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Instant Pot Summer Kitchari

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My life changed when I discovered how to make Kitch’ in the Instant Pot.

Up until now, I’ve been making Kitch’ on the stove like a chump. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still good, but pressure cooking it takes it to the next level.

Not only with taste and flavour, but texture and digestibility as well.

Traditionally Kitch’ is made with white basmati rice. While that might seem counterintuitive in a culture that has been made the fear white, starchy things, it can actually be easier on the digestive system. The reason being, it breaks down really easily, and makes your Kitch’ a nice mushy consistency

Kitch’ is actually supposed to be mushy. Like, baby food almost. It is supposed to be super easy to digest, and the mushier it is, the easier time your digestive system has.

So when we use basmati rice, it’s easier to get that mushy, easily digestible quality.

Now, there is nothing wrong with using brown rice, in fact, it’s my preferred way to make kitch, but on the stove top it still feels a little too… firm.

So how do you get perfect Kitch’ every time, that’s easy to digest, tastes amazing, and comes out with the perfect Kitch’ consistency?

An instant pot, that’s how.

Not only does it come out perfect, it takes like half the time and effort. It’s a win, win, win, win, win!

This recipe is super simple, I’m gonna give you the bones of it, but feel free to add in any additional spices as you see fit, or seasonal vegetables.

When made exactly as it is, it’s the perfect summer time kitch recipe. The spices are nice and mild, the veggies are seasonal and generally cooling. We want to switch up our diet with the seasons, and so switching up what we put in our Kitch’ is always a good idea!

To start you’re going to soak 1 cup of rice with 1 cup of split moon dal for about 30 minutes. Rinse and set aside.

Then turn your Instant Pot to “Saute.” Put 1-2 tbsp of Ghee or neutral tasting oil, along with 2 tsp of whole cumin seeds. Let them sit in the oil until the pop and you can smell the aroma.

Next, put in 2-3 tsp on Garam Masala – more if you like it more flavourful and 1 tsp turmeric. Let the spices mix around in the oil. This will help with digestion of their fat-soluble constituents, and help with enhancing the flavor.

If you are super pitta, you can add in a bit of coriander to help with cooling and balancing your dosha.

Now press “cancel” on the instant pot and pour the rice and bean mixture into the spices and stir around.

Pour 7 cups of water on to the beans (a little more if you like it more soupy), and stir, making sure nothing has stuck to the bottom. At this point add in a couple of tsp of salt (or wait until the end if you prefer).

You can make this kitch with seasonal veggies. Add in any firm veggies like carrots, beets, or sweet potato at this point. I love to add green onion and spinach/kale but you want to add these at the end!

They will wilt easily into the Kitch’ without getting pulverized. By adding them at the end we let them cook a little which supports digestion, while preserving the Prana of the plants.

Awwwww Yeaaaaaa.

Ok, so at this point, you want to put the lid on the Instant Pot, ensure the valve is set to sealing, and turn on the Pressure Cook mode. Set the pressure to high, and the time to 22 minutes.

Now walk away and do whatever you need to do!

Once the beeper goes off, let it naturally release pressure for about 15 mins, and then, with trepidation, take a spatula and flick the valve to “release” manually.

Once the little thingy that shows the pressure (on mine its a little silver thing) has gone down, the pressure is released and you can open it up.

Add in your leafy veggies, salt and pepper if needed, and enjoy!!



Print Recipe
 Instant Pot Summer Kitchari
Prep Time 10 Minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Prep Time 10 Minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. To start you're going to soak 1 cup of rice with 1 cup of split moon dal for about 30 minutes. Rinse and set aside.
  2. Then turn your Instant Pot to "Saute." Put 1-2 tbsp of Ghee or neutral tasting oil, along with 2 tsp of whole cumin seeds. Let them sit in the oil until the pop and you can smell the aroma.
  3. Next, put in 2-3 tsp on Garam Masala - more if you like it more flavourful and 1 tsp turmeric. Let the spices mix around in the oil. This will help with digestion of their fat-soluble constituents, and help with enhancing the flavor.
  4. Now press "cancel" on the instant pot and pour the rice and bean mixture into the spices and stir around.
  5. Pour 7 cups of water on to the beans (a little more if you like it soupier), and stir, making sure nothing has stuck to the bottom. At this point add in a couple of tsp of salt (or wait until the end if you prefer).
  6. Ok, so at this point, you want to put the lid on the Instant Pot, ensure the valve is set to sealing, and turn on the Pressure Cook mode. Set the pressure to high, and the time to 22 minutes.
  7. Once the beeper goes off, let it naturally release pressure for about 15 mins, and then, with trepidation, take a spatula and flick the valve to "release" manually.
  8. Add in your leafy veggies, salt and pepper if needed, and enjoy!!
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Simple 3 Ingredient Wraps – Vegan and Gluten Free!

