Ayurvedic Cooking with

Jahnavi Vinden-Clarkjahnavidd@hotmail.com

June 14 2009

MenuRasam1. - Spicy South Indian Tomato ConsommeSo-Easy Kitchiri2. with Winter SpicesPotato and Cauliflower3. in Spiced YoghurtPuris 4. - Deep-fried wholewheat breadsSeviya Kheer5. - Creamy Angel-hair PuddingMelt-in-the-mouth6. Chickpea flour Ladhus

RasamSpicy South Indian Tomato ConsommePreparation and cooking time: 45 minutes. Serves: 4

3 tablespoons toor dal or red lentils1. 3 cups water2. ½ teaspoon turmeric3. 4 med-large tomatoes, diced4. 2 teaspoons rasam powder5. a walnut-sized piece of tamarind pulp or 1 tablepoon lemon juice6. 1 teaspoon salt or to taste7. For seasoning:8. 1 tablespoon ghee9. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds10. about 10 fresh curry leaves11. ¼ teaspoon asafetida12. small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped13.

1 After thoroughly washing the dal, bring it to a boil with the water and turmeric, reduce to a simmer. Leave uncovered till dal is soft, about 30 minutes.

2 In the meantime, using a separate saucepan, bring the tomatoes, rasam powder, salt and tamarind puree to a boil. Simmer till tomatoes are well cooked.

3 While the tomatoes are cooking, in a small pan, heat the ghee and add the mustard seeds, they will pop and turn grey. Add the curry leaves and stir till they become crisp, (but not too brown). Finally, drop in the asafetida powder, cook for a few seconds, then pour the entire mix into the cooked tomato broth.

4 Give the cooked dal a quick mash or whisk to break it down a little further, then combine the dal, the spicy tomato broth and the fresh coriander. Serve as a starter or a side dish.

01

02

So-Easy Kitchiri with Winter SpicesPreparation and cooking time: 1 hour. Serves: 4

1 tablespoon ghee1. 3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds2. 1 inch piece cinnamon stick3. ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper or to taste4. 1 bay leaf5. 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced6. ¼ teaspoon asafetida7. 1 cup fresh vegetables, chopped to pieces, 1 inch 8. or smaller1/3 cup rice9. 1/3 cup split mung dal10. 4 cups boiling water11. ½ teaspoon turmeric12. small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped13.

Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan and toast the cumin seeds in it till they are a couple of shades darker and become fragrant. Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaf and fresh ginger and cook till the ginger turns a deeper shade. Add the asafetida and cook for only a few seconds before adding the vegetables. Stir them round for about a minute then pour in the rice, dal and boiling water. Leave to simmer, partially covered for about 45 minutes or until the dal is somewhat bro-ken down. Add fresh coriander and serve. Kitchiri is a complete meal in itself, but becomes quite a spe-cial meal when served with a side dish or two – fresh bread or papadams, plain yoghurt, a small salad, chut-ney or pickle or a simple vegetable dish. What could be simpler, tastier and more nutritious, all in one?

Potato and Cauliflower in Spiced YoghurtPreparation and cooking time: ½ - 1 hour. Serves: 4

500g potatoes1. 500g cauliflower2. 2-3 tablespoons ghee3. 1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds4. 1 cup yoghurt5. salt to taste6. small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped7. optional – garam masala8.

1 Cook the potatoes and cauliflower with the ghee and salt by any method you choose; baking, steaming, pan-frying or deep-frying. You want them to become soft but remain intact.

2 While the vegetables are cooking, lightly dry-roast the cumin seeds in a pan over medium heat and crush them using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.

3 When the vegetables are perfectly soft and slightly browned at the edges, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the crushed cumin and cook a further few minutes. Before serving, stir through the yoghurt and fresh herb and garnish with a sprinkle of the remaining cumin. For a more spicy variation, sprinkle with garam masala also.

