Ghee & Kitchari
Fats have gotten a lot of bad press in recent years.
While I grew up during the margarine craze of the 80’s that led to a boom of “lite” foods, my parents thankfully eschewed all that for home cooked fares based on a whole foods mindset. We used butter, olive oil, etc.
Nowadays there are popular diets promoting the health benefits of a high fat diet, but most medical advice still urges us to stay away from saturated fats, which are really mostly animal fats. A popular coffee drink at Starbucks last year included a shot of EVOO.
Adding extra oil where it isn't a culinary necessity may be overkill. On the other hand, studies now show that avoidance of saturated fats altogether is not likely to change one’s risk for cardiovascular disease as it was once believed (Astrup, 2020).
It turns out what’s best for us is to follow the age-old adage: Everything—including animal fats—in moderation.
The quality of the fat is what matters most, and not eating too much. Like Michael Pollen says in In Defense of Food: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants” (Pollen, 2009). In this country we tend towards extremes. Either we’re eating way too much fat, or not enough.
In my house today we buy mostly organic, whole fat dairy products. They’re expensive, and we buy the highest quality we can. But we don’t eat all that much. Quality over quantity.
Instead of always reaching for cow’s milk, we have other options like coconut or nut milk, switching it out often so our diet is as varied as possible. (It helps that our local Grocery Outlet always switches things up!)
When it comes to cooking oils, we use olive oil as a second option usually when the flavor or a nutritional boost is what we’re looking for. Our go-to sauteing oil is a blend of organic avocado, safflower and coconut oil produced by Chosen Foods because, among other things, they are a B-corp. The smoke point average for this oil blend is about 440 degrees Fahrenheit.) And while this has been a great option, the more research I do on cooking oils and fats, the more I want to include ghee as a mainstay in my culinary arsenal.
I first learned about ghee when I started studying Ayurveda as a way to balance a variety of health and emotional issues I was facing in my twenties. It’s considered an “alternative medicine,” but this traditional knowledge system, born out of the subcontinent of India, has thousands of years of history. Ayurveda translates as the “knowledge or science of life” (https://www.heymonicab.com/ayurveda). The attraction for me has been the view of individuals as having distinct constitutions (one or a combination of three the doshas: vata, pitta and kapha) which require individualized treatments and considerations. For example, my husband has no issues chomping down a cold crispy salad in the middle of winter, but it’s completely unappealing to me. I prefer warm, soothing, cozy foods, especially when it’s cold outside.
There are a million benefits to learning about Ayurveda, from the relief of acute issues, to general lifestyle and daily practices. I highly recommend The Path of Practice: A Woman's Book of Ayurvedic Healing by Bri. Maya Tiwari (2000), and Ayurveda for Life: A Beginner’s Guide to Balance and Vitality by Monica Bloom (2021) as two books to start with.
Ghee is used in cooking, as well as a variety of other traditional practices, and is considered one of the most nutritious foods in the materia medica of Ayurveda. And the smoke point is high (over 480 degrees Fahrenheit) so it's a great frying oil, even for non-Ayurvedic kitchens.
Ghee is simply clarified butter, but as mentioned above, it’s all about quality. Buying organic, sustainably sourced ghee is great. Or, better yet, you can make it at home following the simple instructions I’ve shared below. As Bri. Maya Tiwari mentions in her book, “Making ghee is one of the simplest, most rewarding forms of meditation I know.” (2000, p.327) She recommends following the ancient tradition of making ghee on the full moon as a practice.
While Ayurveda addresses a variety of factors influencing health and preventing disease, including lifestyle and behavior, diet and digestion, stress, and environmental factors (Sharma, 2020). And according to many, ghee is something we can cook with that will have a positive benefit in every area. Now that western medicine is taking a more integrative and holistic view of fats and oils in our diet, saturated fats, especially from high quality sources like organic butter, in moderate quantities, are being shown to have more positive effects on health than negative, even with regard to cardiovascular health (Astrup, 2020).
“While recent research primarily focused on ghee's connection with cardiovascular health, wound healing and skin health, Ayurveda prioritized cognitive benefits, gastrointestinal health, and nourishing” (Kataria, 2024, para 1).
This recipe is for Kitchari, a common Indian dish that’s used to nourish and strengthen. I first heard about kitchari from my friend Parminder , whom I worked with at the City of Seattle’s planning department, when she wrote down her recipe for me in 2008. She recommended it after I had dealt with a round of seasonal colds, and then a bout of seasonal allergies. I was feeling weak and struggled to get my energy back. This recipe is an adaptation from her, as well as various resources I’ve taken notes from along the years.
