This is one of those recipes that carries centuries of wisdom in a single bowl.

Kitchari has deep roots in India and in Ayurvedic tradition, where combinations of rice and dal have been prepared for generations as simple, nourishing food. There are countless versions, because like most foods that have lived in family kitchens for centuries, everyone seems to have their own way of making it.

But at its heart, kitchari is beautifully simple: rice and mung dal cooked together until soft, surrounded by aromatic spices and, depending on the season and the cook, whatever vegetables feel right for the moment.

For me, though, kitchari is more than simply a delicious Indian dish.

Most people who have known me for many years know that I have always been a big believer in detoxing and cleansing the body. That became especially important to me during an earlier chapter of my life when I became very sick after years of pesticide exposure on golf courses.

Healing myself became a huge part of my life.

Homeopathy, detoxing, and changing to a very clean, whole-food, plant-based diet were transformational for me. I spent years learning about the healing properties of food and looking at what I ate differently. Food wasn’t simply something that filled me up anymore. I began asking what it was doing for my body and how I could use it as another part of healing.

I don’t live every day in those intensive detox years anymore, but so many of the habits I developed then stayed with me.

And so did many of the foods.

Kitchari is one of them.

What I love about Ayurvedic cooking is that the spices themselves aren’t there simply to make the food taste good. They have traditionally been valued for their healing properties too. Ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander—these are ingredients I already loved, and suddenly they were coming together in a bowl that I could intentionally choose during a cleanse or anytime I felt that my body needed a little renewal.

And somehow it still tasted completely indulgent.

That’s the part I love.

Food for healing doesn’t have to taste like something you’re enduring because it’s supposed to be good for you. It can be something you genuinely can’t wait to eat.

Indian cooking may demonstrate that better than almost any cuisine I know. Whether it’s chai, curry, a beautifully spiced vegetable dish, or even warm garlic naan, the aromas alone can make you hungry. Cumin and coriander hit warm oil, ginger follows, then turmeric and black pepper, and suddenly the entire kitchen smells incredible.

Kitchari does that too.

Then the rice and mung dal go into the pot with the vegetables and slowly cook together until everything becomes soft, creamy, warming, and deeply comforting.

Ginger is especially important in my version.

I’ve written the recipe with what I think is a lovely balanced amount, but I’ll confess that I often pile in considerably more. I adore ginger. I love its warming quality, its flavor, and the way I use it as an anti-inflammatory food in my own kitchen. So if you’re a ginger lover like I am, don’t be afraid to let your spoon become a little generous.

The vegetables are another place where I don’t think there should be too many rules.

Carrots seem to make their way into my kitchari most of the time. I love cauliflower and peas too. During summer I might add zucchini or green beans, and when the weather changes, sweet potato or winter squash feels wonderful.

That’s one of the beautiful things about this dish.

It changes with you.

One thing that surprises some people is the use of white basmati rice rather than brown rice. We have become so accustomed to hearing that brown rice is always the healthier choice that white rice in a healing recipe can seem almost wrong. But in this kind of preparation, simplicity and ease of digestion are part of the intention. White rice has had the bran removed, so it is softer and lower in fiber, and it cooks together beautifully with split yellow mung dal until the two almost melt into one another.

This isn’t a bowl where I’m trying to cram every possible superfood into one meal.

The simplicity is part of its healing nature.

I make kitchari when I’m cleansing. I make it when I’ve been eating more heavily than usual and feel like I need a reset. I make it when I’m run down and want something gentle. And sometimes I make it for absolutely no reason other than the fact that I love it.

Because some meals have a purpose.

And when I intentionally choose a food because I believe it is helping my body cleanse, renew, or heal, somehow it tastes even better. There is something wonderful about enjoying every spoonful while also feeling that you’re doing something good for yourself.

You can make this slowly on the stove, watching the rice and mung dal gradually lose their separateness and become creamy, or you can put everything into the pressure cooker and let it do most of the work for you.

Either way, what comes out is one of those bowls that makes you feel cared for.

Warm.

Aromatic.

Comforting.

Healing.

And you certainly don’t have to be doing a cleanse to make it.

If you’re simply looking for a delicious, healthy plant-based meal filled with vegetables and beautiful aromatic spices, make yourself a pot. Make it in summer with zucchini and green beans. Make it in winter with cauliflower or sweet potato. Add a little more ginger if you’re like me. Squeeze some lemon over the top if that’s what sounds good that day.

Then sit down with a warm bowl and enjoy it for what it is.

Food that nourishes.

Food that comforts.

Food that cleanses.

Food that I believe can help us heal.

And for me, that is exactly what it means to eat Food That Feels Like Medicine.