Simple and delicious Ayurvedic dishes. Ayurveda - nutrition according to the rules

Ayurveda is one of the most ancient medical teachings on earth, which already has at least five millennia. Ayurveda differs from other systems in that it approaches the treatment of a person in a complex, as a whole, and does not direct its efforts towards the detection, isolation and treatment of individual diseases.

Particular attention in this ancient teaching is given to nutrition, since it is believed that various diseases can occur from this, and they can be avoided if you take the right food in a special order, following numerous, but completely simple rules and daily routines. In this, nutrition according to Ayurveda is consonant with many modern trends in medicine and dietology.

The difference between Ayurveda and conventional medical systems

This teaching does not consider a variety of dishes to be only fuel for the body, which, burning in the digestive system, provides only energy for further development. In Ayurveda, much attention is paid to the conformity of the products used and ready-made dishes to the human constitution, as well as the selection of food that is most suitable for one or another type of human nature, daily routine. Ayurvedic doctors believe that without proper, harmonious and well-balanced nutrition, it is impossible to cure any disease, since the body will not resist the disease to the right extent. Moreover, malnutrition itself can cause serious ailments, and if it is used for a long time, then a dangerous disease.

According to the laws of Ayurveda, it is believed that most diseases are caused by the fact that our body is poisoned by the foods we use. If the food does not correspond to the constitution of a person, then it releases poisons specific to this organism - toxins, which become the cause of the disease. The situation is aggravated by attachment to the wrong, artificial products and violation of the rules of eating.

Over the millennia of existence, numerous and well-thought-out recipes of Ayurveda for health and longevity have arisen and finally formed. They can be successfully applied in our days, you just need to thoroughly study the foundations on which Ayurveda relies on human nutrition.

The concept of dosha

In the Vedic tradition, it is believed that everything in the world consists of doshas - special definitions or characteristics that provide balance in everything. There are three of them:

• Vata or wind
• Pitta or fire
• Kapha or mucus

People who, according to the test, can be classified as vata, have a fragile physique, graceful light bones and thin, dry skin. They freeze easily, do not tolerate low temperatures, windy and humid weather, cold food and drinks. Vata constantly freezes and warms up with great difficulty. These people are swift in everything - they move quickly, impetuously, they think just as well and are distinguished by both quick susceptibility and quick forgetfulness. Vata have dry curly hair, fragile, delicate and sensitive skin, soft nails and thin eyelashes. Vata people have a fast metabolism and almost never have problems with being overweight. The nutrition that Ayurveda suggests for people with a predominance of Vata consists of the following foods:

• Buckwheat
• Dairy
• Various nuts
• Seasoning food is best with cardamom and nutmeg.

Vata people should exclude the following foods from their diet:

• Raw vegetables
• Soybean products
• Sour apples
• Black pepper as a condiment

Continuing to understand the constitution of the doshas, ​​you need to focus on people like pitta. These are strong and strong people with a normal physique, with a sharp, explosive temperament, with active digestion and a constant feeling of hunger. They have blond hair, thin in nature, sometimes red, light skin with a pink tint, which easily overheats and turns red, sometimes covered with moles. Pittas do not tolerate heat well, sweat a lot and blush, and do not like hot food. They suffer from hot flashes, and their hands and feet are hot in all weathers. Pitta should always get plenty of drinking water and not skip meals, observing the correct regimen.

The list of pitta foods includes the following:

• Dairy products.
• Celery.
• Cauliflower.
• Asparagus.
• All types of legumes.
• Spices: cinnamon, coriander, dill and mint.

The following foods should be excluded from the menu:

• Nuts.
• Red meat.
• Ginger.
• Saffron.

Kapha people are big-boned, slow-moving, love to eat and sleep a lot and well. Because of such features, as well as because of the addiction to excessively plentiful and irrational nutrition, slow metabolism, kaphas are usually prone to gaining excess weight and even obesity. Excess weight to kapha comes very easily and quickly, but goes away extremely slowly and with great difficulty.

