soothing quinoa & dal kichadi

This is a magical meal, and I make a lot of it, especially when travelling.  It takes no time and is much lighter than the brown rice version.

We had just spent some time in Israel; this was the first time I had returned since leaving. I love the vegetables in Israel, which have a unique freshness and tastiness that I have not encountered anywhere else. The cucumbers and oranges are AMAZING!

I used this opportunity for the first week to do a simple cleanse. Each morning, I walked through the Jaffa port to a quaint health food store, Niroli, in Neve Tzedek and had freshly made green juice. The rest of the day was spent eating salads and this soothing, warming kichadi for dinner. Served with a simple grated beetroot salad and homemade pickle, it is a complete, easy meal that soothes the mind, body, and spirit.

Jaffa

This was the only photo I took in Israel in Jaffa, but I am so glad I did. Now that I am back in a European Winter, it is nice to be reminded of the light in Israel and how beautiful and unique it is.

SOOTHING QUINOA & DAL KICHADI

serves 3 – 4

Inspired by Kristin

ingredients

¾ cup quinoa (preferably soaked for 20 minutes)

½ cup split moong dal

3 cups water

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp ghee

1 medium carrot

1 stick celery

½ cup chopped cabbage

½ cup broccoli florets

½ tsp tamarind paste/lemon juice

1 tsp jaggery/brown sugar

1 tsp fine rock salt

few rounds of ground pepper

¼ cup dried shredded coconut

½ cup fresh coriander, kale or young broccoli leaves, finely chopped

for the voggarane

1 tsp ghee

1 tsp cumin seeds

⅛ tsp asafoetida powder

1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger

¼ – ½ tsp chilli flakes/1 fresh green chilli, cut with a slit into it

6 curry leaves, fresh

½ tsp rasam powder

to serve

ghee

lemon wedges

spicy pickle

preparation

  1. In a saucepan, rinse the quinoa and dal until the water runs clear. Set aside to soak for 15 minutes, drain, then pour in 3 cups water, a spoon of ghee, and turmeric powder. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a slow simmer—simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered. You may have to add a little water if it looks like it is drying out.
  2. Cut the carrots, celery, and cabbage into small uniform pieces and add them to the rice and dal. Simmer for 15 minutes. Depending on the desired consistency, add water.

prepare the voggarane

  1. In a small saucepan, heat a little ghee. When hot, add the cumin seeds, asafoetida, ginger, chilli, rasam powder, and curry leaves. Fry for 30 seconds; swish the pan to ensure the spices fry evenly.
  2. Add the voggarane to the kichadi, along with the finely chopped broccoli. Allow to simmer for a few minutes until the broccoli is just tender.
  3. Add tamarind, jaggery, coconut, salt, and pepper to taste. Combine well. Stir in the coriander, kale, or broccoli leaves.

When serving, drizzle each bowl lavishly with ghee.  Serve with freshly grated beetroot and homemade pickle.

quinoa and dal kichadi

Goodness shared from Stacey