Kitchari
Kitchari is an Indian “comfort food” made from rice and lentils. Fashion designer Cyril Naicker who cooked this at a Spekko Rice Celebrity Cook-off, relates that he ate this as a child. Later the dish was embellished by the English who added smoked cod or herring instead of the lentils to create a modern-day kedgeree.
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Loading... Ingredients
1 cup Spekko India Gate Basmati Rice
1 cup IMBO red lentils
For the masala mix
60 ml (4 tbsp) vegetable oil
100 g butter
1 bay leaf
1 cassia bark
6 – 8 green cardamom pods
4 cloves
5 ml (1 tsp) coriander powder
1 large onion, sliced
5 ml (1 tsp) ginger garlic paste
½ tsp turmeric
250 ml (1 cup) plain yoghurt
3 cups water
A handful of chopped fresh coriander
A handful of fresh chopped mint leaves
3 fresh green chillies, slit
Salt to taste
Method
- Soak the rice and lentils in plenty of cold water.
- Heat the oil and butter in a heavy based pot. Add the bay leaf, cassia bark, cardamom pods, gloves and the coriander powder. Sauté until the whole spices are fragrant.
- Add the sliced onion and sauté until golden.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté until the raw smell of the ginger garlic disappears.
- Add the turmeric and the yoghurt. Simmer until the oil seeps to the top.
- Drain the rice and lentils and add to the masala mixture, stirring until the rice and lentils are all coated. Add the 3 cups of water.
- Add the chopped fresh coriander, mint and the 3 chillies. Close the pot and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until the rice and lentils are cooked. Add salt to taste.
- Serve plain or with pickles of your choice.