Kaphas are balanced, calm, it is almost impossible to piss them off. They are large, broad-shouldered, with dense, smooth and clean skin, beautiful eyes and beautiful curly shiny hair. Kapha does not experience discomfort in any weather, even the most extreme. Since kapha's metabolism is incredibly slow, even the most innocuous food will lead to the accumulation of excess fat. People of this type need to avoid sweets in every possible way, limit the use of high-calorie foods, such as white peeled rice, chicken and beef. The kapha diet should be as adjusted and balanced as possible, there is a need to strictly observe the daily regimen, and the main emphasis in it must be on the following products:

• Rice brown and black, natural unpolished.
• Bean vegetables.
• Soy cheese.
• Ginger.
• Instead of sugar, honey can be used in very limited quantities.

If you follow all the dosha tests exactly, you will quickly notice that there are practically no manifestations in the "pure form" of the characteristics of kapha, vata or pitta. This suggests that the human body has all the main characteristics at once, but one of them is predominant, that is, for example, a person with a dominant vata will have kapha and pitta to a certain extent. Applying the recipes of Ayurveda for health and longevity, one should achieve a balance of all three doshas, ​​then everything in the body will be in balance and there will be no diseases. Human nutrition is focused on the predominant dosha to balance it, for example, vata people have accelerated digestion and metabolism, so they should increase the frequency of meals, and if necessary, calories. Such a diet and daily routine will benefit their health and appearance.

Basic nutrition rules

The nutrition that Ayurveda offers is not a diet in our European sense of the word. In fact, this is a selection of the optimal types of dishes that will benefit the person as much as possible, as well as a set of certain rules that should be followed:

• What we used to consider lunch, that is, the main meal, should be at noon, at 12 noon.
• Eating should take place in a relaxed atmosphere, sitting at a beautifully laid and served table. You can not be distracted by talking, reading or watching TV shows.
• After finishing the meal, do not immediately jump off and run about your business - give the body at least five minutes of rest.
• The break should be at least 180 minutes to fully digest the previous amount of food eaten.
• Eating should be only when there is a feeling of hunger.
• Haste is unacceptable, food should be chewed slowly and thoroughly.
• You should not eat food after sunset - it will not be digested normally. According to the rule, only food during daylight hours will bring benefits.
• All meals should be fresh, preferably directly cooked, neither cold nor too hot.
• You need to limit yourself in volumes, leaving about a quarter of each dish.
• While eating, it is undesirable to drink a lot of water, especially if it is cold. Warm water, thoroughly boiled, is acceptable.
• Milk is a separate food product; it is not mixed with other dishes, especially salty and sour ones, and is not drunk cold. The best option is boiled warm milk with spices.
• Spices help improve digestion.
• Food should correspond to the season, weather conditions, temperament and even the mood of a person. That is, those dishes that we eat in the spring are not always suitable for winter conditions, and so on.
• At night, do not eat sour and salty.
• Hazardous foods include factory-made cheese, yogurt, and ice cream.
• Fried, salty and sour foods are not good for health.
• To maintain the shape and health of the body, you should go in for sports, yoga is best.

Such simple and understandable recipes of Ayurveda for health and longevity will help any person to follow the correct regime every day and eat food that benefits, and not harms his body.

“I have always been interested in healthy eating and care for external and internal beauty, perhaps this is an innate perfectionism, or maybe it grows out of my kind of activity. I understand very well the essence of the saying “a healthy mind in a healthy body”, one cannot exist without the other. If we are healthy, active, we have a lot of energy, then we will be able to realize all our plans and dreams. And my well-being is very important to me.

I experimented many times with different nutrition methods, different detox systems, tried Austrian, Italian and German methods, and yet I came to Indian practice, since I have been doing yoga and meditation for a long time, and Ayurveda was the closest to me in spirit. The thing is that other nutrition systems are mainly aimed at monitoring your weight, for me this was not an end in itself. I like Ayurveda because it is more attentive to the body, to emotions, to feelings, to the psychological state. This is what makes her interesting to me.

Ayurveda considers the whole person, considering that all aspects of his life affect his health. Proper nutrition is one of the necessary conditions for physical health. It is believed that overeating, eating in an agitated state, eating inappropriate food causes the release of toxins and indigestion.

From experience I can say that when I started practicing Ayurvedic nutrition, I discovered a lot of new things about how and when to eat better, where to start a meal, how to use different spices. Almost immediately, I began to notice that I had more energy, and my head became clearer. You begin to be more attentive to what you eat and really think about what is good for your body, the beauty and taste of food also remain an important criterion, but are already fading into the background.

