Kitachari soup, recipe by Garlone Bardel

Recipe by Garlone Bardel author of the Yoga CookBook

A must-have in the Ayurvedic repertoire, this ultra-tasty soup contains only the best to flatter the senses and the body.

Very rich in protein and digestible, mung beans provide energy and minerals in quantity. They particularly reduce vata and pitta (also kapha, if used well with spices). Mung beans are vyana-type foods, the energy that strengthens and promotes the expansion of energy. Ghee and feta, nourishing and balancing, stimulate samana, the energy located between the heart and the navel and circulating around the waist. Coriander, rich in chlorophyll, stimulates prana, the energy located in the chest region. It is the force that makes air penetrate the body and regulates the heartbeat. Turmeric stimulates apana, the energy located in the lower abdomen and pelvis region, and gives strength and endurance and promotes digestion. The whole makes an excellent soup to fight against fatigue, nervousness or even demineralization. It can be enjoyed alone in the evening or served with rice for a complete meal at lunchtime. The spices give great character to this gourmet dish. If you don't have the exhaustive list of spices, don't give up, make it anyway.

For 3 bowls

In the kitchen: 10 min + 40 min cooking time

• 200g mung beans, soaked for ½ hour in a bowl of water with a pinch of bicarbonate
• 2 heaped tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp grated fresh turmeric
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 vegetable broth (optional)
• the juice and zest of one lime
• unrefined sea salt
• ½ to 1 bunch fresh coriander
• 100 g feta

The preparation

Using a pestle, carefully crush the spices (mustard, cumin, fennel, pepper) then add the fenugreek and grated turmeric. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the ghee, pour in all the spices and let them "sing" for a few moments (they should heat up but not too much). Rinse the mung beans, add them to a saucepan and pour in 1 liter of water. Cook over low heat for 40 minutes. At the end of cooking, add salt and the juice and zest of the lime finely grated with a fine grater or microplane grater. Mix. Serve the soup in bowls and divide the feta into each of them, crumbling it coarsely. Finish by sprinkling everything generously with just chopped coriander and enjoy immediately.

You will find all of these wonderful recipes in the book Yoga CookBook by Garlone Gardel, Editions Ulmer.

Credit @Thomas Dhellemme s