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Last year I was on the hunt for a vegan, GF wrap in stores that didn’t taste or feel like cardboard had simple ingredients, and didn’t cost a thousand dollars.

I’m afraid to report that such a wrap does not exist.

…

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The Best Ever Scrambled Tofu

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I know it’s like the vegan cliche to love tofu, but I seriously love tofu – especially scrambled.

I think it’s because when I ate meat, my go-to breakfast was eggs. At one point I was eating 4-6 eggs a day. It was overkill, I know. I just liked how easily I could whip them up, and how many different ways I could make them.

I especially loved scrambled eggs. But then I became vegan and alas, my love affair with eggs was no more.

Vegan Scrambled Tofu

However, during this pregnancy, I did actually eat a few eggs.

Dum dum dummm… Don’t call the vegan police on me! I had what I call – and EGG-sistential crisis. My body was craving eggs. But I was VEGAN. I felt this moral obligation to NOT eat eggs. I felt bound by my vegan label, but also I felt this weird guilt about even considering eating eggs. I had so many chats with my husband about what I should do, and really it came down to this:

He said, “Why are you vegan in the first place?” and I said, “Because I don’t want to harm animals or the environment..” and he said, “Well, if you could eat eggs in such a manner that didn’t harm the environment or animals, wouldn’t you do that?”

Hmmm. He was on to something. There is a little farm near where my mom lives that has a big space for their chickens to roam, they get their eggs fresh every day, and they ONLY farm eggs. Not the actual chickens.

My craving for eggs had lasted over a month. I figured my body was trying to tell me something. So I finally – after months of debate – ate the damn eggs. And honestly, It felt like it was exactly what my body needed at the time. Later, my friend let me know that at the time during my pregnancy that I was craving eggs (around 2-3 months), was when my body would be needing a whole lot of a nutrient called choline. Choline is used to promote the development of the brain and nervous system and is abundant in eggs. My genius body knew exactly what I needed when I needed it!

Thanks bod.

Vegan Scrambled Tofu

Even though the eggs tasted great, they didn’t go down so well.

My body wasn’t used to digesting animal protein. I started to feel bloated, and gassy every time after I ate them. So once the cravings went away, I stopped consuming them and went back to my old, reliable fav – scrambled tofu.

I remember the first few times I tried making this dish. Without a recipe to go on I put in waaaaay too much turmeric to make them egg-colored, and way too much salt. In fact, I think all I put was salt and turmeric. They were gross. Needless to say, I have evolved since then. My knack for putting together spices that compliment each other has improved thanks to my amazing husband, the spice-master, Vikram.

Vegan Scrambled Tofu

There are tons of different spice combinations you can use to jazz up your plain tasting tofu

But the one I’m sharing with you today is by far my favorite. It can be nice and mild with just a pinch or two of cayenne, or you can totally spice it up and add in some hot chili flakes. The spice world is your oyster my friends!

The other amazing thing I love about this recipe is that you can pretty much add any veggie you want to it! One of my go-to combo’s is onions, mushrooms, spinach and red peppers. But you can add or omit veggies to your personal liking. I always feel weird about posting the exact, specifics of a recipe when I know that certain things can, and SHOULD be modified based on personal preference. Like who am I to tell you what vegetables to put in your scramble? Life is short, throw in whatever you want.

Vegan Scrambled Tofu

Vegan Scrambled Tofu

Other delicious veggies I’ve tossed in here:

  • Kale
  • Green Onions
  • Garlic
  • Avocado (sliced and put on top – this is always a good idea)!
  • Broccoli
  • Bok Choy
  • Black Beans

I wouldn’t necessarily put all of these in at once, (or you could, YOLO and such…) but I just want you to know that this recipe will pretty much taste delicious with any combo of veggies.

Check out the recipe below, and let me know what you think! Are there any other flavor combos you like? Let me know in the comments section! Happy Eating 🙂

 

Print Recipe
 The Best Scrambled Tofu
Vegan Scrambled Tofu
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Servings
people
Ingredients
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Servings
people
Ingredients
Vegan Scrambled Tofu
Instructions
  1. Over medium heat, place the onions in a pan with a few tbsp of oil, and saute until they are translucent.
  2. Add in the rest of the vegetables (with the EXCEPTION of the spinach which you will add right at the end) and saute until soft.
  3. Place another tbsp of oil in the pan, and begint o crumble up your tofu. Literally pull some apart, and crumble it in your hands so it resembles scrambled eggs.
  4. Add in your spices, and stir so they mix evenly with the tofu and veggies. Add in salt and pepper, and modify spices according to your preference.
  5. Add in the spinach, stirring to ensure the spinach is evenly distributed. At this point you can reduce heat to low, and cover for 10-15 minutes.
  6. Serve with oven baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, and definitely avocado! Enjoy 🙂
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