Pumpkin kitchari bowl

I’VE ALWAYS FOUND there’s something so incredibly comforting about eating from a bowl. While we tend to think of salads as something to be consumed during the warmer months, nourishing bowls of both raw and cooked vegetables and gluten-free grains, all brought together with a punchy sauce, can often be just the thing our bodies crave in the depths of winter. With bowls based around ingredients such as roasted vegetables and grains, you’ll also find any leftovers make a great lunch the following day, which is something I think is always worth celebrating. I live for tasty leftovers!

SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES PLUS 2 HOURS SOAKING TIME / COOKING 25-30 MINUTES

FOR THE PUMPKIN KITCHARI

½ cup basmati rice

½ cup moong dal (split mung beans) 1 tablespoon coconut oil, ghee or butter 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, chopped

½ teaspoon finely grated ginger ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ cup finely grated pumpkin juice of ½ lemon

FOR THE GARLIC-ROASTED MUSHROOMS 16 button mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

FOR THE GREENS

4 small handfuls greens (I used broccoletti from our garden, but broccoli, kale or silverbeet would be great) coconut oil or ghee

While we tend to think of salads as something for the warmer months, nourishing bowls of both raw and cooked vegetables and gluten-free grains, all brought together with a punchy sauce, can often be just the thing our bodies crave in the depths of winter.

FOR THE CUMIN YOGHURT

1 cup thick plain yoghurt

1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and finely ground

Soak the rice and mung beans in cold water for 2 hours. Drain and rinse well.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180℃. Place the mushrooms into an ovenproof dish, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender and golden. Remove from the oven and stir through the garlic. Set aside.

Heat the coconut oil/ghee or butter in a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute, add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Add the turmeric and pumpkin and cook for 30 seconds. Add the drained rice and mung beans, 2 cups (500ml) cold water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil and cook on high for approx 5 minutes or until the water is level with the rice and small tunnels appear in the rice. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and simmer for a further 15 minutes, by which time the water should be absorbed and the rice slightly mushy. Squeeze over the lemon juice.

Quickly fry the greens in a small pan with a touch of coconut oil or ghee. Season with salt. Combine the cumin yoghurt ingredients together.

To serve, scoop a little pumpkin kitchari into each bowl, divide the mushrooms and greens between bowls, scatter with a little handful of sprouted lentils and serve with cumin yoghurt. *To sprout lentils, soak Puy-style lentils in cold water overnight. The following day, drain through a sieve, place the sieve over a bowl, cover with a glass lid or plate and set aside. Twice a day rinse them with fresh water. After approx two days your sprouts should be ready to eat. Remove the lid and allow them to air-dry for half a day or so before transferring to a glass jar and storing in the fridge. They will keep in the fridge 4-5 days.

GARLIC-ROASTED MUSHROOMS GREENS SPROUTED LENTILS CUMIN YOGHURT

Kitchari is a nourishing Ayurvedic rice and moong dal (split mung beans) meal often eaten during cleanses, as it’s easy for the body to digest. It can vary from quite a dry mixture to a wet dal-like meal depending on how much water is added. I’ve gone for more of a dry mixture here, punctuated with pumpkin and gently spiced. Any greens can be used, whatever you have at hand will be fine, whether that’s kale, silverbeet, spinach or broccoli. This winter I’ve got broccoletti – a type of sprouting Italian broccoli – growing in my garden, so I’ve used that here. Find moong dal at your local Indian store or at selected health food stores.