Ayurvedic

Cooking
for Self Healing

Mrs Deepa Rajesh

AYURANANDA AYURVEDIC CENTRE

71/6, Auroville | Kottamedu Road
Auroville Post | 605 101
Tamilnadu | South India
www.ayurananda.org
[email protected]

We are what we eat

Art of Cooking

Ayurveda is the ancient medical system of India. It encompasses the

healing of body, mind and spirit through diet, lifestyle and rejuvenation
methods. This wholistic healing art teaches that food and diet can make a
vital contribution to continous good health.

According to the Vedas, Food should be prepared in time w ith

proper quality, taste, purity and feeling.

Illness provides an Opportunity to change our habitual patterns related

to thinking, feeling and eating. Serious illness is the result of poor food
choices and ignorance of the art of proper cooking for oneself and the family.
Food is medicine when rightly combined

Ayurveda can provide much insight about which foods will suit
and balance each individual. It teaches how much to prepare and
cook these foods properly and how to avoid combinations that will
create toxins in the body. Ayurvedic cooking emphasizes that we
should cook with a feeling of great love and respect to every stage
of food preparation and serving.
The following recipes are Tridoshic meaning good for all constitutions. The herbs and spices are used with these benefits in mind:

enhance taste
stimulate digestive fire
increase digestibility and absorption
help counteract any incompatible food combinations.

Contents
Breakfast

Broken Wheat Porridge . . . . . . . . . . . 7

also known as Cracked Wheat, Dalia or Bourghoul

Ragi Porridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
also known as Finger Millet

Fresh Fruit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Lunch

Steamed Vegetables .
Budgies and Gravy . . .
Dal and Suriki . . . . . .
Dal and Potalunga . . .
Cabbage and Beetroot
Spinach with Dal . . . .

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.

11
12
14
16
18
19

or drumstick leaves if available

Spinach (Kira) Chutney . . . . . . . . . . 20

Steamed Vegetable with Coconut . . 21
Potatoe Gravy with Coconut Milk . . 22
Dinner

Other

Tomato Soup . . . . . . . .
Vegetable Soup . . . . . .
Chappati . . . . . . . . . . . .
Peanuts . . . . . . . . . . . .
Yam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chick Pea Gravy . . . . . .
Mung Bean . . . . . . . . . .
Tur Dal (yellow lentils)

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

25
26
27
28
28
29
30
31

Lassi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Sweet Dal Payasam . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Herbal Teas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Broken Wheat Porridge

also known as Cracked Wheat, Dalia or Bourghul

Breakfast
serves two
Eat fresh sweet fruit at breakfast to encourage elimination.
Choose onetwo fruits only and
have them before porridge, ie. papaya, rock melon, banana, apple

In a pressure cooker, mix broken

wheat, salt and water. Mix well. Allow
to cook 57 whistles.

1 cup broken wheat

(bourghul, cracked
wheat, dalia)

In a small pot, add water and jaggery.

Heat and allow jaggery to melt.

3 cups water
1 cup used to melt
jaggery

In a small fry pan add oil, cardamom

and cashew nuts. When nuts are lightly
browned remove from heat.
Transfer broken wheat into a bowl, stir
in jaggery and pour nuts on top.
Ready to serve.

56 tbsp sliced jaggery

small handful of cashew
nuts chopped
(any nuts can be used)
2 pods cardamom
crushed
1 tbsp ghee
pinch of salt

Ragi Porridge

Fresh Fruit

also known as Finger Millet

serves two

1 cup Ragi flour

3 cups water
1 cup used to melt
jaggery
pinch of salt
56 tbsp of
sliced jaggery
small handful of
cashew nuts (any nut
can be used)
2 pods cardamom
crushed, use seeds
1 tbsp ghee

In a small pot mix Ragi flour, salt and

water until all lumps have dissolved.
Cook over medium fire, stirring continously allowing Ragi flour to pulp and
bubble. When cooked properly,
bubbles are produced. Keep aside.
In a separate pot add water and
jaggery. Stir until dissolved.
In a small fry pan add ghee, cardamom
and cashew nuts. Fry till nuts are
lightly browned.
Add Ragi in bowl, pour in jaggery and
mix well. Add nuts on top.
Ready to serve.

