B io ph ile Issu e 18 - Biophile Magazine

FAsTing drinksFAsTing drink FOr PiTTA TyPEs4 Cups water2 Tsp. Cumin powder2 Tsp. Coriander powder20 Rose petals (approx. One whole rose) or1tsp. Rose water4 Cardamom1 Tsp. Fennel seeds powder1 Pinch asafoetida4 Basil leaves1 Pinch black pepper½ Tsp. Ginger juiceMix everything together in a pan andbring to the boil. Simmer gently for about5 minutes, remove from the heat and keepit covered for a further 20 minutes. Filterand keep warm in a flask to drink regularlythroughout the day.FAsTing drink FOr VATA TyPEsUse the same recipe as described above,but add 3 pinch ajwain powder and 1 tsp.Ginger powder.FAsTing drink FOr kAPHATyPEs2 Tsp. Ginger juice (squeeze the juice froma few slices of root ginger)10 Basil leaves made into a juice1 Pinch asafoetida2 Pinch black pepper1 Tsp. Cumin powder3 Cups waterMix everything together in a pan andbring to the boil. Simmer gently for about5 minutes, remove from the heat and keepit covered for a further 20 minutes. Filterand keep warm in a flask to drink regularlythroughout the day.If you experience dryness in the mouthduring the fast, just add half a teaspoon ofliquorice root to the flask.siddHA PAsTEApplying siddha paste around the navelonce a day is an effective way to speed upthe removal of intestinal blocks and toxicaccumulations.1 Small onion½ Tsp. Dry ginger powder½ Tsp. Ajwain powder¼ Tsp. Black pepper2-4 Cloves garlic2 Pinch asafoetida2 Tabs. Suhruday2 Tabs. AnulomChop the onion and put it into a blenderSummer Detox10 Day ayushakti fasting programby the Vedic Society, www.vedic.orgwith the garlic and all the spices. Pusheverything through a sieve in order tomake a fine paste. Crush the medicinesand add to the pulp. Apply on the stomachall around the navel area and leave for atleast 15 minutes.This paste is also an excellent remedy toapply on any body part that is painful suchas the lower back or on strained or achingjoints, muscles and tendons.MAnd, PEyA And ViLEPi rECiPEsMand, peya and vilepi are three typesof khichadi. Khichadi is a special indiandish, which is very easy to digest, highlynutritious and, most importantly, it ignitesthe digestive fires. All three khichadisare prepared in the same way, but requiredifferent amounts of water. The amountsof water given below apply when cookingin a pressure cooker; more water should beadded when cooking with a normal pan.Mand:1 part rice, split mung and vegetablesto 8 parts water.Peya:1 part rice, split mung and vegetablesto 6 parts water.Vilepi:1 part rice, split mung and vegetablesto 4 parts water.Cooking instructions:Soak the split mung beans for at least onehour before cooking. Heat ghee or olive oilin a pan and add cumin seeds. Then addsome finely chopped onion, root gingerand garlic and sauté until golden brown.Stir in 1 tsp. Turmeric powder, ¼ tsp.Asafoetida, some black pepper, a few bayleaves, ½ tsp. Coriander powder and 1 tsp.Garam masala. At this stage don’t add saltas it makes the beans tougher, and theywould therefore take longer to cook. Addto the pan ½ cup of rice, ¼ cup of mungbeans and ¼ cup of chopped vegetablessuch as carrots, pumpkin, courgettes orasparagus.Now add the required amount of water asstated above. In a normal pan you mightneed to add more water and cook for about30 minutes, whereas in a pressure cookerit will cook within about five minutes aftercoming to pressure.When the khichadiis ready, ie.The beans havedissolved and therice has becomecompletely soft andbroken up, add alittle salt and servethe dish with gheeand freshly chopped coriander leaves.Mand should have a very watery consistency(blending it in a liquidizer helps toimprove its flavour). Peya is like a thicksoup and vilepi has a consistency similarto mashed potatoes. Use a thermos flaskto take some soup with you when going towork.Mung sOuPMung beans are less gas producing thanother beans, remove toxins from the bodyand when cooked with the suggestedspices, stimulate the digestive fire. Soakthe mung beans either over night or for atleast one hour before cooking. Heat oliveoil or ghee in a pan and add a teaspoon ofturmeric powder, 2 pinches asafoetida(to take the gas quality out of the beans)and two bay leaves. (All ingredients areavailable in any indian food store.) Discardthe water from the soaked beans and addthe beans into the pan with fresh water. Toone part mung you need at least three tofour parts water. Leave to bubble away for30-40 minutes adding water as necessary.(If you have a pressure cooker the soup iscooked much quicker.)Slowly the beans begin to soften and breakup. Continue to cook until all the beans aresoft.While the beans are cooking heat someoil or ghee into another pan and add oneheaped teaspoon of cumin and corianderseeds plus any other herbs or spices (exceptchilies) such as garam masala, blackpepper, kokum etc. Sauté briefly and thenadd a finely chopped onion, some freshroot ginger and 2-3 cloves of garlic. Sautéuntil the onions turn golden brown andthen remove from the heat.Once the beans are soft add the onionsand some salt into the pan and continue tosimmer for a further few minutes. Don’tadd salt until the end as this makes thebeans tougher and they would thereforetake longer to cook. Serve with rice, freshcoriander leaves and ghee.Dr Ram Garg BAMS, MD Indiaruns his Ayurveda Centre at 5Clifton Road, Muizenberg and amonthly Ayurved Clinic in Fourways,Johannesburg.Practice No: 10400002188045 Clifton Road, Muizenberg021-7883435/0828528084Or Email: ram_ayurveda@yahoo.com28 Biophile Issue 18