Conscious CookingWith

Jahnavi Vinden-Clark

presented bywww.ayurvedaelements.com

phone / fax 02 9904 7754

Ayurveda Elements17 Orchard Road Chatswood

Sydney 206702 9904 7754

info@ayurvedaelements.comwww.ayurvedaelements.com

Jahnavi0421 281 690

15

Takes: 10-15 minMakes: 5-6 cups

3 C water3 C milk2 - 3 Tbs roibos, black tea or dandelion tea2 – 3 Tbs fresh ginger, grated2 sticks cinnamon2 Tbs cardamom pods2 tsp black peppercorns – optional½ tsp nutmeg1 – 2 Tbs jaggery, palm sugar or brown sugar

Combine all the spices in a saucepan with the water and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat and allow to simmer up to 5 minutes. Add sweetener and allow to steep, covered, minimum another 5 minutes. Heat milk in a separate pan, add to tea and serve hot or chilled.

RecipesVegetable Pakoras 04Perfect Rice 06Golden Mug Dal 07Subji 08Creamy Spinach 09Puris 10Coconut chutney 11Coriander chutney 12Angel hair curstard 13Carrot halva 14Chai Tea 15

314

9 medium carrots1 C cream2 ½ C milk8 whole black peppercorns1 C light brown sugar, lightly packed1 tsp cardamom, coarsely ground1 Tbs C ghee or unsalted butter¼ C sliced or slivered almonds¼ C chopped cashews - optional¼ C raisins, sultanas or currants¼ tsp cloves ground¼ tsp nutmeggarnish with silver or chopped blanched pistachios

1. In a heavy-bottomed pan, place the carrots, milk, cream and peppercorns, and stirring constantly, bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to med-high and stir for 25-35 minutes, lowering the heat towards end of cooking when it is nearly dry.

2. Add sugar and cardamom, and stir till nearly dry again. Set aside.

3. Heat ghee on med-high flame. Fry nuts and dried fruit till almonds are slightly golden and fruit puffs. Remove and add to carrot mix with the ground spice.

4. Over moderate heat, cook all together till the halva begins to pull away from the sides of pan. Remove the peppercorns or leave them in, as desired. Garnish with silver foil (varak) or pistachios.

13

Ingredients 2 C chopped vegetables, for root vegies - about 7 mm thick, cauliflower/capsicum-1 ½ x 2 inches, eggplant - 1 cm 1 C sifted chickpea flour2 tsp olive oil1 tsp salt¼ - 1/3 C cold water, or as neededghee for deep frying – enough to fill a wok/ka-rai 2-3 inches deep

Preparation time: 10 minResting time: 10 – 30 min

Cooking time: 10 min

Suggested seasoning1-2 fresh green chillies, finely chopped½ tsp turmeric¾ tsp garam masala1 ½ tsp coriander, ground

4

3 Tbs ghee 1 C seviya, broken to 1 ½ inch pieces5 Cmilk½ C sugar1/3 C sliced almonds (or nuts of choice)½ Tbs rose watersilver, pistachios or rose petals

1. Melt ghee in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add nuts, brown lightly and set aside. Add seviya, turning it over vigorously with a spoon to turn it an even golden brown.

2. Pour in milk and sugar and cook 20 minutes till it slightly thickens and becomes creamy.

3. Add rose water after removing from the heat and serve hot or chilled, garnished with unsalted blanched pistachios, silver or rose petals.

Kapha-friendly alternative: Once the nuts and seviya have been toasted, instead of milk, add small amounts of water at a time (along with sugar), stirring constantly till all the noodles have swelled to fully-cooked. This lightens the dish considerably, making it quite a suitable sweet for the kapha-type.

Takes: ½ hour

Serves: 6-8

12

1. Place all the dry ingredients (flour, salt and seasoning) into a mixing bowl and combine. Making a well in the centre, pour in the olive oil and half the water. Whisk together, adding small amounts of water as needed to make a smooth pancake-like batter. A wooden spoon coated in batter should allow it to fall off in clumps, rather than run off like soup. Leave the batter to rest between 10 and 30 minutes.

2. Heat ghee to medium hot and prepare a paper towel or tea towel-lined colander for the cooked pakoras. You may like to pre-heat the oven to about 150°C for keeping the pakoras hot and crisp before serving.

3. Coat the chopped vegetables in batter and carefully drop them into the ghee, turning with tongs or a slotted spoon to allow even browning. They will take 3-4 minutes each to cook. This may be done in batches once the basic process is mastered.

Serve with a sharp-tasting chutney – coriander, mint, tamarind or tomato.

Steaming hot seasonal vegetables encased in a coating of spicy, tasty, crisp, pakoras are always the first dish to disappear from the entertaining table. The deep-frying is offset by the digestive spices in the batter as well as in the accompanying chutney. Cauliflower and potato are perhaps the most classic choice, but pumpkin, red capsicum, spinach, eggplant all make delicious pakoras. In this way, the selection can be made dosha-specific.