Steamed Vegetables
eat steamed vegetables every day at lunch

Lunch
serves two

Place all vegetables in a steaming pot.

Add water, salt and tumeric powder
and steam for 5 to 7 minutes, depending on the steamer.

Any seasonal mixed

vegetables of choice
1 tbsp tumeric powder
1 tbsp salt

Sprinkle with black pepper on serving.

water
black Pepper

10

11

Budgies and Gravy

Mix all ingredients with a little water

to make paste.

this dish consists of 4 parts

Budgies:
1 packet budgie powder
or 2 cups Gram Dal
Powder

Mix Budgie powder, water and salt and

make thick paste.

12 packets of Appalams
broken into quarters

In a pot of hot oil dip Appalams and fry

until golden brown.

pinch of salt
water to make paste
enough oil to fry

Gravy:
onion chopped
12 garlic finely chopped
1 inch ginger chopped
(grind together garlic
and ginger in a mortar
and pestle)
1 tomato
roughly chopped

1 star-anise crushed
into powder
tbsp tumeric powder

Dip Appalams until covered.

Keep aside.

Paste:
1 tbsp coriander
powder (multi tool)

1 small red chili

chopped

Place coconut and water into a blender

and blend until smooth.
Pour milk through a filter to have one
cup of milk. Discard pulp.

Coconut:
fresh coconut
chopped into small
pieces
2 cups water

Heat oil in medium pot and add onion.

Fry until soft, then add garlic and
ginger and cook for a few minutes.
Add Paste-ingredients and cook well
until colour changes and smell is fragrant.
Add tomato, cook until soft.
Add cooked budgies and water to make
gravy and cook a little longer.
Mix in coconut milk and stir well.
Decorate with coreander leaves. Ready
to serve.

12

13

Dal and Suriki

long light green vegetable found in Asian shops,
like a zucchini
Blend:
coconut chopped
roughly

Place ingredients in blender and grind

till smooth.
Keep aside.

2 garlic chopped

14

Add salt and tumeric. Add Suriki and

cook till soft.
Add moong dal and enough water.
Cook for 5 or 10 minutes until dal is
soft.

Now add mustard seed seasoning.

water
In a small fry pan heat oil and fry
mustard seeds till popped.

1 spray curry leaves

Add curry leaves.

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Keep aside

1 sml Suriki chopped

into small squares
2 cups moong dal

Pour in the blended coconut, stir in for

a minute.

tsp cumin powder

(geera)

Seasoning:
tbsp mustard seed

Heat oil in medium pan and add

chopped onion, garlic, ginger and
green chilli. Cook until onion is soft.

tsp tumeric powder

salt to taste
onion chopped in
small pieces
2 garlic finely chopped
1 inch ginger finely
chopped

Ready to serve.
1 green chilli finely
chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil

15

Dal and Potalunga

snake guard found in Asia shops, like a zucchini
Blend:
coconut chopped
roughly

Place ingredients in blender and grind

till smooth.
Keep aside.

2 garlic chopped
tsp cumin powder
(geera)
water
Seasoning:
tbsp mustard seed
1 spray curry leaves
1 tbsp vegetable oil

In a small fry pan heat oil and fry

mustard seeds till popped.
Add curry leaves.
Keep aside

In a pressure cooker, add dal and some

water and cook for 1 or 2 whistles
(for one cup of dal one cup of water is
enough).
Heat oil in medium pan and add
chopped onion, garlic, ginger and
green chilli. Cook until onion is soft.

1 sml Potalunga chopped into small squares

2 cups yellow split peas
soaked overnight
tur dal
tsp tumeric powder

Add salt and tumeric.

Add Potalunga and cook till soft.

salt to taste

Add cooked yellow split peas and mix

together.

1 onion
chopped in small pieces

Pour in the blended coconut, stir in for

a minute.

3 garlic finely chopped

Add salt to taste.

Now add mustard seed seasoning.
Ready to serve.

1 inch ginger
finely chopped
1 green chilli
finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil

16

17

Cabbage and Beetroot

Drumstick Leaves with Dal

or spinach

cabbage
chopped in small pieces
1 sml beetroot
chopped into small cubes
onion chopped finely
1 garlic finely chopped
green chilli chopped
salt to taste

In a small bowl mix together beetroot,

onion, garlic, chilli, salt and tumeric.

