Ayurvedic Cooking – Spotlight – Daikon Radish
Posted by Mary on Sep 12, 2009
Daikon radish (Latin Raphanus sativus) is also known as Oriental radish, icicle radish or Chinese radish. The roots are fairly large, about 2-4″ in diameter and 8-20″ long. Daikon is available in specialty groceries or oriental markets. Choose radishes that are pure white, feel firm and heavy, and are free of sprouts, cracks or bruises. Discard green-tops unless the leaves are crisp, green and fresh. If the leaves are good, they can be eaten as well.
Daikon has high water content and is very low in calories. It is rich in vitamin C, potassium and folate and a good source of magnesium. The leaves contain beta-carotene, calcium and iron besides vitamin C.
From the ayurvedic perspective, daikon is a cleansing vegetable that also fortifies the liver and enhances digestion. It has a mildly pungent taste when raw (sweeter than the conventional red-skinned radish), which mellows with cooking.
To prepare the vegetable, scrub thoroughly with a brush under running water, peel with a peeler as you would a carrot, then dice or grate for use. Daikon (including fresh tops) can be stir-fried in a little ghee or olive oil with the spice mix recommended for your skin or body type. It can be diced and added to soups or lentils during the cooking process, or it can be cut into larger pieces or rounds and steamed, grilled or baked.
Ayurvedic Grains – Highlight – Quinoa
Posted by Mary on Aug 24, 2009
Although it’s actually a seed, Quinoa is commonly classified as a grain. It has a light, delicate flavor. The grain is flat and oval with pointed ends. Varieties range from yellow to red, brown and black.
Quinoa is excellent for balancing Vata and in moderate quantities for balancing Kapha. Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra, our ayurvedic expert, considers quinoa one of the foremost sources of nutrition in a modern vegetarian ayurvedic diet. From the perspective of modern nutrition, quinoa contains more protein and more iron compared to other grains and is rich in potassium and riboflavin. It also contains other B vitamins–B6, niacin, and thiamin, is a good source of magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese, and has some folate (folic acid).
Quinoa works well with vegetables, paneer (fresh cheese), lentils, nuts and ayurvedic spices.
Quinoa is available at health food stores and some supermarkets. Store the quinoa in a clean, tightly-sealed container in a cool, dry, dark place. Wash well by rinsing multiple times until the water runs clear before cooking.
It’s Not My Fault – You’re Going to LOVE It – EVERYONE Does!
Posted by Mary on Aug 17, 2009
Ok – fair warning. EVERYONE loves what I have found! Download my free report. You can see where to put in your name and email address on the right side of this page. Once you do that, you’ll be able to download your report, and then you’ll also get information on this amazing product that is based on 5,000 years of ayurvedic practices.
Before you get turned off, even if you didn’t know of the benefits of this product, you would want it just because it tastes so good. So, take a moment, fill out the form, and get ready to be “wowed”!
Ayurvedic Cooking – Spotlight – Lentils
Posted by Mary on Jul 15, 2009
Lentils are storehouses of nutrition, especially fiber and protein, and are a staple of the vegetarian ayurvedic diet. Lentils come in a wide variety of shapes, colors and textures, and are eaten whole or split or split and hulled.
According to the ayurvedic perspective, the small lentils offer substance and nourishment while not being unduly burdensome on the digestion. To increase their digestibility, cook them to butter-soft consistency and cook them with digestion-enhancing spices like cumin and coriander.
Of the Indian dhals, mung dhal–split, hulled mung beans–are revered highly by ayurvedic healers because they cook easily, are easy on the digestion and are tri-doshic. Recuperating individuals are traditionally fed kitcheree–a mushy porridge of Basmati rice and mung dhal–as nourishing food on the road back to a normal digestion.
Urad dhal and whole urad–black lentils–are rich and heaviest of the small lentils. They are nourishing in the winter months, because they have an unctuous texture and are a “heavy” food. They need pre-soaking to cook down well. Add balancing spices such as ginger and black pepper to increase digestibility, and eat small portions.
Masoor are red lentils, and again can be eaten whole or split and hulled as masoor dhal. These also cook with relative ease, but may require some pre-soaking.
Toor dhal are split yellow lentils with a nutty flavor. These, when cooked, can be mashed into a puree to form a base for soups.
Channa dhal are split hulled black chick-peas. They have a nutty flavor, take longer to cook than most other dhals, and keep their shape even when fully cooked.
All of these dhals are readily available at Indian groceries or at some health food stores. They need to be stored in airtight containers in a dry, cool place, and used within 90-120 days of purchase. Sort through them before you wash them thoroughly to eliminate small stones or other debris.
Dhals combine well with vegetables, rice and wheat flatbreads.
A pressure cooker is very useful if you plan to eat dhals on a regular basis.
Ayurvedic Cooking – Spotlight – Lauki Squash
Posted by Mary on Jul 14, 2009
Lauki Squash belongs to the curcubitaceae family and is also known as bottle gourd. These gourds contain moderate amounts of Vitamins C and B complex and a few proteins. Their high water content makes them cooling and lubricating.
From the ayurvedic perspective, lauki is extremely Pitta pacifying. It particularly pacifies Bhrajaka Pitta, the sub-dosha of Pitta that governs the skin, by pacifying Ranjaka Pitta, which governs the liver and blood. It provides balanced rehydration for persons with fire, air or space predominant physiology.
