Quinoa Moong Dal Kitchari

In a deep saucepan, add lentils, rice, quinoa, and water.

Bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes until all your ingredients soften and blend together. It will come together like the consistency of porridge. Once cooked, put the lid on the pan tightly and turn the heat off. Let the mixture sit until you complete the next step. Tip: of course you should rinse your ingredients. Quinoa is hard to rinse, though, because the seeds are so tiny they tend to wash away easily. I use a strainer like this to at least rinse everything once. You can also use white basmati rice if you prefer. I find the Patel Brothers brand of brown rice to be incredibly light and fluffy. For quicker cooking and less water evaporation, keep a lid on your pot, but keep the lid slightly ajar so that your water does not overflow. If you don’t use a lid, keep in mind you might need to add more water towards the end of cooking. If you have a kettle handy, add boiled water so that you don’t bring down your cooking temperature by adding cold water. Also, lentils sometimes create a foam when cooking. I just skim this off the top and discard it.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a separate sautee pan. Add cumin, carom, turmeric, and cardamom pods. Cook until the seeds turn a reddish brown and sizzle, about 30-40 seconds. Tip: This is a pretty quick process. Be careful not to step away. It’s easy to burn the seeds and turmeric.

Add onion, ginger, garlic, and green chiles if using. Cook until the mixture slightly browns. Tip: This process is called tarka, or heating your oil, and infusing it with spices and key ingredients. If you want, add more chopped veggies including corn, carrots, or tomatoes. The possibilities are endless.

Take your cooked spiced tarka and add it to your lentil/rice/quinoa mixture. Mix well. Add salt, red chile pepper if using.

Remove whole spices like the cardamom, dole into bowls, garnish with chopped, fresh onions, cilantro, and regular or vegan butter and serve immediately piping hot. Tip: If this dish gets cold, it tends to thicken because of the rice and lentils. The best way to reheat it is slowly in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add a little water to get it to the perfect consistency once again. Of course you might need to add a little more salt as well.