Seasoning:
tsp mustard seeds
tsp vegetable or
sunflower oil

Heat oil in medium fry pan and add

mustard seeds till popped.
Add mixed ingredients and cook on
medium fire till beetroot is soft or half
cooked.
Add cabbage and cook for 3 to 4
minutes in a covered pan.

Place moong dal, water and tumeric in

pressure. Allow to cook for 12
whistles.

Dal:
1 cup moong dal
1 cup water
tumeric powder

Mix drumstick leaves, onion, green

chilli, garlic, tumeric and salt together
by hand. Water will be released from
crushing.

1 large bunch spinach

leavesbest to use
drumstick leaves if
available

Heat oil in a medium pan and pop

mustard seeds.

onion sliced

tsp tumeric powder

1 tbsp vegetable oil

green chilli chopped

tsp mustard seeds

Add mixed drumstick leaves. Cover

and steam until leaves are soft.
After 5 minutes add cooked moong dal
stir. Cook for further 5 minutes.

2 garlic chopped finely

tsp tumeric powder
tsp salt

Transfer to bowl. Add grated coconut

for more taste. Add salt.

grated coconut
(optional)

Ready to serve.

18

19

Spinach Chutney
also known as Kira
Seasoning:
tsp mustard seed
tsp vegetable oil

Heat oil in pan. Add mustard seeds.

When popped, turn off stove and keep
aside.

Steamed Vegetables
with Coconut
Mix ingredients and saut in small pot
until carrot is soft.
Keep aside.

23 cups spinach leaves

2 garlic chopped finely
23 tomatoes chopped
fresh green chilli
chopped finely

Mix all spinach ingredients together

and cook over medium heat until
spinach is wilted.

vegetables
(beetroot, beans, cabbage, cauliflower etc. to
vary at lunch time)

When slightly cooled, place spinach in

blender, blend until smooth.

2 small carrots diced

onion chopped
green chilli chopped
finely
tsp tumeric powder
tsp vegetable oil

Transfer to bowl and add seasoning

mix in.

2 tbsp grated fresh

coconut (optional)

1 cup water
Ready to serve.

Heat oil in pan. Pop mustard seeds.

Add curry leaves and urid dal. Fry for
a few moments.
Transfer vegetable ingredients. Add
grated coconut and cook in a closed
pan for further 5 minutes for coconut
flavor mix with the carrots.

Seasoning:
tsp mustard seeds
1 sml spray of
curry leaves
tsp urid dal
1 tsp vegetable oil

Ready to serve.

20

21

Potato Gravy
with Coconut Milk
Coconut Milk:
coconut
chopped in small pieces
1 cup water

Blend coconut and water in blender

until smooth. Strain to make 1 cup of
thick milk.

Seasoning:
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 spray of curry leaves
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat oil in pan and fry mustard seeds.

When popped, add curry leaves and fry
for a few moments.

Stir in seasoning and garnish with

fresh coriander.
Ready to serve.

salt to taste
1 tsp mild curry powder
or massala powder
pinch of jaggery
to make soft (optional)
tsp tumeric powder
1 tbsp
coriander powder
2 cups water

Keep aside.
Garnish:
1 sml bunch of chopped
fresh coriander leaves

2 medium potatoes
cut into small squares

In a medium deep pan heat oil. Add

onion, garlic, ginger, chilli. Cook until
onion is soft.

1 onion finely chopped

3 garlic finely chopped
1 inch ginger chopped
1 green chilli chopped
or 1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp ani-seed
ground into powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil

22

Add potato, tumeric powder and fry for

a moment.
Add coriander. Fry for a moment, then
add water.
Cook for about 10 minutes or until
potato is soft.
Add coconut milk, curry powder and
pinch of jaggery to soften ingredients.
Just stir for 30 seconds.

23

Tomato Soup

Dinner
serves two

Wash whole tomatoes and place in pot

with 4 cups of water.
Cover and cook until tender and skins
can be pulled away easily.
Allow to cook and remove skins.
Pour into blender and blend until
smooth. Remove and replace into a
bowl.
Add coconut, ginger, garlic, chilli and
coriander leaves with cup of water
and blend to liquid form.
Heat oil in medium pot. Add ghee,
cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry
leaves. Cover and fry till mustard
seeds pop.
Add the coconut mixture. Stir and cook
for a moment.

