Instant Pot Summer Kitchari

My life changed when I discovered how to make Kitch’ in the Instant Pot.

Up until now, I’ve been making Kitch’ on the stove like a chump. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still good, but pressure cooking it takes it to the next level.

Not only with taste and flavour, but texture and digestibility as well.

Traditionally Kitch’ is made with white basmati rice. While that might seem counterintuitive in a culture that has been made the fear white, starchy things, it can actually be easier on the digestive system. The reason being, it breaks down really easily, and makes your Kitch’ a nice mushy consistency

Kitch’ is actually supposed to be mushy. Like, baby food almost. It is supposed to be super easy to digest, and the mushier it is, the easier time your digestive system has.

So when we use basmati rice, it’s easier to get that mushy, easily digestible quality.

Now, there is nothing wrong with using brown rice, in fact, it’s my preferred way to make kitch, but on the stove top it still feels a little too… firm.

So how do you get perfect Kitch’ every time, that’s easy to digest, tastes amazing, and comes out with the perfect Kitch’ consistency?

An instant pot, that’s how.

Not only does it come out perfect, it takes like half the time and effort. It’s a win, win, win, win, win!

This recipe is super simple, I’m gonna give you the bones of it, but feel free to add in any additional spices as you see fit, or seasonal vegetables.

When made exactly as it is, it’s the perfect summer time kitch recipe. The spices are nice and mild, the veggies are seasonal and generally cooling. We want to switch up our diet with the seasons, and so switching up what we put in our Kitch’ is always a good idea!

To start you’re going to soak 1 cup of rice with 1 cup of split moon dal for about 30 minutes. Rinse and set aside.

Then turn your Instant Pot to “Saute.” Put 1-2 tbsp of Ghee or neutral tasting oil, along with 2 tsp of whole cumin seeds. Let them sit in the oil until the pop and you can smell the aroma.

Next, put in 2-3 tsp on Garam Masala – more if you like it more flavourful and 1 tsp turmeric. Let the spices mix around in the oil. This will help with digestion of their fat-soluble constituents, and help with enhancing the flavor.

If you are super pitta, you can add in a bit of coriander to help with cooling and balancing your dosha.

Now press “cancel” on the instant pot and pour the rice and bean mixture into the spices and stir around.

Pour 7 cups of water on to the beans (a little more if you like it more soupy), and stir, making sure nothing has stuck to the bottom. At this point add in a couple of tsp of salt (or wait until the end if you prefer).

You can make this kitch with seasonal veggies. Add in any firm veggies like carrots, beets, or sweet potato at this point. I love to add green onion and spinach/kale but you want to add these at the end!

They will wilt easily into the Kitch’ without getting pulverized. By adding them at the end we let them cook a little which supports digestion, while preserving the Prana of the plants.

Awwwww Yeaaaaaa.

Ok, so at this point, you want to put the lid on the Instant Pot, ensure the valve is set to sealing, and turn on the Pressure Cook mode. Set the pressure to high, and the time to 22 minutes.

Now walk away and do whatever you need to do!

Once the beeper goes off, let it naturally release pressure for about 15 mins, and then, with trepidation, take a spatula and flick the valve to “release” manually.

Once the little thingy that shows the pressure (on mine its a little silver thing) has gone down, the pressure is released and you can open it up.

Add in your leafy veggies, salt and pepper if needed, and enjoy!!

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Summer Kitchari

Prep Time

10 Minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 cups brown rice
• 1 cup split mung dal
• 2 tbsp ghee/coconut oil (refined)
• 2 tsp Whole Cumin
• 2-3 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 7 cups water
• 2 stalks green onion chopped
• 2 handfuls spinach
• Salt to taste

Prep Time 10 Minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Servings people Ingredients 1 cups brown rice 1 cup split mung dal 2 tbsp ghee/coconut oil (refined) 2 tsp Whole Cumin 2-3 tsp garam masala 1 tsp turmeric 7 cups water 2 stalks green onion chopped 2 handfuls spinach Salt to taste

Instructions

1. To start you're going to soak 1 cup of rice with 1 cup of split moon dal for about 30 minutes. Rinse and set aside.
2. Then turn your Instant Pot to "Saute." Put 1-2 tbsp of Ghee or neutral tasting oil, along with 2 tsp of whole cumin seeds. Let them sit in the oil until the pop and you can smell the aroma.
3. Next, put in 2-3 tsp on Garam Masala - more if you like it more flavourful and 1 tsp turmeric. Let the spices mix around in the oil. This will help with digestion of their fat-soluble constituents, and help with enhancing the flavor.
4. Now press "cancel" on the instant pot and pour the rice and bean mixture into the spices and stir around.
5. Pour 7 cups of water on to the beans (a little more if you like it soupier), and stir, making sure nothing has stuck to the bottom. At this point add in a couple of tsp of salt (or wait until the end if you prefer).
6. Ok, so at this point, you want to put the lid on the Instant Pot, ensure the valve is set to sealing, and turn on the Pressure Cook mode. Set the pressure to high, and the time to 22 minutes.
7. Once the beeper goes off, let it naturally release pressure for about 15 mins, and then, with trepidation, take a spatula and flick the valve to "release" manually.
8. Add in your leafy veggies, salt and pepper if needed, and enjoy!!

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