An important point that many are worried about is the rejection of meat. Ayurveda, in principle, does not prohibit meat. It is perfectly acceptable to eat meat 1-2 times a week, but I think that if people saw more often how livestock is actually raised and slaughtered, they would think about whether there is meat, and if there is, then what kind and how often. I want to be in harmony with nature. I prefer to eat what animals give us, like milk, rather than kill them.

Of course, it is difficult to fully accept Indian Ayurvedic cuisine in our conditions, but I perceive Ayurveda as a set of principles that I impose on our realities. For example, I have a book of Ayurvedic recipes, and the German author of this book adapted them to more familiar European products. I prepared several recipes from this book especially for the magazine "Simple & Tasty" to show that in fact there is nothing complicated in Ayurvedic nutrition. - Lucia Berdos

Basic principles of Ayurvedic nutrition

Ayurvedic cuisine grew out of Indian cuisine and the Vedic tradition 5,000 years ago. Its basic principles have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries.

1. Food is the basis of our life. Proper food nourishes our body and clears the mind.
2. Food should be taken in a calm relaxed atmosphere.
3. It is advisable to eat at the same time.
4. The five basic elements of nature make up our body: Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Ether.
5. These elements create 3 types of life energies: vata, pitta and kapha. If they are in harmony, then the person is healthy, happy and full of energy.
6. All 6 tastes should be present in every meal: sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, salty, and astringent.
7. Food is best taken freshly prepared, and not warmed up or yesterday.
8. Ayurveda involves the use of many spices that improve digestion and also normalize metabolism.

Ayurveda is unthinkable without the use of spices. The spices are the roots, bark and seeds of plants. Herbs are fresh leaves or flowers. And as seasonings, flavoring additives such as salt, citrus juice, nuts and rose water are used.

The art of using spices lies in the ability to make masala (a mixture of spices). It helps to give everyday food an endless variety. Even an ordinary potato dish can be given a great variety of flavors.

Spices are the concentrated energy of plants. If used correctly, they can have a very beneficial effect on our body, even cure diseases. For example, cinnamon improves tone and mood, normalizes the work of the heart.

BEET CHUTNEY

400 g beets

parsley and celery root

3-4 tbsp ghee butter

mustard seeds

caraway

black pepper

2 tsp brown sugar

1-2 tbsp cream

fresh herbs

salt

1. Wash the beets and boil for 20 minutes in salted water.
2. Melt ghee separately, add mustard seeds, black pepper and cumin.
3. Remove the beets, rinse with cold water and cut into cubes.
4. Pour the beets into the oil with spices, add a little warm water and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Add 2 tsp. brown sugar, lemon juice and 1-2 tbsp. cream.
6. Serve with fresh herbs.

"SIMPLE RICE"

4 cups rice (preferably basmati rice)

3 tsp ghee butter

¼ tsp tsp salt

8 cups of water

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly and drain the water. (In order to rinse the rice well, place it in a saucepan and fill it to the brim with water. Then stir the rice and carefully drain the water until the grains begin to slip out with the water. Fill the saucepan again and put the rice in a colander 2-3 times ).
2. Heat the ghee oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Saute for at least a minute. Then add the rice and, stirring well, sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Salt and stir again.
3. Pour warm water, mix again. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and close the pot. For more glutinous rice, it is better not to cover the pan tightly. If the rice is dry, close the lid tightly.
4. Cook for 15-20 minutes until rice is soft.

PUMPKIN CREAM SOUP WITH GHE OIL

300 g pumpkin

1 potato

1 carrot

½ cup celery

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

3 tbsp cream

3 tsp ghee butter

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp cumin

½ tsp cinnamon

3 pinches asafoetida

¼ tsp ground rosemary

1 bay leaf

1 clove

2 allspice peas

2 pinches of nutmeg

salt, brown sugar

1. Peel the pumpkin from seeds and peel, cut into cubes. Peel potatoes and carrots, cut into cubes and grate on a coarse grater, respectively.
2. Heat the ghee oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
3. Put vegetables and spices in a saucepan, fry them, stirring for 5 minutes. Pour in 5 cups of hot water, stir and cover. Cook for another 10 minutes, then add water.
4. When the vegetables are cooked, beat the resulting soup with a blender.
5. At the end, add salt, sugar and finely chopped greens. Then cream and nutmeg. Stir and let the soup brew a little.