Lauki is blessed with a good amount of soma (lunar energy element) from Nature, which is extremely balancing for persons with a strong fire element and nurturing for Vata persons with space or air predominant physiology.
The bottle gourd generally has a very pale green smooth skin. The flesh is white. Size and thickness can vary widely. Choose young, firm lauki for best results. Scrape and discard harder portions of skin, and scoop out and discard seeds before cooking.
Lauki is generally available at Asian grocery stores that sell fresh vegetables.
Never used Lauki Squash in a recipe before? Check out my New Recipe Section!
Ayurvedic Cooking – Spotlight – Mung Beans
Posted by Mary on Jul 13, 2009
Mung (moong) beans are small, cylindrical beans with a bright green skin. In ayurvedic cooking, they are used whole or, more commonly, split and hulled. Split and hulled mung beans are small and yellow and called mung (moong) dhal in India. These beans don’t need pre-soaking and are a snap to cook to butter-soft consistency if you have a pressure cooker. They can also be cooked in a slow cooker or on the stovetop. Sort beans and wash thoroughly before you cook them.
Mung beans are one of the most cherished foods in ayurveda. They are tridoshic–they can be eaten to balance all three doshas, especially when cooked with spices appropriate for each dosha. They are very nourishing, while being relatively easy to digest–they do not generally create abdominal gas or bloating, the drawbacks of larger beans. Persons recuperating are often recommended khichari, a combination of rice and mung beans, because of their ability to provide a good level of nourishment without overtaxing the digestion. They offer the astringent taste.
According to modern nutrition, mung beans offer 14 gms of protein per cooked cup. Mung beans are also a good source of dietary fiber. They also contain thiamin, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and copper, and are a good source of folate.
Mung beans can be eaten on their own, or combined with rice to make khichari, or combined with vegetables and greens to make hearty soups or ground into flour to be used to make crepes or added to breads. Turmeric, cumin, dried ginger and coriander are some spices that work very well with mung beans.
Mung beans are available at Indian groceries or health food stores.
Ayurvedic Grains – Highlight – Basmati Rice
Posted by Mary on Jul 11, 2009
Flavorful, long-grained, aromatic Basmati rice is revered as a sattvic (pure) food by ayurvedic healers. Basmati rice is excellent for pacifying Vata, especially when cooked with a touch of rock salt and ghee. Basmati rice is also good for pacifying Pitta, as it falls in the sweet ayurvedic taste category. To pacify Pitta, enjoy Basmati rice in a rice pudding, or cooked with a pinch of cardamom and some rose water. If you are trying to balance Kapha, eat smaller portions of Basmati rice and eat it less often than other grains. Cook the rice with peppercorns, ginger and cumin when trying to balance Kapha, and eat it at lunch rather than in the evening.
Historically, the best, most flavorful Basmati rice has come from the Himalayan foothills. Basmati rice is now widely grown in many other parts of the world. Aged Basmati rice is more flavorful, and needs a little more time and a little more water to cook to perfection than ‘new’ Basmati rice.
Basmati rice is available at Indian and Asian groceries and in many health food stores and supermarkets. Store the raw rice in a clean, tightly-sealed container in a cool, dry, dark place. Wash well by rinsing multiple times (until the water runs clear) before cooking.
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Ayurvedic Herbs – Spotlight – Cilantro
Posted by Mary on Jul 9, 2009
Also known as Chinese parsley, cilantro refers to the leaves of the coriander plant. It’s easy to grow from seed in your garden or in a pot in bright sun.
According to ayurveda, cilantro offers the bitter and astringent tastes. It is a cooling herb and puts out excess flames in the stomach and generally enhances the digestion without aggravating Pitta dosha.
In recent years, modern science has discovered that cilantro is a natural chelation agent, very helpful in removing heavy metals such as lead, mercury and aluminium from the body. To get the benefit of cilantro’s chelating property, enjoy a couple of teaspoons of cilantro chutney with your meals on a regular basis.
Beneficial Ingredients – Highlight – Jujube
Posted by Mary on Jul 6, 2009
Jujube is a small tree or shrub with thorny branches, green, shiny leaves and edible fruit that, when mature, resembles a date (which led to the nickname Chinese Date). Jujube fruit has been cultivated for over 4,000 years and can grow in a wide range of temperatures—although hot summers are required to successfully produce fruit.
Jujube is known to calm nerves. By grounding the fruit to a powder, small amounts can be used to promptly reduce the effects of stress and purify the blood. In addition, the compound called ziziphin found in jujube leaves can suppress the sweet taste in humans and jujube fruit helps soothe the throat.
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Beneficial Ingredients Highlight – Tulsi
Posted by Mary on Jul 4, 2009
Tulsi, also spelled tulasi and referred to as holy basil, is an aromatic plant and, beyond its many culinary purposes, has particular spiritual relevance as well. Some Hindus consider a household incomplete without a tulsi plant and still others provide structural spaces within the home especially for their tulsi. In other spiritual practices, tulsi is used to make necklaces.
Medicinally, tulsi has been known to enhance digestion and intestinal health. The plant’s extracts are also used in remedies for colds, headaches, stomach ailments, inflammation, heart disease and malaria. Recent studies suggest that tulsi may be effective as a painkiller and may help reduce glucose and cholesterol levels. It also has antioxidant properties.
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