Spring Cleanse Mung Dal Kitchari

Spring is one of the best times in the year to do a cleanse  in order to prevent imbalances and diseases and strenghtens the digestion.
It consists of eating the same easy digestible food for a few days.
Cook the following recipe each day and enjoy it 2-3 times daily. Cleansing does not always refer to fasting, especially in Ayurvedic philosophy. This simple cleanse allows you to feel full at each meal (leave 4-6 hours in between meals). The recipe is developed to balance all body types.

Ingredients

Spices and herbs;

• 2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 5 cardamom pods
• 5 cloves
• 10 black peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves
• ¼ tsp turmeric, salt to taste
• ½ cup of cilantro leaves

Other;

• 1 tbsp. shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 3 tbsp Ghee 
• 1 cup split or whole mung beans, 1 cup Basmati rice

Preparation

1. Soak the split mung beans for 1 hour in hot water
2. Wash the mung beans and rice until water is clear
3. In a blender, put ginger, coconut, cilantro and ½ cup of water. Blend until liquefied
4. Heat a large saucepan on medium heat. Add ghee, then ground cinnamon bark, cloves, cardamom pods, peppercorn. Stir for a moment until fragrant
5. Add the blended items to the spices, and then the turmeric, stir for a moment until lightly browned
6. Stir in mung dal and rice and mix well
7. Pour in 6 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil and add the bay leaves. Let it boil for 5-10 minutes, then turn down the heat to low and cook, lightly covered, until the beans and rice are soft, about 30-45 min. Add more water if needed.