Ms. Berdos has three children and tries to make sure they eat healthy, although she doesn't insist that they stick to Ayurvedic cuisine. Lucia believes that balance is important in everything, so in no case should you deny yourself small pleasures, like a cheesecake.

CHEESECAKE WITHOUT BAKE

1 ½ cup crumbs

unsweetened cookies

3 tbsp powdered sugar

250 g cheese

Philadelphia

250 g mascarpone

2 tbsp lemon peel

vanillin

½ cup chopped strawberries

1. Cookies ceiling manually.
2. Tamp the crumbs into a small detachable form (20 cm). Remove to refrigerator.
3. Whisk the Philadelphia cheese and mascarpone in a bowl.
4. Add 3 tbsp. vanilla sugar.
5. Add lemon zest.
6. Put the resulting cream in a mold on top of the cookies.
7. Wrap the mold in foil and refrigerate for 1 hour. Garnish with strawberries before serving.

According to Ayurveda, ghee is a medicine. Ghee has rejuvenating and tonic properties, increases the digestive fire and immunity, and helps the work of the small intestine. Unlike other oils that clog the liver, ghee gives it strength. It nourishes the nervous tissues of the body, the bone marrow and the brain, as a result of which the sharpness of the mind is aggravated. Most often, ghee is taken orally, sometimes - to lubricate the nasal passages, as ear and eye drops. To treat disorders caused by pitta, herbs are added to the oil.

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Do you want to learn how to eat small amounts of food? And learn and fragrant spices? Or maybe you are looking for a diet, thanks to which you can not only put your figure in order, but also have a delicious meal? Do you also want to spend less time on cooking, but at the same time make everything tasty, healthy and unusual? All this will become possible if you master the laws of Ayurvedic cuisine.

Nutrition will be useful only when the correct regimen is selected, all the necessary vitamins, minerals and trace elements are taken into account. It is unlikely that you have free time to constantly calculate the number of calories, so we suggest turning to one of the oldest sciences - Ayurveda, in the system of which a whole program has been developed to improve the body, cleanse it of toxins and increase immunity.

Magic Ayurveda

The traditional system of Indian Vedic medicine, Ayurveda, translated from Sanskrit, means "knowledge of life." As a system of treatment and maintenance of health in India, there is more than 5000 years and has been successfully practiced in the West for about 200 years.

The basis of nutrition in Ayurveda is the division of people according to their constitutional types (doshas). Dosha is one of the most significant components of human physiology, it is responsible for the coordination of all body structures. Based on each type of body constitution, one or another diet is formed. Only by examining yourself in the mirror, you can determine your type of dosha. It must be borne in mind that there are practically no pure types: all three doshas are connected in us - vata, pitta, kapha (one or another type prevails over the other two).

Doshas, ​​in turn, are formed from a combination of certain elements (water, fire, earth, air, ether). Doshas carry out physiological processes in the body, which increase or decrease depending on the season, age, time of day and the food we eat. Ideally, it is necessary that all doshas be in balance, only then the body will come to harmony. By recognizing the dosha that dominates in you, you can strengthen those doshas that are not sufficiently expressed.

The imbalance between the doshas affects the internal biochemical changes and ultimately leads to either increased or decreased metabolism. But only a few lucky people are born with a balanced constitution, where all three doshas are equal. These people are gifted with good health and excellent digestion.

Determining your dosha type is quite simple - just take a test. If you have more qualities of one or another dosha than others, then this is your constitutional type. If an equal number of qualities are combined in two or three doshas, ​​then you are characterized by traits of several types.

Dosha types
cotton wool	pitta	kapha
Leather- dry, small pores, prone to weathering in the cold. Body type- thin, strong, weight gaining is difficult. Hair- dark, thin, brittle, prone to dandruff. Temperament– excitable, nervous, prone to depression, unable to concentrate. Lips- thin, dry, often crack. Dream- nervous, intermittent, superficial. Fatigue, scattered memory. Typical skin disorders– wrinkles, eczema, psoriasis, tissue wasting.	Leather- combined, sensitive to the sun, often with large pores on the nose and forehead, the nose is prone to reddening in the cold. Body type- sports. Hair- can be both normal and thin, prone to gray hair. Color - from red to light brown. Temperament- strong-willed, purposeful. Lip shape- medium, pigmentation is bright (from pink to red). Dream- healthy. Good concentration, accurate memory. Typical skin disorders– allergies, acne, teenage acne.	Leather- oily, pale, large pores, prone to swelling. Body type- large, a tendency to be overweight, it is difficult to lose weight. Hair- dark, normal or oily, often wavy, dense. Temperament- calm, phlegmatic Lips- plump, pigmentation is not pronounced. Dream- long, deep, very long. High level of endurance, calmness, memory is stable but slow. Typical skin disorders- acne, clogged pores, dull color.