03

Puris- Deep-fried Wholewheat BreadsPreparation and cooking time: 1 hour. Serves: 4

3 1/2 cups wholewheat flour, preferably stone-ground1. ½ teaspoon salt2. 1 tablespoon ghee3. 3/4 cup warm water4. ghee for deep frying – at least an inch deep5.

Making the dough: 1 Combine salt and flour in a large mixing bowl and rub the ghee through to make an even, mealy texture. Making a well in the centre, add the water while simultaneously mixing it by hand, gradually bringing it together into a rough ball of dough.2 Kneed the dough till it is smooth and pliable, about 8 minutes. The end result will be a slightly stiff dough with a surface which is silky to the touch.

3 Lightly moisten the surface of the dough, cover with a bowl and al-low it to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Rolling: Proceed to shape the dough into 16 evenly sized balls. For rolling, you will need a clean, flat surface which has been lightly oiled. Roll each dough portion into round disc of 4-5 inches diameter and even thickness, about 2 mm.

Frying: Heat the ghee in a wok or karai to high heat, avoiding smoking it. Carefully lower one disc into the hot ghee; it will at first sink to the bottom, but should quickly raise itself back up to the surface. With a slotted spoon, using gentle pressure, hold the puri just under the sur-face of the ghee. It will resist the pressure of the spoon and become filled with hot air. After about a minute, turn the puri over so that both sides become deep golden and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, move the puri onto a paper towel-lined dish while you cook the remaining puris. Best served immediately, but you may like to keep them hot in the oven while the entire batch is being cooked.

04

Seviya Kheer- Creamy Angel-hair PuddingPreparation and cooking time: 30 minutes. Serves: 4

1-2 tablespoons ghee 1. ¼ cup sultanas2. ¼ cup almond flakes3. 10 cardamom pods4. 2/3 cup angel hair noodles5. 4 cups milk6. ½ cup sugar7. 2 tablespoons rosewater8.

1 Heat the ghee in a heavy bottomed saucepan and, stirring, toast the sultanas till they all puff up. Remove with a slotted spoon. In the same ghee, toast the almond flakes till just blushing golden, add these to the sultanas. 2 Drop the noodles into the remaining ghee, and stir till they turn whitish. Pour in the milk and cardamom, stirring till it reaches a boil. Lower to a simmer and stir till the milk has reduced and thickened to a thin custard consistency. Stir in the sugar, sultanas and half the almonds and simmer and stir for a further couple of minutes.

3 Remove from the heat, stir in the rosewater and serve in individual bowls, garnished with the remaining almond flakes.

05

Ladhu – Melt-in-the-mouth Chickpea flour fudgeCooking time: 20 minutes. Ball-rolling time: about 15-20 minutes. Makes: 24 balls

2 cups besan (chickpea flour), sifted1. ¾ cup unsalted butter or ghee2. 2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts3. ¼ cup sultanas or currants4. ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg5. ¾ cup palm sugar, jaggery or soft dark brown sugar, lightly packed6. 1/8 cup water7.

1 In a heavy-bottomed pan, cook the besan over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly and thoroughly to ensure even toasting. The colour achieved will directly influence the flavour - a light-coloured ladhu being mild-flavoured, and a dark one having a stronger, more nutty, caramel taste. Be sure to achieve a colour at least one to two shades darker, as you do want to avoid the slightly bitter taste of raw chickpea flour.

2 Add butter or ghee along with nuts, dried fruit and nutmeg, mix thoroughly and cook a further 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add sugar and cook for a final few minutes. When done, the mixture should barely hold together when pressed against the side of the pan. Set aside or transfer to a tray to cool.

3 When the mixture is cool enough to handle, but not cold, sprinkle with the water, mix through using your hands, and then proceed to shape into balls about the size of a small golf ball. You may find a little cold water on the surface of your palms helps in shaping. Arrange the ladhus on a plate or bowl and serve at room temperature.

06