Soups have always been seen has a healing food, giving you energy or providing comfort when you’re not feeling your best. Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson give guidance on what you should be putting in your bowl in Clean Soups.
Head to India and Pakistan, where they’ve been practicing Ayurvedic medicine for 5,000 years, for detoxing and improving memory. Kitchari, which means “mixture,” is a thousand-year-old staple, and its really quite simple, traditionally being made with basmati rice, mung beans, and ghee. I’ve kicked it up quite a bit, adding onion, ginger, cauliflower, coriander, turmeric, and cumin. The result is the spice mixture of a dal combined with kitchari’s texture.
6 servings
- Rinse all of the vegetables well, including the kombu.
- In a 12-quart or larger stockpot, combine the carrots, onions, leek, celery, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam, garlic, parsley, kombu, peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves. Add the water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for at least 2 hours, or until the full richness of the vegetables can be tasted. As the broth simmers, some of the water will evaporate; add more if the vegetables begin to peek out.
- Strain the broth through a large, coarse-mesh sieve (use a heat-resistant container underneath), and discard the solids. Stir in the salt, adding more if desired.
- Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, then add the onion and sauté for about 4 minutes, or just until golden. Stir in the ginger, fresh turmeric, cumin, ground turmeric, coriander, and salt and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the beans and rice and stir to coat. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the rice begins to soften. Stir in the cauliflower and carrots and continue to cook until very tender and soft, another 20 minutes. Add another cup of broth if it becomes too thick. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste; it may need another spritz of lemon juice or another pinch of salt. Serve garnished with the cilantro, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reprinted with permission from Clean Soups, copyright 2016 Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.