KITCHARY
Vegetarian and gluten-free
Preparation time: Approx. 35 min.

INGREDIENTS FOR 5 PERSONS

100g red lentils
140g basmati rice or half grain rice
3/4 cup of sliced carrots
3/4 cup of broccoli
3/4 cup of red peppers
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons of ghee (or olive oil)
Approx. 1300 milliliters of water
2 teaspoons of ayurvedic salt
Fresh herbs (e.g. parsley or coriander)
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, mortar
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 teaspoon of coriander powder
1 teaspoon of fenugreek powder
¼ teaspoon of asafötida
Some freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon of black pepper

PREPARATION

1. Wash lentils and rice well.
2. Wash the vegetables and cut them into cubes of approx. 1-2 cm.
3. Squeeze the lemon and chop the herbs.
4. Cook lentils, rice, cinnamon sticks and water for approx. 15 in a large pot and skim off the resulting foam continuously.
5. Add the vegetables, depending on their cooking time and simmer them for another 10 minutes.
6. Heat ghee or oil in a small saucepan, roast cumin, and ginger briefly for 5-10 seconds and add them to the vegetables-rice-pot.
7. Add salt, herbs and lemon juice, mix carefully and serve hot. Yum!

An ayurvedic kitchary is the number one of a healthy, all nutrients including self-care dish. From my own experience, I can highly recommend it for times of imbalance, where calming down and concentrating on our essence is of high importance. It also works well with other veggies like potatoes and spinach for example. I simply love it. What about you?

KOHLRABI IN SPICY TURMERIC-TOMATO SAUCE

Vegetarian or vegan and gluten-free
Preparation time: approx. 15 minutes.

INGREDIENT FOR 4-5 PERSONS:
4 medium-sized kohlrabi
1 glass of tomato sauce
1 pinch of asafötida (or 1 clove of garlic)
100 ml. cream (or almond cream to make it vegan)
½ teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 teaspoon of raw cane sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper, according to your taste
1 pinch of chili (only if you like)
½ teaspoon of ground cumin
Approx. 1 teaspoon ghee or olive oil
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
130 ml. of water
Approx. 2 cm of fresh ginger
Freshly chopped parsley or coriander

PREPARATION:
1. Peel the kohlrabi and cut it into narrow, elongated strips.
2. Puree the tomato sauce together with the asafötida, cream, turmeric, sugar, salt, pepper, chili and cumin in a high bowl to a fine sauce.
3. Now wash, peel and finely grate the ginger, simmer it in a small saucepan with water for approx. 5 minutes to gain delicious ginger water. Stream it afterward, as we only need the liquid.
4. Warm the ghee in a wok, roast the coriander powder in it and add the chopped kohlrabi. Add your freshly cooked ginger water and cook the kohlrabi until done (approx. 3-5 min.)
5. Finally, mix the cooked kohlrabi with the tomato sauce, add fresh parsley, finely chopped,… and enjoy this all-senes-activating dish. 

Can kohlrabi make you truly happy? Yes! The combination with THIS TOMATO SAUCE definitively rocks! It did not only make my adult guests happy – but also kids. And, there is a vegan option too, if you like.

Try it out and share your experience with me. Your comments are more than welcome.