5

Takes: 10 minutesMakes: 1 cup

1 tsp cumin seeds3 Tbs sesame seeds¼ C shredded coconut or ¼ C almonds, chopped1 C fresh coriander, slightly packed1-2 green chillies½ inch piece fresh ginger2 Tbs water¼ C yoghurt – optional1 Tbs jaggery/raw sugar1 tsp salt

1. Combine cumin, coconut or almonds and sesame and dry-roast in a heavy-bottomed pan.2. Bring together all ingredients and process, adding small amounts of water as necessary, till you have the consistency of runny apple sauce. The chutney will keep in the fridge for two days.

For committed lovers of coriander. The essentially

vata-increasing quality or coriander is here offset by the

vata-calming ingredients of sesame, coconut/almonds and

yoghurt.

1 C basmati rice 1 tsp ghee or oil1 ¾ - 2 C water 1 tsp lemon juice1 tsp salt

1. Sort rice, discarding any foreign matter. 2. Rinse three times in cold water, or till water runs clear.

3. In a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, bring all ingredients to a boil over high heat. Once boiling-temperature has been reached, reduce the heat to very low. From this point, the rice will take about 10 minutes to finish cooking. Don’t remove the lid or stir during this time.

4. Remove the cooked rice from the heat and leave to rest 5 minutes, allowing rice grains to firm up completely.

Fluff with a fork and serve within 20 minutes.

Perfect RiceTakes: 10-15 minServes: 3-5

6 11

Takes: 5 minutesMakes: about 1 ½ cups

1 C plain yoghurt½ - ¾ C coconut, grated, shredded or desiccated½ tsp salt

Optional:1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds, dry-roasted1-2 fresh green chilies, finely chopped1 tsp icing or caster sugar

Combine all ingredients and serve chilled with just about any savoury dish.

2 C atta / stone-ground whole wheat flourghee to fill a wok / karai 2-3 inches deep +½ Tbs ghee for the puri dough1 tsp salt¾ C warm water

1. Sift the flour and salt together and rub the ghee through using your fingertips. Making a well in the centre, slowly add the warm water. Knead this mixture till you’ve formed a firm but pliable dough, about 8 minutes. Rub the surface of the dough ball with a thin film of ghee or oil and allow to rest, covered with a bowl or damp tea towel for minimum ½ hour, up to 3 hours.

2. When you’re ready to complete the puris, briefly kneed the dough to soften, then divide into even portions, according the size of bread desired or the amount of guests you’re feeding.

3. Using a greased, smooth working sur-face (marble or stainless steel are ideal),

and a rolling pin, roll each portion into a neat round, 2-3mm thick. The less the dough is worked at this point, the better. Make sure there is enough ghee on the work surface and on the puris so that the rolled puris remain separate from one another.

4. Heat the ghee to moderately high, making sure the ghee doesn’t smoke and slide the first puri down the side of the wok or karai into the ghee. It should first sink to the bottom, then gathering in ‘sizzle’, rise to the surface of the ghee. Using a slotted spoon, press lightly on the puri to keep it just under the surface. Turn to cook both sides evenly (1-2 minutes each side), and remove when thoroughly golden.

5. Rest the cooked puris on a tea towel or paper towel-lined colander, while the remaining ones are cooking. You may like to keep them piping hot by placing them in a 150°C oven, but ideally, serve immediately. Serve with any savoury dish, or even as a snack with some chutney or sauce.

Makes: 8-10, depending on sizeKneading and resting time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

10

1 C split mung dal7 C water

1 C mixed vegetablesSeasoning

1-2 Tbs ghee3 tsp fresh ginger, grated

¼ tsp black mustard seeds¾ tsp cumin seeds, ground

1 tsp coriander seeds, ground¼ tsp

1 tsp salt2 tsp lemon juice

3 Tbs fresh coriander, finely chopped

1. Rinse the dal well and bring to a boil with the water on high. Reduce the

heat and simmer or ‘low-boil’ while the remaining ingredients are prepared.

2. Cut the vegetables to bite-size or smaller, as desired, and add these to the

dal once it begins to soften and break

down. The dal can be tested by pressing a grain against the back of the cooking spoon with your fingertip or spoon.

3. Heat ghee in small pan and cook the mustard seeds till they turn grey and pop. Add ginger and cook till it becomes slightly transparent. Next, add ground spices and cook till they turn 1-2 shades darker. Lastly, cook asafoetida for 1-2 seconds. If you’re using capsicum or tomato, add these now and caramelise them with the spice mix.

4. Combine this mixture with the dal, add salt, lemon juice and fresh coriander and stir well. Leave the dal in the pot, covered for 5 minutes or so, to allow the flavours to mingle before serving. Serve over rice with fresh yoghurt, chutney/pickle/papadum for a simple but very nutritious meal or as part of a more elaborate menu.