Dosha Diet

In diets by types of doshas, ​​there are no difficulties in calculating calories and counting what you eat, you should eat only what is necessary for your constitution.

Pitta (fire)

Pitta dosha governs all the physical and biochemical changes that occur in the body, that is, it is responsible for metabolism. Pitta dosha transforms food into energy, warmth and vitality.

Pitta malfunctions can be caused by poor diet (eating spicy foods), poor lifestyle habits, and emotional depression.

For Pitta people, legumes, celery, asparagus, cauliflower, dairy products are very useful. As spices, it is better to use coriander, cinnamon, mint, dill. Eliminate or limit nuts, ginger, and saffron.

Kapha (water)

The processes of human growth and the formation of new cells are controlled by kapha doshas and are most active in childhood. You can excite kapha dosha with excessive consumption of dairy products, cold and fatty foods, then fat cells begin to grow uncontrollably, forming deposits in problem areas.

People of this type need to make their diet very balanced, paying special attention to soy cheese, legumes, brown rice. From spices it is better to use ginger. It is undesirable to use any sweets (except for a small amount of honey) and white rice.

Vata (wind)

Vata dosha is the strongest of the three. It controls movement and moves pitta and kapha, regulates all activities in the body - from the number of thoughts that arise in a person's head in one minute, to the efficiency of moving food through the intestines.

Watt's diet should consist of buckwheat, rice, meat, dairy products, nuts. But it is better to refuse raw vegetables, soy products, sour apples and the use of black pepper in cooking. From spices it is better to give preference to cardamom and nutmeg.

How to beat beriberi

In the spring, the body does not just come out of hibernation, at this time there is an imbalance of all doshas. Revolution in the stomach, vata and pitta. When it gets warmer outside, kapha gets out of balance: hence a runny nose, drowsiness, allergies.

In the arsenal of Ayurveda there are ways to deal with spring ailments. Following the basic principles, you will survive the off-season painlessly.

1) You should drink teas with spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, nutmeg, cardamom), which have warming properties.

2) (2 teaspoons) and grated ginger, they will perfectly remove the first signs of the disease.

3) Use spices in your diet: ginger (relieves fatigue, helps in stressful situations, improves cerebral circulation), cinnamon (tonifies), nutmeg (strengthens memory, treats heart disease), cardamom (relieves tooth and ear pain).

4) If you are worried about constant lethargy and indigestion, you need to eat light and fresh food. To restore balance, eat cooling foods when it's warm outside and warm foods when it's cold. A minimum of tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and bananas. Avoid fatty, sweet and sour foods. Choose green vegetables and rice as a side dish. Good fresh salads with lots of greens with the addition of onions and garlic. The perfect taste of spring is pungent, bitter and astringent.

Nutrition Secrets

Ayurveda is a very simple system, the main thing is to remember some rules and follow a certain philosophy.

1. Food must contain 6 tastes at each meal (sweet, salty, sour, spicy, astringent and bitter), otherwise even after a hearty meal you will want to eat something else containing the missing taste. No diet takes this into account! A varied diet is the key to a healthy, balanced diet.

2. Rules for eating. Cooking is only in a good mood, and you should eat sitting, in a relaxed atmosphere. For better digestion, drink some warm water before eating. Eat only when you feel hungry. The main meal should be at noon.

3. Combine products correctly. Bad combinations:

Milk + fish, meat, sour fruits, yeast bread.

Yogurt + milk, hot drinks, meat, fish, starch, cheese.

Eggs + meat, dairy products, fish, bananas.

Fruit and melon should be eaten before the main meal.

4. As with any system, there are individual contraindications that should be taken into account. People with high acidity of the stomach and diseases such as ulcers or gastritis should very moderately use foods that increase pitta dosha - honey, hot spices.

