Kitchi, Comfort Food the Indian Way (Rice and Lentils)

My mother would definitely say that I would not touch this stuff as a child but lately, I can't get enough. I even talked to my father the other day and said, "Don't laugh, but guess what I'm eating"...I'm sure he laughed once the words poured out of my fingers into that little GChat box! Haha! But seriously, Kichdi, Kichadee, Khichdi, Kitchouri...whatever you want to call it boils down to two main ingredients - dry lentils and rice and I'm telling you it's convenience and comfort in a bowl! In India, more bland versions are used to help fight the common cold and often, it is the first solid food introduced to babies. How's that for a little food trivia?

So what exactly are we talking about here...well 30 minutes start to finish...no soaking, just a little rinsing and chopping and a ton of nutritional value! I like to keep my Kichdi basic but you could certainly experiment with adding vegetables, varying the ratio of lentils and rice and using different spices.

Kichdi

1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 small tomato, finely diced

1/2 cup basmati rice, rinsed

1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed

2 cups water

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add all of the spices and saute for one minute, then add the tomatoes and saute until cooked down a bit (approx 2 minutes). Add the rice and lentils, stir, then add the water. Stir and cover pot mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil, then set to a low heat setting on the stove. Cook until water is gone (about 15 minutes). When cooked mix in cilantro. Serve with a little plain yogurt on the side for some added calcium and comfort.

I don't think it gets much easier! You can add a mixture of vegetables before you add the rice and lentils such as peas, carrots, corn, green beans, potatoes, etc. I recommend cooking them a bit before adding the rice and lentils and adding just a little more water. Make sure the veggies, rice and lentils have about a half inch of water on top when you start the boiling process. In any case, its purest form as pictured here, this meal has about 17 g of protein (that's with the yogurt!). Not so low with the carbs (65 g) but still worth the post and indulgence!

Curry for Company

Ever been to an Indian dinner party and thought, wow, this must have taken forever? Well, guess again! Some curry staples like mixed vegetable curry is much easier and less time consuming than you would imagine. Unless of course, you start with fresh spices and pull out the mortar and pestle...

You also may not know all the health benefits to the spices contained in a curry powder or garam masala mix. Tumeric, for example, has been associated with healing properties and has been used to heal cuts and burns. It's also thought that it may be helpful in treating, possibly curing, Alzheimers! So many other spices in the Indian store spice blends to think about - cinnamon, black pepper, anise, allspice, asafoetida, cardamom, chili pepper, clover, coriander and cumin. I encourage you to google the healing benefits of each of these spices and think - "Holy smokes, this one Indian dish will combine them all!" Here's a start - http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Health-Benefits-of-Curry&id=423844 Now on to the food. Here's a simple recipe for a vegetable curry. Add whatever beans/vegetables you like. You can even get paneer (homemade Indian cheese) from the market, should that be desired.

Vegetable Curry - This makes a lot! It freezes well and lasts a while in the fridge, the spices actually act as a preservative...interesting little tid bit, huh?

3 Onions, chopped

4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup non fat yogurt
4 cups of mixed vegetables and beans (I used, potatoes, carrots, frozen corn, frozen green beans, frozen peas and chickpeas)

Puree the onions and garlic with a little bit of water in a blender. Heat oil in a large saucepan. When oil is heated, at the pureed mixture (careful of splatter). Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes. Mixture will start to change colour. Add the cumin seeds, cook and stir for a minute and then add the remaining spices, the crushed tomatoes and the yogurt. You can alter the spice combination to make it a little spicier or less spicy depending on your preference. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the "hard" vegetables like potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc. Add water to cover the top of all the vegetables. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Then add the beans and frozen vegetables and heat through. Serve on top of brown rice, basmati rice, quinoa or maybe with a little naan bread. I usually top with some nonfat yogurt or nonfat cottage cheese and a mint chutney. Chutney recipes to follow shortly, promise!

When you add a starch (e.g., rice, naan) to serve with the carb count will go up. So I tend to do more curry, less starch. Sometimes no starch at all, especially if I add the potatoes. This curry on it's own has some good ratios - 22g carbs; 10g protein; 5g fat.