Festive Amaranth Kitchari

I bought a bag of amaranth months ago with the best intentions. I learned about all its health benefits, like how it contains all essential amino acids, which is rare for a grain. It also has heavy, grounding qualities, which are great for this time of year when the weather turns cold and dry. However, I tried cooking amaranth on the stove, and it turned out gritty and bitter. I was downhearted that this super-grain needed more time and attention than a simple stovetop porridge. Recently, I substituted a quarter cup of rice in my Kitchari recipe for the amaranth, and I was pleasantly surprised! The stew was hearty and thick, and the amaranth cooked beautifully in the pressure cooker with the other ingredients. This now is a new favorite combination for a quick, nutritious, warm meal. This recipe serves three.

Ingredients

Kitchari

• 2 Tbsp. ghee or olive oil
• 1 pinch cumin seeds
• 1 pinch coriander seeds
• 1 pinch fennel seeds
• 1 pinch fenugreek seeds
• 1 thumb ginger, minced
• 1 medium Japanese sweet potato, cubed
• ½ tsp. Advieh seasoning
• ¼ tsp. coriander powder
• ¼ tsp. cumin powder
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 pinch salt (to taste)
• 1 pinch pepper
• ½ cup white basmati rice
• ⅓ cup split mung beans
• ¼ cup amaranth
• 4 cups water

Vegetables

• 1 Tbsp. ghee or olive oil
• ½ thumb ginger, minced
• 1 cup watermelon radish, cubed
• 1 cup turnip, cubed
• 1 cup purple cabbage, sliced
• ¼ tsp. coriander powder
• ¼ tsp. cumin powder
• 1 pinch salt (to taste)
• 1 pinch pepper
• ½ to 1 tsp. fenugreek leaves
• Water to cover vegetables (about ½ cup)
• Flax seeds, ground (garnish)

Method

For the Kitchari

1. In a pressure cooker, combine all ingredients and cover with water
2. Set cooking time 10 minutes (5 minutes if rice and mung are soaked; do not soak the amaranth—it will be a mess)
3. Let Kitchari pressure cook and naturally release

For the vegetables

1. Heat the oil in a pot on the stove at medium heat
2. Add the whole seeds to temper until brown or aromatic
3. Add ginger to sauté
4. After 1 minute, add the radish and turnip to sauté
5. After 1 minute, add the cabbage and ground spices
6. Once the spices are coated in the oil, add water to cover the vegetables halfway
7. Let mixture come to a boil, then turn the temperature down to a simmer
8. After simmering for 3-5 minutes, turn off the heat and add fenugreek leaves
9. Let vegetables cool with lid askew for 5 minutes
10. Garnish with flax seeds
11. Enjoy