Golden Mung DalTakes: approx 1 hour

Serves: 4-6

Golden Mung Dal

This is a classic dish, eaten most days by most Indians. A wonderfully nutritious food, it is also often used in convalescence. The base of split mung dal is tri-doshic, so with careful selection of spices and vegetables, it can easily be made dosha-specific.

7

Puris & Puffed Whole Wheat Breads

Puris & Puffed Whole Wheat Breads

A Subji for all Seasons or A Seasoning for all Subjis

2-3 Tbs ghee1 tsp fresh ginger, minced½ tsp turmeric½ tsp cumin seeds, ground½ tsp coriander seeds, ground½ tsp asafoetida3 C fresh veges, eg , cut to approx 1 in3up to 1/2 C water½ tsp salt1 tsp lemon juice2-3 Tbs fresh coriander (or herb of your choice), finely chopped

optional ingredientsurad dal, 2 Tbs, toastedfresh green chilli, 1-2fresh curry leaves, 8-10an extra spice – ¼ tsp mustard, fenugreek, fennel or ajwain seedssour cream, yoghurt or fresh cream, ½ C

1. Heat the ghee over moderate to high heat and cook the ginger till it becomes slightly transparent. Add the cumin and

coriander powders and cook till they darken a couple of shades and become fragrant. Drop in the and seconds later, the vegetables, stirring vigorously about 5 minutes to coat all the vegies in the ghee-spice mixture. Sprinkle with water as needed to prevent sticking.

If you’re using a combination of slow-cooking and fast-cooking vegies, add them to the pot in order from slower- to faster-cooking so that they’re all ‘done’ at the same time. Partially cover and stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

2. When the subji has just about finished cooking, add the salt, sprinkle with lemon juice, most of the fresh herb and stir through. Serve garnished with remaining fresh herb.

3. If you’re adding sour cream or yoghurt (for instance, to pacify vata), stir through after removing from the heat.

Takes: about 20 minutesServes: 3-4

As the name implies, this group of spices can be used with almost any selection

of vegetables, and dosha-specific modifications can easily be made.

8 9

Creamy Spinach with Paneer Cheese - Palak Paneer 1. Place the chillies, ginger and whey or water in a container or food processor and ‘whiz’ or process to a smooth puree. Add the coriander, turmeric, cumin and paprika and blend well.

2. Heat the ghee or oil in a saucepan and carefully add the wet spice masalam, then pack in the fresh spinach leaves. Reduce the heat slightly, cover and cook for 8 minutes. Turn the spinach over after 8 minutes, so that the leaves on the top change places with the leaves on the bottom. Cover and cook for another 8 minutes. (if you are using frozen, de-frosted spinach, cook it for only a total of 8 minutes.)

3. Mix in garam masala, salt, paneer and cream or sour cream. Cover and continue to cook on low for about 5 minutes. Stir well before serving.

1-2 hot green chillies, cut into pieces½ inch piece of fresh ginger root, sliced4 Tbs paneer whey or water½ Tbs ground coriander½ tsp turmeric½ tsp ground cumin¼ tsp paprika2 Tbs ghee or oil1 kg fresh spinach, washed, trimmed and finely chopped, or 1 – 1.2 kg frozen spin-ach, defrostedfresh paneer made from 6 C (1.5 L) milk, cut into 1.5cm cubes, (about 170g)½ tsp garam masala1 tsp salt3 Tbs cream or sour cream

One of the most popular dishes in North India, this variation uses spinach, but any green leafy vegetable may be used, even broccoli. A moist, succulent dish, wonderful on its own or with hot flat breads, or as part of a more elaborate menu.

1. Heat 6 Tbs of the ghee on moderately high heat and fry the eggplant, stirring till slightly browned on all sides. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 Tbs ghee till hot but not smoking and cook ginger, chili and cumin. Cook asafetida for a moment before adding tomatoes. Stir and add coriander, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, turmeric and salt.

3. Cook till the tomatoes reduce to a sauce that begins to separate, about 10 minutes. Cover and simmer or bake at 160°C for 30 minutes.

4. Stir through the garam masala towards the end of cooking and sprinkle with fresh herb to garnish.

This perennial favourite could be the Indian equivalent of ratatouille. It has a similar well-rounded character, very tasty and hearty. Pair it with fluffy rice, puris or other flat bread or even crunchy yeasted rolls and you will enjoy a one-dish-feast.

8 Tbs ghee 1 med eggplant (500-550g)1 ½ Tbs ginger, minced2 green chilies½ Tbs cumin seed¼ Tbs asafetida1 ½ C tomato, chopped1 Tbs ground coriander1 tsp paprika1 tsp garam masala1/8 tsp cayenne and black pepper1 tsp turmeric½ C water2 C chickpeas, cooked½ Tbs salt450 g spinach, freshly chopped4 Tbs fresh corianderor parsely

Preparation and cooking time: about 2 hoursServes: 4-6