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Kicharee

1 cup basmati or brown rice
1 cup moong dahl (yellow lentils) or split mung beans
2 Tbs clarified butter [ Ghee ]
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp each cumin, dill, fennel, ajwan (wild celery), and fenugreek seeds
1 medium size onion, chopped
7 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch ginger root, grated or finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric
3 green or black cardamom pods, cracked
2 small red chilies or 1/4 tsp cayenne
3 cloves
3 bay leaves or a pinch of neem leaves
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp cinnamon stick or powder
pinch saffron (optional)
1/4 tsp black salt
pinch to 1/4 tsp asafoetida
Vegetables to taste: peas, carrots, cauliflower, leeks, burdock root
[ NOTE: If you have trouble finding the herbs locally, buy them online for a site that gets them from India. ]

Melt the clarified butter in a large pot. Add the mustard seeds, cover the pot, wait for the seeds to pop. Add the seeds, saute lightly. Dice the onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic and ginger, saute a little longer. Add the rice and lentils and cover with water twice the depth of the rice and lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add powdered spices of turmeric, cayenne and the coriander, cinnamon, bay or neem leaves, saffron, cloves, and cardamom. After ten minutes, add vegetables which take longer to cook (burdock root, cauliflower, leeks, or carrots). After another half an hour, add peas and asafoetida. When the lentils are tender, add salt.

For extra taste, add a bouillon cube (if salted, wait until the end). For extra energy, use a few pieces of astragalus or kombu sea vegetables. Be sure that the spices are not irradiated, but do not worry if you are missing some of the ingredients. It will taste just fine if you have some or most of the spices.

Kicharee is be eaten every day as part of a fasting regime for those who are trying to establish pH balance or people who are convalescing after devastating illness or as part of a cleansing fast.

Do not make in large batches and refrigerate. Make only as much as will be consumed in one or two days at most.

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