Rice Dhal vegetable KitchAdi

Rice dhal vegetable kitchadi is a hearty, comforting one pot meal that is very easy to digest. Many of us overindulge during holiday season or during winter months. According to Ayurvedic medicine, eating kitchadi is one of the best ways to detox and balance the digestive system. It is a simple yet delicious & nourishing meal and is usually made by cooking rice and dhal together, topped with ghee. To make it more wholesome, I have included both the yellow moong dhal and green gram dhal along with few vegetables. It is best served with pappadam or pickle.

This one pot meal can be easily prepared in instant pot in minutes or directly in pressure cooker. Below you can find instructions for both ways.

Serving: 3 to 4

Preparation time: 20 to 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Rice	1 cup
Yellow moong dhal	1/4 th cup
Green gram dhal	1/4 th cup
Mixed Vegetables (Beans, carrot, peas, cauliflower, green & red peppers)	1 cup
Green Chilli	2
Ginger	1 inch piece
Garlic (optional)	3 cloves
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Jeera /cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
Hing / Asafotedia	1/2 teaspoon
Ghee	2 to 3 tablespoon
Oil	1 tablespoon
Curry leaves	few
Coriander leaves	to garnish

Instructions:

Grind the green chillies, ginger and garlic to a paste without adding water.
Chop the vegetables into small to medium pieces uniformly. I have taken beans, peas, carrot, cauliflower, green & red bell peppers. You can add other vegetables of your choice.
To prepare the kitchadi in Instant pot : Keep all the ingredients ready by the side. Keep the instant pot setting in sauté mode. If there is any moisture in the inner lining pot, then allow it to dry. Now add 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 table spoon of ghee. Add jeera, curry leaves, green chilli-ginger-garlic paste. Give a quick stir and then add the yellow moong dhal, green gram dhal and rice. Stir continuously so that the rice, lentils and the vegetables are coated with oil and ghee. This step has to be done quick since the contents might stick to the bottom. Add turmeric powder, hing and salt. Now add 4 1/2 cups of water. Mix the contents well so that the salt is evenly distributed. Close it with a lid. Now change the setting to rice mode. (While adding the ingredients one by one, be careful not to burn the contents. If the ingredients are sticking to the bottom, then add little bit more oil or ghee)
To prepare the kitchadi in Pressure Cooker: Place the pressure cooker on the stove. Keep the flame low and allow the heat to evenly spread so that all the moisture is removed. Now add 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of ghee. Add jeera, curry leaves, green chilli-ginger-garlic paste. Sauté and then quickly add the yellow moong dhal and green gram dhal. Give a quick stir it and add the rice. Stir continuously so that the rice, lentils and the vegetables are coated with oil and ghee. Add turmeric powder, hing and salt. Now add 4 1/2 cups of water. Mix the contents well so that the salt is evenly distributed. Now close the pressure cooker with the lid and place the weight. Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles.
Once the Kitchadi is cooked, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of melted ghee on top and mix well.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes:

I have used 4 1/2 cups of water for 1 cup rice and 1/2 cup lentils. If you want the kitchadi to be more sticky and liquid consistency, add extra 1/2 cup of water.