, there are countless ways to prepare kichari. What they all have in common is that kichari is a complete meal—providing protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. When kept simple and balanced with the right spices, it is gentle and easy on digestion. Explore my growing list of kichari recipes here.

Red Lentil & Amaranth Kichari

Serves 2-3 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

⅓ cup red lentil, soaked for 10 minutes and rinsed well
⅓ cup amaranth
2 tsp Digestive Spice mix
5 curry leaves
1 - 2 tsps ginger root, sliced thin
½ - 1 small Thai green chilli (optional)
2 ½ - 3 cups water
1 carrot
Handful of broccoli
Handful of zucchini, or lauki squash (opo)
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 vegetables.

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

3. Add well rinsed lentils and amaranth, 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 20 minutes. Amaranth naturally soaks up a lot of water. open the lid half way through cooking, stir to the bottom of the pot, and add broccoli and zucchini, or lauki squash if using.

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

7. Add salt to taste.

   Serve warm with a few squirts of fresh lime.

Enjoy!

Ayurvedic Profile of Spices

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

Curry Leaves- cleans the liver

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

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

Digestive Spice Mix:
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

Red Lentil & Amaranth Kichari with Ginger Root, Curry Leaves, Thai Green Chili, Digestive Spice mix, with Carrots, Broccoli and Lauki Squash Cooked in Ghee.

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

Hi I’m Evangeline!

Welcome to my blog. I’m a mom, an Ayurveda & Yoga Counsellor, Certified SVA Detox Educator, and Registered Massage Therapist. I began this blog during the early days of covid19 to stay connected with my clients. Here I share nourishing recipes I cook for family and friends, along with health tips and ayurveda and yoga wisdom to support balance, health, and vitality in everyday life.