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Kitchiri - Herati Afghan Rice
1 hr
Side
10 ingredients or less
One-bowl / one-pot
Servings
Total
1 hrPrep
10 minCook
50 minSwap out
soy
Free from
peanut
tree nut
sesame
gluten
Ingredients
-
½ cup (100 g)dry split mung beans, soaked overnight†
-
1 cup (200 g)uncooked basmati rice, soaked overnight
-
¼ cup (60 mL)vegetable oil
-
1medium onion, grated or minced
-
1 tsp (2 g)ground cumin
-
½ tspground turmeric
-
½ tspsalt
-
½ tspground black pepper
-
1 cup (240 mL)water, plus more for the rice
Garlic yogurt sauce
-
½ cup (120 mL)unsweetened soy yogurt
-
1garlic clove, crushed
-
¼ tspsalt
Optional garnish
-
fresh cilantro
Serves well with
Make your own
Directions
- After an overnight soak, much of the skin separates from the mung beans. Traditionally, the skin is scooped out before cooking, but this is optional. Rinse and drain both the mung beans and rice.
- Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. When hot, add the onions and cook until very golden, about 10 - 12 minutes. We want the onions a deep brown but without burning them.
- Then add the drained mung beans, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook for 3 - 4 minutes to lightly toast. Stir often.
- Add the spices and cook for 1 more minute, stirring throughout.
- Add the water and cook for 3 minutes, or until boiling.
- Add the rice and cover it with enough water so that the water is about ½ inch (2 cm) above the rice*. Bring to a boil, partially cover, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook for 15 - 20 minutes.
- To make the garlic yogurt sauce, combine the yogurt, garlic, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Returning to the rice, remove the lid, mix the cooked rice to fluff it, then use the end of a wooden spatula to create 5 holes in the rice.
- Taste test. If the rice is not yet cooked, add a small splash of water. Then wrap the lid of the pot with a clean dish towel and place this over the pot. Let sit for 5 - 7 minutes on low heat.
- To serve, top the rice with a drizzle of the garlic yogurt sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- †Find split mung beans at your local Persian grocery store. You can use whole mung beans instead as well, but they should be soaked overnight and then cooked in the boiling water for 8 - 10 minutes before the rice is added, to ensure that the rice and beans are done cooking at the same time. When the soaked mung beans are rinsed, the skins should come off.
- * Careful to not add too much water, as more water can always be added later.
Storage
- Keep the kitchari separate from the garlic yogurt in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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Nutrition info
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This was a super warming and delicious rice dish! I had whole mung beans , as opposed to split - - it was still terrific! Do you recommend next time sticking to the split beans?
It’s been so lovely to be exposed to all of these delicious Afghan recipes from your childhood, Sadia! Thanks for sharing. I have to say, i think Afghan cuisine is some of the best in the world .
Hei, Sadia!
Can I use split (green) peas?
Btw, keep up the good work, you guys!
Hugs.
Absolutely delicious! I made it with banjan and lentils and it was a beautiful meal.
Absolutely in love with this, and the original YouTube video was so beautiful and meaningful! Thanks for sharing!
Delicious. The rice and beans base is very mellow in taste which a garlic yogurt compliments perfectly. Thanks!
This was my first Afghani recipe, and it did not disappoint! The flavor of the rice was earthy with the cumin and turmeric, but adding that slight tang from the fresh garlic in the yogurt sauce makes this dish enliven all my tastebuds. Definitely going to be exploring the other Afghan recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for introducing the Afghan cuisine to us - I really liked this recipe !! It was even better the second day, when we heated it up in the pan. :))
Thank you so much for these beautiful Afghan recipes! I will try some very soon.
So nice that you share some of your cultural origin and help us learn about the country and its culinary traditions.
This also reminded me of a young Afghan man I met in a Parisian coffee shop. He was training to become a chef, very motivated. He sared some of his experience about fleeing the country and starting a new life.
My manager recommended your YouTube channel to me a few weeks ago as she knows I'm vegan and this is the first of your recipes I am trying. I started cooking a bit late in the evening and wasn't really hungry but I couldn't resist having a small bowl of it, it smells so good! Can't wait for lunch tomorrow!
Super delicious rice dish that we enjoyed alongside bolani and Afghan green chutney. I really enjoyed the rice combined with the mung beans as with the Shola and the garlic yogurt sauce always takes it to the next level! 🙌🏻🌿❤
Hello,
I plan on making this along with two of your other dishes for my birthday this weekend. My question is where I live I only have Yellow Mung Dal (that only requires 1 to 4 hours of soaking and it cooks in about 20 minutes) and brown basmati. How would you suggest I modify your cooking instructions to make this dish work?
Also I have an awesome multifunction rice cooker that I can also sauté with. Could I make it in that?
Hi!
This is still on the stove but smelling so delicious. My partner and I were wondering what purpose the dish-towel-under-the-lid method serves?
Just out of curiosity 🤗
Wow!! I didn't know there was another type of kitchiri! I come from an Indian family and our kitchiri is very yellow in comparison. I think it's probably another type of Dahl that we use? Love learning about the similarities and differences of cultures!!
I love it when you make videos on these recipes. It feels much easier to follow. This recipe is really good. Can't wait to try. <3
Can I substitute green or red lentils for the mung beans?
I already had mung beans and rice soaking overnight for another dish, but when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to change up my plans. This is so delicious! I am definitely going to be making this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe and for all of the recipes from Afghanistan. I can't wait to try them all!