Though many traditional Ayurvedic recipes are meant to address a specific dosha imbalance, kitchari is said to have benefits for everyone. It’s tridoshic, meaning, it balances all three doshas, or a blend of any of them (I’m vata-pitta, for example). I love the combination of flavors imparted by this unique blend of spices. But I fell in love with this dish after it restored my health and made me feel like myself again. It’s at the top of my go-to comfort food list, along with a garlic omelet and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. I recommend it anytime there is illness, stress or imbalance of any kind, in any season—although on a hot summer day I prefer to eat it at room temperature or cooled.
Ghee & Kitchari
Serves: 8 servings as a side (great amount for leftovers)
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
Ghee 1 lb unsalted organic butter (photos are for ½ lb recipe)
Kitchari 1 cup mung dal (split yellow peas)
½ cup brown rice (basmati rice is traditional, but I prefer the fiber and nutrient levels in organic brown rice)
4 cups water
5-6 T ghee, divided
1 large onion
2-4 cloves garlic
2 cups vegetables, chopped small (carrots, zucchini, sweet potato)
1-2 inches fresh ginger, chopped fine or grated
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
1 pinch asafoetida (hing) (see Note 1)
Optional: 2 cups chopped herbs (cilantro, parsley)
Optional: ¾ cup whole milk yogurt
Directions:
Rinse dal and rice separately, using at least 2 changes of water. (For mung dal rinse and change our water up to 4 times.)
Add rice and dal to a large pot, with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn down heat and leave at a low simmer for 5 minutes with lid slightly ajar (watch closely for overboil.) Cook until soft, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook vegetables in a medium saucepan until soft in 2-3 tablespoons ghee. Set aside.
Chop onions, mince garlic, and mince or grate ginger.
Return the pan to the stove and turn to medium, heating the remaining ghee. Add onions to the pan, sauteing until slightly translucent. Add ginger, stir until heated thoroughly. Add all the spices (except salt and pepper), staying at the stove to stir. Once everything is mixed, add minced garlic and turn off heat.
Once dal and rice are cooked, gently stir in spice and onion mixture, being careful not to overly mash everything. Add vegetables last.
Stir in fresh herbs, if using. Garnish with yogurt, if using. Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
Asafoetida is a spice used in Indian cuisine, derived from the ferula plant, with a pungent smell that mellows when cooked. It is known to aid in digestion, and has been used as a replacement for garlic and onions when there is an allergy or a substitution is needed for any reason. You can find it in Indian markets or online. It is also called hing, which is the Hindi name for it.
References:
Astrup, A., Magkos, F., Bier, D. M., Brenna, J. T., de Oliveira Otto, M. C., Hill, J. O., King, J. C., Mente, A., Ordovas, J. M., Volek, J. S., Yusuf, S., & Krauss, R. M. (2020). Saturated Fats and Health: A Reassessment and Proposal for Food-Based Recommendations. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 76(7), 844–857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.05.077
B-corp. (2024, October 6). Make business a force for good. https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/
Bloom, M. (2021). Ayurveda for life: a beginner’s guide to balance and vitality. Quarto Publishing Group USA.
Chosen Foods. (2024, October 6). We’re on a mission. https://chosenfoods.com/
Daily, J. W., Yang, M., & Park, S. (2016). Efficacy of Turmeric Extracts and Curcumin for Alleviating the Symptoms of Joint Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Journal of Medicinal Food, 19(8), 717–729. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2016.3705
Kataria, D., & Singh, G. (2024). Health benefits of ghee: Review of Ayurveda and modern science perspectives. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 15(1), 100819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2023.100819
Pollen, M. (2009). In defense of food: an eater's manifesto. New York, New York: Penguin Books.
Sharifi-Rad, J., Rayess, Y. E., Rizk, A. A., Sadaka, C., Zgheib, R., Zam, W., Sestito, S., Rapposelli, S., Neffe-Skocińska, K., Zielińska, D., Salehi, B., Setzer, W. N., Dosoky, N. S., Taheri, Y., El Beyrouthy, M., Martorell, M., Ostrander, E. A., Suleria, H. A. R., Cho, W. C., … Martins, N. (2020). Turmeric and Its Major Compound Curcumin on Health: Bioactive Effects and Safety Profiles for Food, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnological and Medicinal Applications. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.01021
Sharma, H., & Keith Wallace, R. (2020). Ayurveda and Epigenetics. Medicina, 56(12), 687. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina56120687
Tiwari, B. (2000). The path of practice: a woman’s book of ayurvedic healing. The Ballantine Publishing Group.
