Vegetable Stew

Healthy vegetarian recipes

You are what you eat!

Rasa - Harmony through Food 

  Ayurveda , the ancient Indian holistic healing system categorizes the human body into three basic types  known as ‘dosha’  ( vatta, pitta & kapha) based on the 5 basic elements of water, air, fire, earth and ether. These same elements also comprise Taste which is called rasa in Sanskrit. There are six   rasas  or  tastes ;  sweet (madhura), salty ( lavanya) , sour ( amla),  bitter (tikta) , pungent ( katu) and astringent ( kasaya). A balanced diet in Ayurveda is the one that harmonizes these rasas.   It provides  the body nutrition and also influences the mind.  Excess of any of these rasas has a negative effect on the body as well as the mind , for e. g  sweet  taste is related to strength and stability, it good for the growth of issue and is beneficial to thehealth of skin, senses and general growth of the body. However, if consumed in excess it causes diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and lethargy Psychologically, it increases cheerfulness,love and compassion, but if consumed in excess,it increases greed and attachment.

My offering today is a simple to cook Vegetable Stew. A healthy blend of vegetables cooked in very little oil. It contains cauliflower and carrots, beans and potatoes blended with fresh coconut making the dish rich  in flavour and packed with  fiber, vitamins and minerals.

b>Vegetable Stew:

Ingredients:

1 cup  cauliflower medium sized florets 

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup  diced French beans

1 cup shelled fresh green peas

1 cup diced potatoes

2-3 cloves

5-7 peppercorns

2 small bay leaves

½ tsp oil

2 cups water

 ½ cup Yogurt

Salt to taste

Ground paste:

½ cup fresh coconut grated

2 green chillies

½  tsp grated ginger

½ cup roasted chana dal

5-7 curry leaves

½ cup coriander leaves

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ cup coriander seeds

½ cup water

Preparation:

1.     Wash the vegetables and keep side.

2.     Grind all the ingredients given as  ground  paste  and keep aside

Cooking:

1.       In a fair sized cooking pot, heat the oil.  Add the cloves and peppercorns and bay leaves.

2.       Add the washed vegetables and stir fry for a minute. Add the water and salt to taste let the vegetables boil till cooked tender. You can pressure cook the vegetables, however make sure they are not overdone. I prefer to boil them in an open pot.

3.      Once the vegetables are cooked add the ground paste to the vegetables . Let it cook for  2- 3 min  till the  curry thickens  .

4.     Add  yougurt and mix well,  simmer on slow flame for another 2 min

5.     Serve hot with rotis or parathas 

Offer to The Lord and serve as Krishna Prasadam 

Hare Krishna 

Smoky Sweet & Sour Tur Dal with Green Peas Pulav

Healthy vegetarian recipes

 You are what you eat!  

Modes of Nature

In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna talks at length about the "three modes of material nature." These are subtle forces that influence our behavior as well as every aspect of our physical, mental, and emotional world. The Sanskrit term for these forces is guna, "rope," and the Gita explains how they pull us to act in various ways, even against our better judgment.(source- Krishna.com) 

The food that we eat is also categorised as per these Gunas and  influences our thoughts  and the mode of  behaviour.  It is stated in the Bhagavad-Gita  Chapter 17, Verse 8,9,10

ayuh-sattva-balarogya- sukha-priti-vivardhanah

rasyah snigdhah sthira hrdya aharah sattvika-priyah

Foods in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one's existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such nourishing foods are sweet, juicy, fattening and palatable.

katv-amla-lavanaty-usna- tiksna-ruksa-vidahinah

ahara rajasasyesta duhkha-sokamaya-pradah

Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, pungent, dry and hot, are liked by people in the modes of passion. Such foods cause pain, distress, and disease.

yata-yamam gata-rasam puti paryusitam ca yat

ucchistam api camedhyam  bhojanam tamasa-priyam

Food cooked more than three hours before being eaten, which is tasteless, stale, putrid, decomposed and unclean, is food liked by people in the mode of ignorance.

Our Vedic scriptures have long since established the sources of food that are healthy for the body and mind and promote longevity.  My intention to share this little bit of knowledge is to create awareness towards eating healthy food that satisfies not just the palate but also the soul.  It is also to establish the fact that vegetarianism is a deep science and not just the fad it is made out to be today.

 My offering today is the traditional dal and rice recipe but with a touch of drama to it.  The sweet and sour Tur dal is very much like the way it is made in Gujarat and the green pea pulav which is an accompaniment to it is delicately flavored to balance the infusion of spices in the dal. The smoky part is a little trick I picked up from one the cookery sites online which I have added here to give the dal a rustic touch that makes it more interesting.  Together, it is a great combination of proteins and carbohydrates. Besides nothing is more wholesome and soul satisfying than a good helping of 

Dal – chawal !

Here it goes …

Smoky Sweet & Sour Tur Dal with Green Peas Pulav

Ingredients:  Serves 2

For Dal:

1 cup Tur dal

1 big size tomato

2-3 green chillies

1 inch piece ginger- grated

5-7 curry leaves

a pinch of  asafetida

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 ½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp dried mango powder (aamchur)

1 ½ tbsp. grated jiggery

1 tbsp ghee

 Salt to taste and few sprigs of green coriander

For Rice:

1 cup long grained basmati rice

1 cup shelled green peas

1-2 bay leaves

½ tsp  cardamom powder

1 tsp ghee

 2 cups water

 Preparation:

 For Dal:

1.     Wash the dal and pressure cook till cooked tender

2.     Wash and chop tomatoes and green chillies

 For Rice :

1.     Wash and soak rice in water for at least half an hour

2.     Wash the green peas and keep aside

    Cooking:

      For Dal:

1.      Heat ghee in a kadai, add asafetida  and mustard seeds

2.      Once the mustard seeds start spluttering add the curry leaves and grated ginger. Stir fry  till the      aroma is released

3.      Add chopped green chillies and tomatoes. Stir fry till tomatoes are tender

4.     Add the turmeric, coriander powder and aamchur powder. Mix well. add salt to taste  and a few        coriander leaves that are chopped fine

5.    Saute the masala well. Add a little water so that all the spices blend in.  Add the jaggery .Fry till the water evaporates.

