More Tips for Staying Healthy: on Diet and Recipes

You may be cooking more than you usually do, I know I am, and I cook a lot anyway.   Since I cannot offer my Vegetarian Indian Cooking Workshops during these times of quarantine, I wanted to provide some tips and recipes, things you can make at home.

 

There are some basic spices you should have in your kitchen to prepare Indian Food:  powdered turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black pepper and fresh ginger.  

Cardamom pods and cinnamon are useful as well.  It is helpful to have black mustard seeds and hing (asafoetida) but these are harder to come by and generally need to be purchased at an Indian grocery store.  If you have a spice grinder (I use an old coffee bean grinder) to ground the whole spices just when you use them it keeps them fresher longer.  As long as you are not vegan, ghee is the best oil to use for cooking. 

 

If you do not have these products, and you do not feel comfortable going out to an Indian Grocery store, you can order most of the spices, rice, both whole and split mung beans, and ghee from Banyan Botanicals. It usually takes about 5 business days, and their products are all organic.

 

Since it is spring, we should have  lighter and spicier foods in our diet to help get our digestive fire (agni) moving.  Eat more bitter vegetables (like dandelion greens, collard greens, spinach, kale, fennel), pungent  foods (like cayenne, black pepper, chives, radish, ginger,  onions) and astringent foods (like legumes,  cabbage family vegetables, lettuces,  horseradish, parsley).

 

If you have come to one of my Cooking Workshops you might be familiar with CCF (cumin, coriander, fennel) tea.  This is great for digestion and also helps keep our digestive fire strong.  Attached is a recipe.  In the spring I like to add black peppercorns and freshly chopped ginger once the water has heated up.

Below is another  kitchari recipe.  This one I made today so I have included a  couple of pictures.

 

If you do not feel at ease with cooking, start just with the tea.  Enjoy, and let me know if you have any questions!   

 

Another Kitchari Recipe

(adapted from a Scott Blossom recipe)

1/3 c mung beans (whole or split), soaked for at least 3 hours if using whole, at least 1 hour for split

2/3 c organic basmati rice, soaked for about 15 minutes, then rinsed a number of times until water is clear and drained

4 c water

1 to 2 T ghee

½ t black mustard seeds (if available)

½ t cumin seeds

several pinces of hing (if available)

1 t of fresh ginger

1 t of fresh grated turmeric or ½ t powdered turmeric

1 small stick of kombu (seaweed)

½ t salt, sea salt preferred

1 to 2 c chopped kale or collard greens

¼ c fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

In a medium saucepan, over low to medium heat, heat the ghee.  Add the mustard and cumin seeds, and once they start to sizzle, maybe 30 seconds to a minute, add the hing and powdered turmeric (if using).  Drain the mung dal and add to the pot, stirring to coat for about 1 minute.  Add the water and bring to a boil,  Grate the ginger and turmeric (if using fresh) into the pot and add the kombu and salt.  Lower the heat, partially cover and cook for 10 to 15  minutes.  Add the chopped greens and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more.  Garnish with the cilantro and serve.   Serves 4.

Note: Mung dal is a powerful antioxidant, it is fiber rich, and helps the body shed spring water weight and move into the spring feeling lighter.  When cooked with spices it stimulates the digestive fire.

CCF Tea

 

Mix equal parts cumin, coriander and fennel seeds together, and store in a glass jar.   To make the tea, put 1 teaspoon of the mixture in a small saucepan, and dry roast the seeds on low heat until you smell a nice aroma, but do not burn them.  It may take 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add 3 cups of cold filtered water to the pot, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.  Turn the pot off, and let sit for at least 5 minutes before drinking.    Strain, and enjoy.  If you are mostly Vata or Kapha by nature, you can add 1 t to 1T of chopped fresh ginger after the water has boiled, especially good in the winter and spring.  Add less or omit for Pitta. 

This is a good tea to drink all day, especially in the afternoon and evening.   It is fine to have anytime of the year.  In the summer, you should add chopped fresh mint and reduce or eliminate the ginger.  In the winter and spring, you can add ¼ to ½ t of licorice powder or ½ to 1 t dried chopped licorice to help liquefy and expel mucus from the body (Just be cautious about using it too frequently if you have high blood pressure). In the spring you can also add some black peppercorns and extra ginger; these are Kapha reducing spices.