{"id":2019,"date":"2020-05-25T17:43:02","date_gmt":"2020-05-25T21:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.agooddish.com\/?p=2019"},"modified":"2020-12-20T08:54:55","modified_gmt":"2020-12-20T13:54:55","slug":"kitcharikhichri-is-a-comfort-food-for-these-stressful-moments-in-which-we-need-comfort-where-we-can-find-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.agooddish.com\/?p=2019","title":{"rendered":"Kitchari\/Khichri Is A Comfort Food For These Stressful Moments In Which We Need Comfort Where We Can Find It"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Kitchari\/Khichri<\/em> is easy comfort food<\/span>
Stoneware bowl by Melissa Weiss<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On a \u201cnormal\u201d Memorial Day weekend, I would be posting ideas for a picnic or barbecue but there is nothing normal about this year. Instead, I will share one of my comfort food recipes, kitchari<\/i><\/a> (also known as khichri<\/i>, khichdi<\/i>, khichuri<\/i> and other variations). In times of stress, like during this pandemic, we tend to crave whatever it is we personally think of as filling and soothing food. For different people, that means different things. Some will go for macaroni and cheese, goldfish crackers or chicken pot pies. For others, pizza, grilled cheese or a big bowl of minestrone or chicken soup with a side of crusty bread will do it. My mom always goes for meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I have a friend in Virginia for whom simple buttered toast does the trick. I\u2019ve noticed that my family has been carbo loading, eating more pasta, rice and bread than usual and our fair share of my go-to garlicky bean salad<\/a> (which I\u2019ve been making with big scarlet runner beans). Maybe that is because those are the stable ingredients we have on hand or maybe starchy things calm or soothe, I\u2019m not sure. Maybe both. I find both cooking and eating comforting and I have been doing quite a lot, as have, I believe, many people, judging by how hard it became to procure those ingredients!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Split mung beans known as moong dahl<\/span>
Inlaid Stoneware bowl by Melissa Weiss<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of my many comfort foods, kitchari<\/i>, a combination of basmati rice with mung beans and spices, is also one of the easiest to make. I first tasted it a few years ago at Kripalu, a wellness center in the Berkshires, and then learned to make it from their cookbook, in which they call it the \u201cchicken soup of India.\u201d Yes, it is an appropriated taste but so are falafel, spaghetti, fried rice, posole<\/i> and salsa and chips, all in my top 10 of comfort foods. In my mind, it is the East Asian version of rice and beans, another popular comfort food which takes various forms in so many cultures. Think Cuban yellow rice with black beans, Louisiana red beans and rice, Italian riso<\/i> e fagioli<\/i> with tomatoes, Persian herbed rice with fava beans, Japanese red bean rice made with aduki beans and southern Hoppin\u2019 John. Jeremy Rock Smith, Kripalu\u2019s chef, explains that \u201ckitchari<\/i> provides a full complement of beneficial amino acids in a complete meal that is easy to digest.\u201d Perhaps that is one reason it is so soothing. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Measure spices before you start cooking<\/span>
Stoneware bowls, each 2″ tall, by Melissa Weiss<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is also an adaptable dish that can accommodate what you have in your pantry. If you don\u2019t have split mung beans, you can use whole (but make sure you\u2019ve soaked them overnight), or use lentils. If you are eating grain free, use riced cauliflower. This recipe is easily doubled so you will have leftovers for breakfast or lunch the next day. You can make kitchari<\/i> soupy or dry, gently or highly seasoned and plain or topped with scallions or sesame seeds. If you want it to be warming, add fresh ginger and cinnamon. Add more greens and cilantro for cooling. If you have already cooked veggies, add them at the end of cooking. My son and husband find it bland (they don\u2019t love it but humor me and eat it) and add huge amounts of hot sauce. I like kitchari<\/i> because it is tasty, filling, inexpensive, quick and easy to make from ingredients you probably have at home plus filling and soothing. What could be more comforting?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Add whatever vegetables you like to make kitchari to your taste<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

KITCHARI<\/i>\/KHICHRI<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n