Coconut:
1 tbsp coconut grated
1 inch ginger chopped
finely
2 garlic chopped finely
green chilli chopped
handful fresh coriander
leaves
cup water
Seasoning:
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 sprays curry leaves
chopped

1 tomatoes whole
4 cups water

Add blended tomatoes, cinnamon, salt,

jaggery and remaining cup of water.
Bring ingredients to boil, turn off heat.

tsp cinnamon powder

tsp salt

Ready to serve.
1 tsp jaggery

25

Vegetable Soup
Any vegetables can be
used alone or mixed
(ie: carrot, beetroot,
pumpkin, chow chow,
potatoes)
2 medium carrots,
peeled and diced
1 small onion sliced
1 garlic chopped finely
1 inch ginger chopped
finely

Chappati

In a medium pot heat ghee and add

carrots, onion, garlic, ginger and saut
for a few minutes or till carrots
become tender.

In a bowl, mix flour and salt. Make a

well in the middle of the flour and add
water, slowly mixing and adding same
time.

2 cups
whole wheat flour

Add 2 cups of water and tumeric

powder. Bring to boil, simmer and
cook.

Knead flour till it becomes a dough ball

and dough does not stick to the hands.

1 tsp salt

When cooked, allow to cool. Then

place ingredients into blender and
blend till liquid form.
Pour back into pot with remaining
1 cup of water and bring to boil.
Turn off stove.

Cover dough in the bowl and keep

aside for hour.

1 cup water

small bowl ghee

(provisional)
additional flour required

Take small handfuls of dough and roll

into the size of an egg. Roll in flour
and flatten with palms.
Use rolling pin to make small flat pancakes.

red chilli chopped

tsp salt

Decorate with coriander leaves.

Ready to serve.

On a hot fry pan place flattened dough

and cook on both sides until lightly
brown.

1 tsp ghee
small handful of
coriander leaves
(optional)
tsp turmeric powder

Take away fry pan and carefully place

chappati over open flame. Repeat on
other side.
Remove and lightly wipe ghee on both
sides and place in clean bowl. Repeat
procedure.

3 cups water
Ready to serve.

26

27

Peanuts
1 cup raw peanuts
soaked in clean water
1 tsp salt
1 cup water

In a steamer, bring water to boil.

Add peanuts and salt. Steam for 7
minutes or until nuts become tender.

Chick Pea Gravy

Place all ingredients into the pressure
cooker and cook up to 45 whistles.
Allow to cool slightly. Remove of
chick peas. Blend until smooth.

Ready to serve.
Remove chick peas from pressure
cooker into a serving dish. Pour in
blended chick peas and mix.

Yam
yam
cut into small squares

In a small pot, bring water to boil. Add

yam and salt. Cook until yam becomes
soft.

1 tbsp salt
1 cup of water
1 tbsp pepper powder

Filter yam. Mix with ghee and pepper

pepper powder.

In a frying pan, heat oil. Add mustard

seeds, let them pop.
Add curry leaves. Pour it on the top of
the cooked food.

2 cups raw chick peas

(soaked for 5 hours)
2 cups raw green peas
(soaked for 3 hours)
1 medium onion
chopped
3 garlic finely chopped
1 inch ginger finely
chopped
1 medium tomato diced
2 tsp coriander powder
tsp red chili powder
tsp turmeric powder
tbsp salt
2 cups water

Seasoning:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 spray of curry leaves
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Ready to serve.

Ready to serve.

tsp ghee

28

29

Mung Bean

Tur Dal

can be used for lunch, too

1 cup mung beans
(soak for 3 hours in
2 cups of water)
medium tomato
chopped in small pieces
medium onion
chopped
2 garlic finely chopped
1 tbsp coriander
powder
tsp chilli powder
tsp tumeric powder
sambar powder
2 tsp salt
1 cup water
Seasoning:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
tsp mustard seeds
1 spray curry leaves
chopped
Masala:
1 clove
2 cardamom
1 inch cinnamon

30

Place all ingredients in pressure and

cook for 1 whistle.
Cool down and keep aside.
In a small fry pan heat oil, add
mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry
till mustard seeds pop.
Add any left over water from pressure
cooker. Cook until gravy became thick.
Stir in masala ingredients. Fry for a
few moments.

