Kitchari – Spiced Rice and Lentils

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Caramelized Onion

1. 1
   Rinse the rice and the lentils, Soak them 15 minutes in cold water and drain.

   ⚙ SoakingBowlColander
2. 2
   Heat the oil in a wide pot and fry the onion over low heat 15 minutes, stirring, until it is deep brown.

   StoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Onion caramelizes with patience: over medium heat it reaches deep brown in about half an hour, over low heat it takes close to an hour, and over high heat it burns at the edges before it softens. A pinch of salt at the start draws out its liquid, and when it starts to stick, add a tablespoon of water and scrape the bottom.
3. 3
   Remove about half of the onion to a bowl, for garnish, and leave the rest in a pot.

   Bowl

To assemble

1. 4
   Add the garlic and ginger and fry 1 minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
2. 5
   To the onion left in the pot, add the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and cardamom and stir for half a minute, until fragrant.

   Stove
3. 6
   Add the rice and the lentils and stir 2 minutes, until the grains are coated in oil.

   Stove
4. 7
   Add the water, season with salt and black pepper and bring to a boil.

   Stove
5. 8
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave covered another 10 minutes.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡The covered rest at the end finishes steaming the grain and separates the grains. Fluff with a fork before serving.

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 9
   Serve with the reserved onion on top and the cilantro.