Ayurveda believes that understanding the individual is the key to finding a truly balanced diet.
It places emphasis on making sure each dish is cooked and spiced in a way to achieve maximum digestibility, as well as superb taste and food value.
- All
- Breakfast Ideas
- Chutneys/dips
- Dhals
- Drinks
- Ghee
- Light Meals
- Snacks/treats
- Soups
Cooked Muesli
Dry fry ½ cup of natural muesli in 2 tsp ghee for 2-3 minutes.
Add a little cinnamon and water and cover pot; let it cook for few mins in the water until it has slightly mushy porridge like consistency.
This can be eaten alongside stewed fruit.
Stewed Fruit
Stew chopped and peeled apples and pears, some raisins and figs in a little water.
Add a few pinches of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and ginger and cook until fruit is soft.
Ghee preparation
Prep time: 15 mins (the more butter you use, the more time it will take)
Ingredient: 1 pound unsalted butter.
Put the butter in a heavy, medium-sized pan. Turn the heat on to medium until the butter melts.
Turn down the heat until the butter just boils and continue to cook at this heat. Do not cover the pot. The butter will foam and sputter while it cooks. Whitish curds will begin to form on the bottom of the pot. Keep a close watch on the ghee, as it can easily burn. After a while it will become a clear, golden color. You will have to take a clean, dry spoon to move away some of the foam on top in order to see if the ghee is clear all the way through to the bottom. When it is clear and has stopped sputtering and making noise, then it needs to be taken off the heat. Let it cool until just warm. Pour it through a fine sieve or layers of muslin/cheesecloth into a clean, dry glass container with a tight lid. Discard the curds at the bottom of the saucepan. The ghee is burned if it has a nutty smell and is slightly brown.
Ghee does not need refrigeration. Don’t ladle out the ghee with a wet spoon or allow any water to get into the container, as this will create conditions for bacteria to grow and spoil the ghee.
Kicharee Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup basmati rice
- ¼ cup split mung dhal, if you can’t find use red lentils or soaked whole mung
- 3-4 cups water
- 1-2 tbs ghee or oil
- ½ tsp each of cumin seed, mustard seed, ginger, coriander, turmeric & fennel, pinch of hing, salt and pepper
Wash and rinse the rice and dhal well. Sauté the mustard seed, cumin seeds and hing in the ghee until they brown a little and begin to pop. Then add the other spices, mung dhal and rice. Stir well for 1 or 2 minutes. Add water and bring to the boil, boil for 5 mins, uncovered. Then turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until it is cooked. If your digestion is poor it is often beneficial to have this as a soupy consistency.
This can be done by adding more water.
If you want to make kicharee with vegetables..
Prepare any seasonal vegetables or those that suit your constitution. Cut them into smallish pieces. You can add vegetables at beginning but they tend to over-cook, so best to add them to the dhal 10-15 mins before you think it will be ready.
Spicy Porridge
- 2/3 cup oats (or grain suited to your constitution)
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 cardamom pod
- ¼ tsp cinnamon, nutmeg or clove
- 1/8 tsp ginger
Put all ingredients in saucepan. Once it has come to the boil reduce and cook on low heat until oats are done.
Can be served with ghee, coconut oil or honey. A great start to a cold morning.