Ayurvedic nutrition is increasingly becoming a real salvation for those who want to improve their body and soul, as well as get rid of excess weight, but cannot severely restrict themselves in food. Everyone knows that a healthy diet is the most important step towards longevity, youth and well-being. However, nutrition should be useful not only for the body, but also for the soul. This is exactly what Ayurvedic nutrition is, which not only saturates the body with useful substances, but also gives spiritual satisfaction, peace and balance. Our "thin" bodies also need energy nourishment, which is provided by nutrition according to Ayurveda. Since ancient times in India, with the help of Ayurveda, all spiritual and physical ailments have been successfully treated.

In the modern world, it is very easy to stick to Ayurvedic nutrition, as it does not require any special exotic products, and also does not exclude many components familiar to us from the diet. The basis of Ayurvedic nutrition is cereals, fruits and vegetables grown in your area, which means that they can be easily obtained. In addition, this food involves the presence of a large amount of spices in the dishes, which makes them even more tasty and spicy. Spices are designed not only to create a balance of taste, but also to cure the body of many diseases.

Eating according to Ayurveda, you can always be full, healthy, vigorous, active and cheerful person. To do this, you just need to follow some rules for preparing Ayurvedic food. In this article, we will talk about these rules, as well as share with you recipes for traditional Ayurvedic dishes that will help you become healthier, slimmer and find peace of mind.

Rules for preparing Ayurvedic food

Ayurveda divides all food into 6 basic tastes: bitter, salty, sweet, astringent, sour and spicy. To achieve maximum benefit, it is desirable to experience all these tastes daily, and food should be balanced according to them. That is, there should not be a significant preponderance towards one or another taste, they should be in harmony, complementing and shading each other. To correct general health and weight loss, certain types of physique (dosha) may be recommended to have more or less content of one or another taste. The most important role in giving the right taste is played by spices, which can be added in abundance. They improve digestion, speed up metabolism and blood circulation, promoting healing and weight loss.

It is also important to remember that people who are prone to obese physique (Kapha) need to cook food with a very low content of fat and fast carbohydrates. It is best to cook any dish of whole grains and fresh vegetables for lunch, and replace dinner with fruit or a light salad dressed with a little olive oil. People with a thin body (Vata) often suffer from dry skin, brittle nails and hair. Their food should be well oiled. This means that vegetable or butter must be added to all dishes. People of a stocky build (Pitta) can cook a variety of lean meats, poultry and fish, but do not fry them, but bake or boil them. For any type of dosha, it is not recommended to prepare complex dishes containing a large number of ingredients. Ayurvedic food should be easy to prepare and digest.

In Ayurveda, there are some restrictions on the combination of products. So, you can not combine dairy products with fruits, vegetables, salt and any other food rich in proteins and fats. Potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and sweet peppers should be completely excluded from the diet or minimized. Melon and watermelon should be consumed on their own, not mixed with anything. Honey can only be added to cooled teas or dishes, as when heated, it loses all its beneficial properties.

All Ayurvedic food should be prepared just before eating it. In no case should you eat something that was cooked yesterday or has been reheated. Such food does not carry an energy charge, and, therefore, gives the body only empty calories. While cooking, you should be calm, think that this food will make you slimmer, younger and healthier. Your emotional state during cooking is very important, as you "charge" it in this way. The same principle is important when eating. This should be done in the circle of loved ones and loved ones under a pleasant conversation. Distractions such as TV, computer or newspaper contribute to weight gain and poor digestion. Eating in Ayurveda is a real ritual that brings the body the necessary substances, and the soul a charge of positive emotions.

Ayurvedic Recipes

We bring to your attention several recipes for popular Ayurvedic dishes that anyone can cook at home. All recipes are given in their traditional form with classic ingredients. If any of the ingredients are exotic for your area, they can be replaced with local counterparts or any cereals and vegetables.

Vegetable soup

The classic Ayurvedic vegetable soup is ideal for all three doshas. For its preparation you will need: carrots, onions, green beans, green peas, cauliflower, broccoli, dill, parsley, cilantro, water, cumin seeds, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, ghee, salt.

