Maharishi Ayurveda Recipes: Sauces and Chutneys

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Food is considered an essential component of Ayurvedic health care. In many ways, delicious food is considered ‘medicine’ in Maharishi Ayurveda. An expert Ayurvedic consultation almost always includes modifications to diet and the inclusion of certain types of foods and certain tastes at specific times. In the Maharishi Ayurveda model of health, foods are medicinal influences in themselves, and expert Ayurvedic practitioners recommend them regularly. The Ayurvedic dietary cupboard is full of a wide and delicious variety of foods that include grains, vegetables, nuts, fruits and spices. As modern research is showing, diet can play a significant role in restoring health and a growing list of scientific studies are pointing to the therapeutic value of both foods and spices. Ayurveda has embraced this principal of health for millennia. Please consult your physician for specific recommendations for your health needs.

The following recipes are offered as easy delicious health-supporting tools for your best health.

Pomegranate Chutney

Use as a spice on one food at every meal

Why:

  • Aids digestion and elimination without aggravating Pitta
  • Improves regularity of elimination
  • Helps control stomach acid
  • Helps decrease digestive gas

Recipe:

  • Dried Pomegranate seeds — 8 teaspoons
  • Rock salt (or some natural salt) — 2 teaspoons
  • Black pepper powder — 1/4 teaspoon
  • Cumin seeds — 2 teaspoons
  • Citric acid (or dried lemon juice) — 1/8 teaspoon
  • Pure cane sugar (Sucanat or Florida Crystals are good) — 25 teaspoons

Prepare:

  • Grind and powder all herbs and seeds separately
  • Then mix the first two herbs together
  • Then add one herb at a time, mixing well before adding another
  • Produces a powdered mixture
  • Store in an airtight container, for up to a month

Comments:

  • For grinding the pomegranate seeds, you will need a large grinder that can handle wet as well as dry herbs (you can find one at a gourmet cooking store)

Poppy Seed Chutney

Eat at night, less than one hour before bed.

Why:

  • Natural sleep aid, balances both Pitta and Vata
  • Pacifies Vata, especially in the mind (Prana Vata)
  • Pacifies Pitta in the heart and mind (Sadhaka Pitta)

These are the subdoshas most likely to affect good quality sleep.

Recipe:

  • 1 teaspoon white poppy seeds
  • 1 teaspoon coconut powder (fresh grated is best)
  • Pinches of ground cumin and turmeric
  • Small amount of Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Prepare:

Mix white poppy seeds with coconut powder.

  • Add small amounts of water while mixing to form a thick paste.
  • Melt Ghee in a frying pan until it becomes clear (cloudiness is gone).
  • Add turmeric and cumin, mix well.
  • Remove immediately, simmer off heat until color and aroma change.
  • Add to poppy seed mixture, stir well, let stand 5 minutes.
  • Add a little salt to taste.

Comments:
The clarity of the Ghee is important in the cooking. When the Ghee becomes clear, the temperature is just right for bringing out all the benefits of the herbs.

Fresh cilantro is balancing for all three doshas.

Cilantro Pesto

  • 2 cups fresh cilantro (leaves and tender stems), washed and roughly chopped
  • 2/3 cup cashews
  • 1 Ancho chili or other mild chili
  • 1 tsp. minced ginger
  • 2 tbsps. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender to a smooth paste. Serve as an accompaniment to a meal or as a topping for creamy mashed potatoes or squash. Or spread on crusty bread or wedges of Pita bread.

Rose Petal Sauce

This is an exquisite sauce, blended for multipurpose cooking. The flavor of the roses needs little enhancement. Use as a topping for vegetables, cooled as a dessert sauce or gently spread over your favorite protein.

Melt Ghee in a saucepan and gently fry the Pitta Churna over a medium high heat until the aroma is released from the spices. Be careful not to over brown or burn the spice blend. Reduce heat to medium and add organic Rose Petal Preserve. Stir constantly for five minutes until spices are well blended and preserve is heat.

Cooked Apples with Cloves

Start the day with a stewed apple to build appetite for lunch, stimulate regular bowel movements, increase vitality and alertness, and provide a light but satisfying start to the day.

  • 1 whole fresh, sweet apple, cored and peeled
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1/4 cup of purified water

Directions:
Dice apple into small pieces. Add cloves, apples and water in a covered pot. Cook apples in 1/4 cup of water until they are soft. Discard the cloves, cool slightly, and enjoy.

Turmeric Cooked in Ghee

Use:
Use to spice one vegetable, dahl or rice at every meal

Why:
Turmeric contains curcumin, a proven anti-allergenic. This spice is especially good for the skin and for enhancing resistance to skin allergies. It also helps support healthy liver function, which aids assimilation and energy levels. Helps remove toxins throughout the physiology. It is a powerful aid for building the immune system.

Recipe:
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons Ghee (clarified butter)

Preparation:
Melt Ghee in a frying pan until it becomes clear (cloudiness is gone). Add turmeric powder to Ghee and mix well. Remove immediately and let simmer off the heat for 5 minutes or until it turns a slightly darker color and releases its aroma.

Comments:
The clarity of the Ghee is important in the cooking. When the Ghee is clear, this indicates that any water has been removed and the heat is just right for bringing out all the benefits of the turmeric.