6.   Once the tomatoes and the spices have blended well, add the cooked dal to it and mix well . Add a  little more water as the consistency of this dal should be a little on the thin side.  Let it boil. Reduce  flame and cook for another 2- 3 minutes. Turn off the flame and let it rest  for a while.

7.   Now for the dramatic part - take a light weight small steel bowl. You will need a chunk of charcoal about an inch in size.   Place it over the gas flame and burn it till it is red hot. Place it in the steel bowl and now gently place the bowl over the dal in the kadai. Don’t worry it will not sink.  Now pour some ghee over the burning charcoal and put a tight lid over the kadai. Let it remain closed for 3-4 min till the smoke is infused in the dal. Remove lid and the steel bowl and gently stir the dal. You will get the smoky flavour. This should be done just before serving.  Garnish the dal with the remaining coriander leaves and serve. 

For Rice:

1.     Heat ghee in a sauce pan. Add the bay leaf and the cardamom powder

2.     Add the green peas  and stir fry  for a minute

3.     Drain the soaked rice and add to the green peas. Stir fry for another minute

4.     Add water and a pinch of salt if desired.  Mix well and  bring it to a boil

5.     Cover the pot and reduce flame and let it cook till it’s done.

         Serve along with the hot  smoky dal 

Offer it to The Lord and serve as Krishna Prasadam 

Hare Krishna 

baby potatoes stuffed with paneer in creamy mint sauce

Healthy vegetarian recipes

                                           You are what you eat! 

Our diet has a strong impact on our thoughts and also our body.  Eating simple vegetarian food helps us maintain  a healthy life style and a stress free mind. In my blog   I am going to share recipes that form Krishna’s (Krsna’s) cuisine. They are soulful as they are cooked with devotion and offered to The Lord thus becoming sanctified.  Such food is not only  delicious, but also energies the body and mind.

Cooking apart from being a fine art is also a form of devotion. When we cook our consciousness becomes the part of the food we cook. Food cooked with a lot of love and care, even though simple, tastes wonderful.  As  a  devotee of  Lord  Krishna , I know that when you offer what you have cooked to the Lord  it becomes  sublime  – Krishna prasadam and that is when it satisfies the soul !!

My offering today is a very simple recipe that is rich but not heavy. Delicately flavored, it can easily be a dish that will draw attention on your special occasions. I has always been a hit in mine!!

Baby Potatoes Stuffed With Paneer in Creamy Mint Sauce

This one’s a party dish and right for occasions you want your guests to remember forever.  Served with hot parathas,  it can easily be the main dish and  one that requires few accompaniments.   Mint and coriander form its main ingredients. Mint is packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients that can work wonders for your stomach. Coriander is known for its blood thinning properties. Paneer is a good source of protein and calcium. The dish also has use of cashew which provides energy, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that are essential for robust health.  

                  

Ingredients:    Serves 4

10-12 baby potatoes (not too small, pick out the fairly big sized ones)

 50 gms paneer

1 cup   mint leaves

1 cup coriander leaves

1-2 green chilies

1 inch ginger

½ tsp cardamom powder

½ tsp sugar

Half cup cashew nuts

Half cup fresh cream

Salt to taste

Half cup water

Oil for deep frying and 1 tsp olive oil for cooking

Preparation:

1. Wash and peel the baby potatoes. Core out a hollow in the center. keep aside

2.   Keep aside 5 – 6 cashews, soak the remaining a bowl for at least half hour. Finely chop the cashews kept aside

3.   In a bowl crumble the paneer; add a little salt, finely chopped cashew and some chopped coriander leaves. This is for the stuffing

4.   Now put the stuffing of paneer and cashew into the hallowed potatoes, do not over stuff.  Press the open end so that the stuffing does not come out while frying. keep aside whatever stuffing is left over  you can use it to garnish the dish while serving

5.     In a kadai heat oil for deep frying the baby potatoes. Fry them till light golden brown. Make sure you don’t fry them too much- just enough to remove the rawness of the potatoes. Drain on a tissue paper and keep aside

6.   Grind the soaked cashew into a paste

7.    Grind the mint leaves, coriander, green chilies and ginger to a fine paste

      

Cooking:

1.      Heat the olive oil in a saucepan.  Reduce the heat. This dish has to be cooked over low flame.  You can use  ghee as well as  cooking medium

2.   Once the oil is hot, add the cardamom powder and the cashew paste. Stir fry for a minute.

3.    Add the green paste and fry for 2 more minutes. Add a little water so that all the ingredients blend well.

4.    Add the fried baby potatoes and stir till all of them are coated well with the sauce.   Add salt to taste and sugar. Add water and stir.  Cover the pan and let it cook for 3-4 min till the potatoes are tender

5.    Add the cream and  blend it in gently

6.    Transfer into a serving dish  and garnish with the left over stuffing and  a dash of cream

7.    Serve hot with  parathas  or naan 

 Offer it  to The Lord and then serve as  krishna prasadam 

Variations:

1.     Instead of the potatoes you can add chunks of raw paneer in the sauce. This becomes an interesting paneer dish

2.   Instead of cream, coconut milk can also be used to make the sauce.

  Do try this out,  I am sure  you will love it .. awaiting  your  comments / feedback 

Hare Krishna