Wash all vegetables thoroughly and cut into small cubes. Put them in a saucepan, cover with water and cook until half cooked over low heat. Mix all the spices and grind with a coffee grinder or in a mortar to a uniform state. The amount of spices you need to add to your taste, the soup should turn out quite spicy. Place 2 tablespoons of ghee (clarified butter without milk protein) in a frying pan, melt and add spices to it. Fry them over high heat for three minutes. When the spices are a little fried, this "frying" should be added to the pot with vegetables and salt. Continue to cook the soup for another 10 minutes. Before serving, it should be slightly cooled and sprinkled with chopped dill, parsley and cilantro on top. This Ayurvedic soup is ideal for the diet of any dosha, perfectly digested and will contribute to weight loss.

Kitchari from shelled mung bean

Kitchari is one of the staples of the Ayurvedic diet. It has a high nutritional value, is very useful, easily and quickly absorbed and provides the body with the necessary energy. Kitchari is also suitable for all types of human physique (dosha). To prepare it you will need: 1 cup shelled mung bean, 1 cup brown rice, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, fresh cilantro, 7 cups water, 3 tablespoons ghee, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns, bay leaf, turmeric, salt .

Soak mash in cold water for several hours. After that, rinse it and the rice under running water until the water runs clear. Place 3 tablespoons of ghee in a large heavy bottomed pot and melt it. Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf and pepper to it and fry lightly for 2-3 minutes. Next, add the ginger, turmeric, salt and chopped cilantro to the pan, continue to fry for another 2 minutes. Add rice and mung bean to the “frying” of spices, mix everything thoroughly. Pour water into a saucepan and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Kitchari needs to be stirred several times so that it does not burn. Let it cool slightly before serving and garnish with fresh cilantro. This dish will give a feeling of satiety for a long time, improve digestion and balance all three doshas.

Ragout (sabji) from white cabbage

The preparation of various vegetable stews is widespread in Ayurvedic cooking. You can add any vegetables you like to them, however, it is important to remember that for Pitta and Kapha doshas, ​​you need to be careful with sweet and starchy foods. We have selected a recipe for an Ayurvedic vegetable stew, which grows in abundance in our latitudes, and also promotes weight loss - cabbage. To prepare this sabji you will need: 1 head of cabbage, 2 tablespoons of ghee, black mustard seeds, cumin, 1 pinch of asafoetida, turmeric, hot pepper and salt.

Wash the cabbage and finely chop. Place 2 tablespoons of ghee, mustard and cumin seeds, asafoetida, turmeric, and finely chopped hot peppers in a saucepan. Fry the spices until the seeds crackle, then put the cabbage in a saucepan, salt a little and mix thoroughly. The stewpan should be covered with a lid so that the cabbage is stewed in its own juice, which stands out a lot. Simmer the cabbage for 10 minutes, then mix everything thoroughly again and simmer for another 5 minutes. Ready-made cabbage stew can be eaten as an independent dish or served with any cereals. Since this dish gives a lot of energy and has a slight stimulating effect, it should be consumed in limited quantities by people belonging to the Vata dosha.

Carrot kheer

The most popular Ayurvedic sweet is kheer or Indian pudding. It can be prepared from a variety of products, but always based on milk and cane sugar. Kheer from carrots is less calorie than from rice, so we offer you exactly his recipe. To prepare it, you will need: 1 pinch of saffron, 6 cups of milk, 3 tablespoons of ghee, 1 kilogram of carrots, a handful of any nuts, cardamom, 1 cup of cane sugar.

Put the ghee in a heavy bottomed pot and melt it. Wash the carrots, peel and grate on a fine grater. Add the carrots to the ghee and sauté over medium heat until light golden brown. Pour milk into a saucepan with carrots, add cardamom, saffron, nuts and sugar. Cook the kheer, stirring constantly, over low heat for 30 minutes. During this time, it should acquire a pleasant caramel color and become thicker. This dessert will not be thick, but you can cook it for 10 minutes longer with the lid open to make it thicker. Ayurvedic khir is very useful for the body, however, it is important to use it as a dessert, that is, in small quantities after the main meal. It is better to feast on them at lunch, because at this time the "digestive fire" is the strongest and digests everything that gets into it. People with a Kapha constitution should eat this dish occasionally and in limited quantities, because it is quite high in calories and can lead to weight gain.

