Butternut Kitchari
This is a fall favorite of mine. The roasted squash stirs into the body of the kichari for a sweet, creamy, orange festival in a bowl. Make sure you cook this stew to an absolute puree for the best results.
Butternut Kitchari
1 small butternut squash
Coconut oil
¾ cup split mung beans, soaked overnight or at least a few hours
¾ cup basmati rice
4 cups water
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp turmeric
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced
1 tsp salt
¼ cup coconut, large flakes, for garnish
To roast the squash: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, rub a few drops of coconut oil onto the cut faces, and place face-up on a baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven.
In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups of the water and the coconut milk to a boil on high heat. Set the other cup of water aside to add during cooking as needed.
Rinse the mung beans and rice well. Add the rice, beans, spice mix, turmeric, and ginger to the boiling water. Keep on high heat until the liquid boils again. Turn the heat down to low.
Scoop the squash out of the skin with a large spoon and add, in chunks, to the pot. The chunks will break down as it cooks. Simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes or more, adding the reserved 1 cup water as needed. It’s finished when the rice and mung beans are soft; the liquid is loose and soupy; and the butternut squash chunks are have fallen apart. Turn off the heat, and stir in the salt. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
In a frying pan, toast the coconut flakes on medium heat, stirring until they begin to brown. Remove from the heat immediately. Spoon the kichari into individual bowls, and garnish each bowl with 1 Tbsp coconut flakes.
Recipe excerpt from Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm Clear Mind by Kate O’Donnell © 2018 by Kate O’Donnell. Photographs © 2018 by Cara Brostrom.
Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. www.shambhala.com