Place tur dal, onion, garlic, chilli,

tomato, tumeric, asafetida, salt and
water in pressure cooker. Cook for 23
whistles.

1 cup tur dal (flat yellow

lentilssoak for hour)
medium onion
chopped

Remove and place in bowl.

2 garlic finely chopped
In a small fry pan, heat oil or ghee.
Add mustard seeds till popped.

green chilli chopped

Add fenugreek seeds and curry leaves

and allow to cook for a few moments.

medium tomato
chopped in small pieces

Add seasoning to tur dal and mix.

tsp tumeric powder

Ready to serve.

1/8 tsp asafetida (hing)

Add to pressure cooker and mix in.

Place mung beans into a bowl.
Decorate with chopped coriander
leaves.

1 tsp salt
2 cups water

Ready to serve.
Seasoning:
tsp mustard seeds
tsp fenugreek seeds
1 spray curry leaves
1 tbsp vegetable oil or
ghee

31

Lassi

Other

Place all ingredients in blender and

bend for a few minutes.

1 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp salt

Ready to serve.
2 tsp sugar
2 cups water

32

33

Sweet Dal Payasam

makes 10
tsp cumin powder
4 cardamom
tsp dried ginger
powder

Grind cumin, cardamom and ginger

into powder.

Herbal Teas
Freshly squeezed lemon added in cold water ist best in summer.

1 cup mung dal (fry in

pan w ithout oil or water)

In pressure cooker add fried mung dal,

1 cup of coconut milk, 1 cup of water
and salt. Cook for 4 whistles.

Freshly squeezed lemon added in warm water ist best in winter.

4 cups coconut milk

kilo jaggery (melt in 2
cups water)
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp ghee
handful cashew nuts

Melt jaggery in 2 cups of water. Bring

to boil, stir into cooked mung dal.
Mixture will become thick.
When mixture starts to become dry
and starts to stick to pot, add ghee.
Add crushed cumin, cardamom,
cashew nuts and dried ginger.
Stir in well.
Add 3 cups coconut milk and stir in
well.
Ready to serve.

34

35

Dry Ginger Tea

Tulisi, Lemongrass and Mint

for heavy head and runny nose

relaxing, refreshing and soothing

2 cups of water
2 tbsp
dry ginger powder
3 tsp
crushed black pepper
2 tbsp palm jaggery
(also known as special
jaggery, palm sugar)
1 handful of
fresh tulisi leaves

In a small saucepan boil water with

ginger, pepper and palm jaggery.

In a pot of hot water add tulisi, lemon

grass and mint.

1 handful of
fresh tulisi leaves

Turn off stove. Add tulisi leaves and

lemon grass. Cover.

Allow to sit for 10 minutes before

drinking.

12 storks of
fresh lemon grass
cut in small pieces

Allow flavour to seep in for 10 minutes.

If feeling lethargic, add honey.

Filter and serve hot.

1 handful of
fresh mint leaves
2 cups of water
1 tsp of honey (optional)

12 storks of
fresh lemon grass
cut in small pieces

36

37

Tips
Best to have a bath before exercise to loosen the muscles, a bath
before dinner helps digestion.
Do not eat when angry, depressed, bored or emotionally unstable or after physical exertionintense exercise. Food will not be
well digested.
Cook with a feeling of love.
Avoid exercise within an hour of eating and avoid sleeping or
studying with two hours.
Try not to eat Kapha food at night, ie. melons, yogurt, sesame
products, cheese, ice-cream at night. Generally ice cold food
weakens digestion.
The biggest meal should be at noon when the digestive fire is
strongest. Eat meals every 46 hours depending on constitution.
After two hours, fresh fruit or vegetable juice is okay.
Benefits of jaggery is considered by some to be a particularly
wholesome sugar and, unlike refined sugar, it retains more mineral
salts. Moreover, the process does not involve chemical agents.
Indian Ayurvedic medicine considers jaggery to be beneficial in
treating throat and lung infections.

Wishing you good health and happy life

38