Vata, Pitta, and Kapha have their own sattvic diet. There are foods that have a special energy value - among them milk, honey, dates, ghee. There is a huge palette of spices to diversify vegetable and cereal dishes. Speaking of spices, Ayurveda and Hatha Yoga warn against hot and sexually stimulating spices and foods (onions, garlic, etc.), as they have a tamasic and rajasic effect on the mind. The practice of kundalini yoga of the yoga-bajan system, largely built on the release of energy from the sexual center, on the contrary, only welcomes such food.

It is clear that it is difficult to follow all the recommendations on yogic-Ayurvedic nutrition: there are many of them, they sometimes look unusual and you need to get used to them. But at least some of the rules can be made the basis of your diet, and some of the recipes can be added to your personal cookbook.

Paneer (homemade cheese)

Paneer is made from milk with a fat content of more than 3.5%, and it is better if this milk is natural or at least pasteurized. A liter of milk is brought to a boil, after which the fire is reduced, and the juice of one lemon is added to the pan. The whey is separated from the protein, after which the future cheese is carefully filtered through cheesecloth and left to drain (you can also put it under a press). The next morning, tender unleavened cheese will be ready. It has a short shelf life. By the way, during the cooking process, you can add herbs or spices to homemade cheese. This simple and tasty recipe has only one drawback: a liter of paneer milk does not make much.

Kichri

Kichri is rice cooked with vegetables and sprouted mung beans or red lentils (both mung beans and red lentils, unlike other legumes, are easy to digest and produce less gas). Khichri is cooked based on the proportions of 1 cup of long grains of rice to 1 cup of germinated mung bean. Mash, also known as mung dal, is a somewhat exotic type of legume for Russia. True, it is exotic only at first glance - upon closer examination, it turns out that sellers of Korean salads have long been selling pickled mung bean sprouts, offering them to gullible customers like soy sprouts. However, for khichri, mash should be different - a dry small round grain of green or brown color. Mash needs to be soaked for a day and let it hatch a little. As for the sequence of adding ingredients, the advice given is different. Well, for example, this: put a pot (1 liter of water + mash) to cook for 10 minutes. In the meantime, fry spices such as asafoetida, ginger and cumin seeds in ghee, and then fry the rice in the same pan. Then send the contents of the pan to the pan, reduce the fire, and add vegetables (tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes, onions, carrots, pumpkins - the list goes on) and salt. When cereals - vegetables are boiled much faster - are cooked, the dish is ready.

Ghee (clarified butter)

This type of oil is highly respected by Ayurveda fans and yoga practitioners: it is useful for all three doshas and, unlike butter, is equally well absorbed by everyone, because it does not have milk protein. Ghee is also very convenient in storage - it does not spoil for a long time and can be stored even at room temperature.

Melted butter can be prepared independently - melted from butter in a frying pan, heating it over low heat. A standard two-hundred-gram pack of butter is melted in 10-15 minutes. Then the oil is carefully poured into some container with a wide mouth, and when it hardens, the melted protein must be removed from its surface.

Flatbreads from germinated cereals

This is a very interesting replacement for ordinary yeast bread, which is made from germinated mung bean, wheat or rye. It is easy to prepare if you are a happy owner of a blender or, at worst, a meat grinder. Cereals are soaked overnight, then the water is drained, and they are simply placed in a warm place - to germinate. As they hatch (should be in a day), you can pour them into a meat grinder / blender, along the way adding zira, cinnamon or coriander, pepper, salt and even nuts - it all depends on the desire of the cook. The mass is ground, after which cakes are made from it and fried in a pan in ghee.

Sprouted Cereal Salad

Cereals are germinated in the same way. For one serving of salad, you will need about a handful of germinated grains, as well as a three-centimeter-long cube of fresh ginger root. Ginger is cut into thin strips and mixed with grains. Then lemon juice, spices (to taste) and vending vegetables are added there. The salad is spicy and sour, perfectly stimulates the appetite.

Kheer

Kheer is a national Indian sweet dish that should ideally be runny (although kheer is often presented as a thicker pudding on food websites). For 100 grams of basmati rice, you will need about one and a half liters of milk and 10 tablespoons of sugar, preferably brown. Washed rice, poured with half the milk, is cooked in a saucepan over low heat and stirred regularly until it comes to a boil. Then the fire is extinguished, the rice is kneaded so that there are no lumps, and then the burner is lit again: the remaining milk, sugar are poured into the pan, and all this is simmered and stirred over low heat until the mixture becomes thick - this means that it is ready.