masala kitchari

Out of the food that we have tasted so far on the farm, my favorite is definitely Masala Kitchari. This is a North Indian-style dish that Ranjana makes -- possibly she knows it from Gujarat, where she says they made it constantly, possibly from before she lived there. Today was the third time I've gotten to observe her making Kitchari by helping in the kitchen. I think I've got the recipe down pretty well, but a disclaimer: I have never actually cooked it myself. Future edits (and pictures!) to come.

Ingredients:

For the Kitchari:
3 tbsp Coconut oil (or other oil)
3 tsp mustard seeds
3 long, thin green chilis chopped very finely
2 medium-sized tomatoes cut into small chunks
3 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
15 curry leaves
1 small red onion chopped very finely
A bunch of green beans (3-4 handfuls) cut into two-inch pieces
1 small-ish potato cut into chunks
Salt to taste
4 cups short-grain white rice

For the yogurt sauce:
1/2 cup chickpea flour, toasted briefly in a frying pan
1/2 kilo yogurt
1 liter water
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
3 tsp coconut oil (or other oil)
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 long, thin green chilis cut into rough chunks
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
25 curry leaves

Heat the coconut oil in a medium-sized frying pan. Add the mustard seeds, and when they begin to pop, add the green chili. Add the tomatoes, turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, and curry leaves. Cook a couple minutes, then add the rest of the veggies and cook about 5 minutes. Add salt and rice; stir. Add the water, bring to a boil, cover, and let cook 15 minutes.

Mix the chickpea flour, yogurt, and water together in another pot and bring to a low boil. Add turmeric and salt. Cook over low heat, and meanwhile, heat the oil in a small frying pan. Add the mustard seeds, and when they begin to pop, add the onion, green chili, garlic, and curry leaves. After the onion and garlic are browned, add the hot oil and everything in it to the yogurt mixture.

Ranjana cooks both of these in the afternoon, somewhere between 3 and 6. Sometimes she starts at three and finishes after six, making dinner, breakfast, and other things like snacks and rice for future meals. Not to mention chai. The dinner sits, kept warm from the kitchen fire, until our dinner at eight. But if you're not constantly cooking South Indian food to serve 8 people, the Kitchari should be ready in 30 minutes.

How to serve:

The Kitchari serves 8 hungry people. Spoon the rice onto each plate. Serve the yogurt sauce in small dishes alongside the rice. Invite your guests to sit on mats on the floor. They can hold their plates in their laps, or eat off them from the ground. With your left hand, pour a little yogurt sauce over the rice. Use your (clean) right hand to stir the yogurt into a small section of rice. Try it and add more yogurt if that's to your liking. If you finish your dish of yogurt, use your left hand to help yourself to more, spooning it from the pot to your cup and then pouring it over the rice, a little at a time.

How you eat with your hands: It's very, very, very simple. Grab some food with your right hand and put it in your mouth. You can eat sauces this way too, though the trick of this food is that you should stir it together, taking more rice or sauce if necessary, until it is the absolute perfect consistency: not too wet and not too dry. Use your thumb to push the food into your mouth, though this generally happens naturally -- don't over-think it!

Generally, we eat Masala Kitchari with a pickle. At this time of year, we make bimboli pickle. I will do a post about bimboli soon, so I won't give too much away! I'm pretty sure bimboli isn't found outside South India (our friends didn't know it before they moved to Karnataka,) so if I were at home, I would substitute garlic. A pickle isn't necessary, though. This dish is great on its own.