Not only does it give strength and vitality, it improves digestion and assimilation, as well as being superbly grounding and comforting. It is also an easily digestible complete protein that dosn’t have the degenerative (tamasic) qualities present in chicken soup.
Kitchari is the combination of split, peeled mung dhal and basmati rice, cooked with lots of ghee (or oil) and digestive spices. It has numerous possible pairings of spices and vegetables, making this dish one with many possible incarnations. 🙂
Eating a vegetarian diet is preferred during the postpartum window because meat has a degenerative quality and is heavy on mama’s weak digestion.
I created this delicious kitchari recipe specifically for postpartum healing. It stimulates the digestive fire, soothes the nerves, aids in healthy elimination, as well as brings the body and mind back into balance. A perfect staple for your postpartum diet.
Enjoy!
Kitchari ~ The Vegetarian Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1/3 C split peeled mung beans (dal)
- 2/3 C basmati rice
- 10 Cup water
- 4 Tbsp ghee (or unrefined sesame oil)
- 2 Tbsp cilantro
- 2 Tbsp shredded coconut
- 1 1/2 " piece peeled fresh ginger
- 2 " cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/2 tsp clove powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak mung dhal and rice for a 3 hours to aid digestibility.
- Rinse rice and dal until water runs clear.
- Blend cilantro, fresh ginger and coconut with 1 cup of water until smooth.
- Add all of the ingredients to a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Turn down to a simmer and cook for 2 hours, adding more water as needed.
- Add salt and additional ghee to taste.
- Final product should be soupy, with the rice and dhal broken down.
Notes
Mama's Menu: Ayurvedic Recipes For Postpartum Healing
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You said in one of your blogs not to have freezer meals postpartum, are you saying that heating up the freezer meals doesnt make any difference?
Yes, once food is frozen, the properties of that food changes. Frozen food becomes dry, rough and cold; all of which aggravate a new mother’s healing process. I highly recommend the use of slow cookers and strategic advanced planning. I personally LOVE the VitaClay, which has a programmable delay and the pot is made out of terracotta clay. If you need to use freezer meals, its best to freeze soups.
If I cook this in a slow cooker do I follow steps 1-3 and then put it in? How long do I cook it for? And do I put the setting on high or low?
As for the rice congee, I suppose the slow cooker should be low right? Thank you for all the great info.
Thank you for these recipes – As you recommend not freezing this, I’m going to measure and prepare all the pantry ingredients in advance, so my husband can make it easily in the crockpot. Thank you!
Perfect!
I am having a hard time finding the dung beans, would split peeled red lentils be just as nourishing and restorative for Mama postpartum?
Red lentils aren’t as nourising, no. Click here to get yellow mung beans. You can use red lentils as a substitute until they arrive.