Indian food is one of my top favorite cuisines and my absolute top favorite during the Fall and Winter. Mark and I used to frequent a local Indian restaurant once a week before I started cutting out dairy and extra crappy oils on the norm. Last year however we were missing those Indian meals and went back after years of not going. We were looking to bring back those good memories and feel some joy. Sadly though, the food just tasted like canola oil and we couldn’t get passed it. Oh well, we still cherish the past memories, but I realized then I needed to learn to cook some more Indian dishes at home. While Ri’s Kitchari (Kitchari is an Ayurvedic dish) is not the type of Indian we ate at these restaurants, it has Moong Daal lentils and Indian spices that give us those similar, warming, feel-good feelings. Moong Daal lentils are one of the few legumes recommended for the Vata dosha type (me) as well as being a good one for all dosha types (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) in Ayurveda. I think it’s the perfect mix of a hearty lentil soup that sneaks in a good bit of veggies and Indian spices. I look forward to having this warm hug for dinner often.

Pamela Anderson’s Lentil Soup Recipe

Ri’s Kitchari:

Ri’s Kitchari

Indian food is one of my top favorite cuisines and my absolute top favorite during the Fall and Winter. Mark and I used to frequent a local Indian restaurant once a week before I started cutting out dairy and their extra crappy oils they used. Last year we were missing those Indian meals and went back to two different places after years of not going. We were looking to bring back those nostalgic memories and feel some joy. Sadly, the food just tasted like canola oil to us and we couldn't get passed it. Oh well, we still cherish the past memories, but I realized I needed to learn to cook some more Indian dishes at home. While Ri's Kitchari is not the type of Indian we ate at these restaurants, it has Moong Daal lentils and Indian spices that feel like a warm hug. I think it's the perfect mix of a hearty lentil soup that sneaks in a good bit of veggies and Indian. I look forward to having this for dinner often.

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Servings: 4 – 6

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

1 cup moong daal soaked in the fridge for 2 hours +
2 medium zucchini roughly diced
10-12 oz bag frozen riced cauliflower leave it in frozen chunks if it is – stays a bit firmer in the end
2 TBSP coconut cream – the thick part of a can of coconut milk or cream
1 18.3 oz jar Jovial crushed tomatoes
add in any other vegetables you need to use up in the fridge – little butternut squash cooked eggplant, etc.
3 cups water
little olive oil
1/2 yellow onion
1/3 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1/3 tsp coriander
1/3 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp pink salt or sea salt
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
large handful fresh spinach
ground pepper
optional coconut yogurt or cilantro to garnish

Method

Soak moong daal for 2 hrs + in the fridge. Rinse very well before adding to instant pot.
Add to the instant pot in this order – Moong Daal, diced zucchini, riced cauliflower, jar of crushed tomatoes, any other veg on hand, coconut cream, and 3 cups of water. Don't stir. If your frozen riced cauliflower is in big chunks, leave it. It doesn't overcook so much and has a nicer texture in the end. If it's not in chunks, that's okay too. Mine varies each time I make it.
Pressure cook for 8 minutes. Let self release for an additional 8 minutes once done and then release any remaining pressure after the 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan on the stovetop, add a little heat up a little olive oil. Add the fennel seeds and stir a minute until they start to pop. Add in the remaining spices and stir until fragrant.
Add in the diced onion, constantly stirring still. If needed, add in the tiniest bit of water until the onions start to sweat. Continue stirring until the onion is sautéed and then remove from and heat and set aside until instant pot is done.
Once the daal mixture is ready, add a large handful of fresh spinach and the onion spice mixture right into the instant pot. Stir for a minute or so. I like to add a good amount of ground pepper here too. Taste and adjust any spices or salt as needed. Scoop into bowls and enjoy the warm hug.

Notes

Moong Daal Lentils

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