SPRING CLEANSING KHICHRI serves 4| 1 hour + soak time 1 cup small grain white rice 1/2 cup mixed split dals such as moong, moong split, masoor 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons ginger puree small spring of rosemary leaves, minced 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons ghee or sesame (gingelly) oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds pinch asafetida (hing) 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped herbs More ghee or sesame oil for drizzling (optional) instructions 1. Rinse the rice & lentils mix in water twice and soak for 3-4 hours or overnight. 2. Drain the rice-lentil mixture by pouring most of the water out however a little remaining water is okay. Combine in medium sized stockpot with 4 cups of water, black pepper, ginger puree, rosemary, salt and bring to a boil. If any scum rises to the top, using a slotted spoon, discard it. These are the residue particles that can cause stomach upsets and bloating so best to discard. 3. Cover and simmer the khichri for an hour checking every 15 minutes to make sure the khichri is not sticking to the bottom of the pan or burning. 4. The rice and lentils should be cooked through and the khichri be soft and creamy. Add more water if necessary. 5. Heat the ghee or sesame oil, pop the cumin seeds, fry the asafetida add to the soup immediately. Stir in herbs and drizzle more ghee or sesame oil on top before serving. notes & variations • The small yellow moong and orange or red masoor lentils are the gentlest on the belly while doing a cleanse. Channa, split garbanzos or any sort of whole lentils or beans are delicious in khichri but stay away from them as they are much harder to digest. • Plain white rice is the most digestible grain, especially when doing a cleanse – if you want rice with more fiber, use brown rice and or other grains however this will significantly increase the liquid required and the cooking time so adjust accordingly..