Sweetcorn kichadi
2 cups sweetcorn (fresh or frozen)
1 ts mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
½ green chilli or a good grind of black pepper
½ ts turmeric powder
1 cup milk
2 tbs desiccated coconut
2 tbs fresh chopped coriander
Method:
Boil 2 cups of sweetcorn until soft and mushy, then strain
Heat some oil in a deep pan, then add 1 ts mustard seeds. Once they’ve popped, add the curry leaves and toast for 10 seconds (cover if they start to splutter all over the place)
Add the chilli or black pepper and fry for 10 seconds
Add the turmeric and fry for 10 seconds
Add the strained sweetcorn and coat in the spices
Immediately follow with the milk and ¾-1ts salt. Cover the pan but leave the lid slightly ajar- then simmer until most of the milk has been absorbed (10-15 mins)
Heat another shallow pan and when hot, toast the desiccated coconut until it becomes golden brown and aromatic, stirring frequently. It will continue to cook when you turn the heat off- so be careful that it doesn’t go a dark brown. Add this to the sweetcorn once the latter is cooked and stir through
Add the chopped coriander just before serving
Sprouted mung daal
1 cup whole mung daal
1 ts cumin seeds
3 cloves of garlic
¼ ts turmeric powder
½ green chilli or a good grind of black pepper
2 tbs fresh chopped coriander
Sprouting the daal:
Pour the daal into a pan and discard any broken pulses or stone
Wash 3 times or until the water runs clear
Soak overnight or for at least 9 hours without a lid- ensure that you leave an extra 3 cm of water above the daal (as it will expand and needs to be fully covered). After 9 hours you should see that the pulse skin is slightly broken
Strain the daal for around1hr, shaking it gently to eliminate any excess water. The daal should not be dripping wet but needs a small amount of moisture to sprout
Put the daal in a large bowl, cover with a lid but leave it slightly ajar. Leave in a dark cupboard for at least 12 hours- until it develops a sprout that’s around 2 cm in length (I tend to turn the sprouts over mid way for more even sprouting)
Cooking the sprouts:
Crush the garlic and let it rest for 10 minutes
Heat a shallow pan and and some oil
Once nice and hot, add the cumin seeds and let them pop
Add the chilli, immediately followed by the turmeric and fry for 10 seconds
Add the crushed garlic and fry for 10-20 seconds, until golden brown
Add the sprouted mung daal and around 2 tbs of water and flash fry until the daal is heated right through- this should only take 1-2 minutes (add some extra water and heat for 5 mins if you feel that your digestion is not so strong)
Add salt to taste and the fresh coriander
Cabbage
1 ts mustard seeds
1 ts kalonji (onion seeds)
2 ts split urid daal (split black lentils)
10 curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida (optional)
¾ chopped green chilli
1 ts turmeric powder
1 ts coriander powder
1 sliced onion (sliced into half moons)
1 cabbage: remove the triangular core and then shred nice and thinly (sweetheart cabbage is my favourite- my second choice would be white cabbage. 3rd choice would be red. Red cabbage needs a little longer to cook)
1 carrot
3 tbs desiccated coconut
3 tbs fresh chopped coriander
Method:
Slice the onion and let this sit for 10 mins
Heat the oil in a deep pan (I like to use either coconut oil or ghee for this recipe)
When the oil is piping hot, add the mustard seeds and the kalonji seeds and let them pop
Reduce the heat slightly and add the urid daal. Let this fry for 2-3 mins until golden brown
Add the curry leaves and asafoetida and fry for 10 seconds
Add the chilli, followed closely by the turmeric and the coriander powder. Fry for 10 seconds
Increase the heat again and add the onion and ½ ts salt. Stir frequently and cook for around 3-4 mins, until they start to develop a light golden brown colour
Add the cabbage and another ½ ts salt and stir well so that the cabbage is well coated by the spices
Cover and cook on a medium heat for 3 mins until it starts to wilt- stirring frequently so that it doesn’t burn. (If it starts to stick to the bottom add a little more oil, not water)*
Then open the lid and cook again for a couple of minutes to allow some of the water to escape until al dente (if you find cabbage difficult to digest then cook it until really soft)
While the cabbage is cooking, heat another shallow pan and when hot, toast the desiccated coconut until it becomes golden brown and aromatic, stirring frequently. It will continue to cook when you turn the heat off- so be careful that it doesn’t go a dark brown.
Peel and grate the carrot and add to the cabbage just before you turn it off, stirring it through
Add the toasted coconut
Check the seasoning and add the fresh coriander to garnish
*Cabbage is quite drying from an ayurvedic perspective, similar to potatoes- so don’t be scared to add a fair amount of oil. This will reduce its drying effect and make it easier to digest
Spiced haricot beans
1 cup haricot beans
1 ts bicarb of soda
1 ts cumin seeds
4 cloves of garlic
1 carrot- diced into ½ cm pieces
1 stick celery- chopped fairly thinly
1 ts turmeric powder
1 ts coriander powder
1 chilli
1 tin tomatoes
1 ts tomato puree
1 tbs sugar or jaggery
3 tbs fresh chopped coriander
Method:
Pour the beans into a pan and discard any broken pulses or stones
Add the bicarb of soda and stir through, then leave soak overnight, uncovered in lots of water. Ensure that you leave an extra 3 cm of water above the beans (as it will expand and needs to be fully covered)
In the morning, rinse it really well in fresh water 3 times to rinse out any remains of the bicarb
Add the beans back into a deep pan with 4 cups of water and a pinch of turmeric powder. Boil them until soft, with the lid slightly ajar. Start with a high heat until the water boils, then bring to a low-medium heat. Remove any scum that forms in the process. Once they are soft, strain and reserve the water
In the meantime, heat some oil in a pan
Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them pop
Add the carrot and celery and a pinch of salt, cover and cook gently for around 20 mins until they become golden and are soft, stirring fairly frequently
In the meantime, crush the garlic and let it sit for 10 mins
Once the carrot and celery are soft, add the garlic cook for 10-20 seconds, or until golden brown
Add the chilli, closely followed by the turmeric and the coriander powder. Fry for 10 seconds
Add the tinned tomatoes and the tomato puree, 1 ts salt and the jaggery
Cover and let this simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every now and again
Blend this tomato mixture until nice and smooth
Add this puree back to the pan, add the strained beans and coat them well with the tomato mixture
Add enough water so that it has a nice gravy like consistency- not too watery or too dry (you can always add more of the water later if needs be)
Cover and let this simmer for a further 10 mins
Check the seasoning and garnish with the fresh coriander
Cold Busting tea
3 cups waster
2 tbs grated ginger (or more if you can handle it)
Spices:
4 green cardamom, crushed
1 black cardamom, crushed
3 cloves
1 star sanise
1 stick of cinnamon around 10cm in length
A couple of grinds of black pepper
After boiling:
1 clove garlic
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbs honey
Method:
Boil the water with all the spices and the ginger. Once the water is brought to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes- when you take a teaspoon to try it, you should really be able to taste the ginger
While it’s boiling, crush the garlic and let it rest for 10 mins
Switch the heat off and add the clove of garlic and the lemon juice
Strain and let it cool down for around 5 minutes before you add the honey
You should have another cup left which you can heat up later and repeat the process- allow it to cool down a little before adding the honey