Om Sai Ram
Sai Sanjeevini
......healing
fragrances
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FOR YOUR SANJEEVINI KITCHEN
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In this column we hope to bring you healthful recipes
and cooking tips. The traditional Indian way of cooking (NOT North-Indian
cooking which has been greatly influenced by migrant populations and colonisers)
was an art based on science experienced in the laboratory of the human
body and mind over thousands of years. The use of selected spices is very
important. Besides flavouring the food subtly they act on the digestive
tract causing "unknown" forces of digestion to be released. These cannot
be understood or "known" by our 5 senses of perception even under the microscope
but are very apparent to anyone who wishes to experience them.
We have had a very good response from healers
to the recipes in the book. We hope this one will also be useful.
We give you here a simple way of making "daal"
or lentils which when combined with rice at lunch (basically before sunset)
will not prove to be a wrong combination. When combined with chapatti,
especially at night, Vata personalities or people with Vata disorders or
those with digestive complaints may find it difficult to digest.
Ingredients:
-
1 cup daal washed thoroughly
(Daals to be used - either (a) split and washed
mung, or (b) yellow lentils called arhar or thoor daal. this latter
is the same as used for making South Indian sambhar.)
-
3 cups of water for boiling the daal
-
salt to taste
-
Small piece ginger finely chopped
-
green chillies to taste (optional)
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1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
-
dash of pepper (this must be used if chillies are
not being used)
-
small bunch of coriander leaves finely chopped (when
in season)
-
few curry patta (also known as sweet neem leaves
in some parts of India)
-
Juice of tamarind (lemon sized ball, washed, boiled
for 5 minutes, strained)
-
2 tablespoons pure ghee (made from milk whose source
is impeccable) or unrefined sesame oil (gingelly or til oil)
-
1/2 tsp cummin seeds (jeera)
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1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
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1 good pinch asafoetida (hing)
Method of cooking:
Boil daal with ginger, pepper or chillies until really soft (mung
does not need a pressure cooker but arhar might need it if you
are in a hurry - please do not use aluminium utensils). Add juice of tamarind
and salt and more water to attain desired consistency. The more diluted
it is, the more easily it is digested. With chapatti you will need it to
be thick, with rice it can be rather thin.
Boil for further 5 minutes. Switch off the heat.
Heat oil or ghee in a small wok or karhai, add cummin seeds,
wait 5 seconds and add fenugreek seeds, wait 10 seconds, add asafoetida
and curry leaves. Quickly pour on the ready daal. Garnish with coriander
leaves. Serve warm with parboiled rice or chapattis and a vegetable or
salad.
Under no circumstances cook with tomatoes. Cooked tomatoes cause acidity.
Uncooked ripe tomatoes may be used as salad.
Eat only about half stomach full for good health!
Bon Appetite!
SSF
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