Ayurvedic Recipes - For ALL Doshas
To get a true understanding of your unique dosha combination, you should visit a Ayurvedic professional consultant. (Looking for one local to us? check out Trailhead's services). To get a basic understanding of your dosha combination, you can also use an online quiz from our Basics of Ayurveda page, or use another online quiz, such as this one from Banyan Botanicals.
Once you determine your dosha, it is important to understand that how your individual constitution reflexed in its balanced state versus when you have an imbalance.
In a balanced state, your digestive flame burns neither too high nor too long, and you enjoy a healthy appetite; after a meal, you feel satiated and blissful. Your optimal digestion, absorption, and elimination are attuned with the needs of your body. Its like cooking your food to perfection.
Unfortunately, stress, processed foods, bad food combinations, and unhealthy eating habits can take our digestion off balance.
Irregular, Airy digestion usually occurs when too much air in the stomach makes the digestive fire sometimes high, sometimes low, and appetite fluctuates. Airy type reactions such as flatulence, bloating, constipation, dryness, and belching without acidity. The toxic residue from the semi-digested food can potentially make us experience fatigue, stiffness, and poor circulation.
Sharp, fiery digestion occurs when the fire in the stomach is turned up too high. Too high "fire" can reduce moisture in your stomach, causing some nutrients and friendly bacteria to burn before they reach the state of absorption - you end up always feeling hungry, craving more food, especially sweets, but losing weight and experiencing nutrient deficiency. Eating a lot of fiery foods when you have sharp Fiery digestion may result in burning reactions such as hyperacidity, heartburn, dryness, bad breath, gastritis, and ulcers. Fiery digestion often produces hot, acidic toxicity that can potentially trigger inflammation.
Slow, Earthy digestion is just the opposite of Fiery - it occurs when the digestive flame is too low and there is more dampness in your stomach. Slow digestion is often caused by eating food without spices or by blockages - the flame simply does not come through. As such, your stomach cannot fully break down the food you eat. With slow (Earthy) digestion you may experience the heavy type of digestive problems: sluggishness, fatigue after eating, loss of appetite, congestion, lack of circulation, and weight gain.
Seasons also affect our capacity to break down food completely. It is quite likely that many of us will experience irregular, Airy digestion during late fall and early winter, sharp, Fiery or irregular. Airy digestion during late winter and summer, and slow, Earthy digestion during spring. Understanding how the seasonal changes affect our bodies will help us make balancing food choices.
Additionally, because we can experience imbalances or changes in our digestive fire daily, we can find our constitution changes by day. As such, we have broken down our recipes by season - and made alternative suggestions for airy, fiery, or earthy digestion wherever possible.
Spring
Summer / Early Fall
Late Fall / Winter .
Ayurvedic Recipes - (Winter)
Grounding Khichari (Rice and Lentil Stew)
This is my grounding and warming version of this meal-in-a-pot dish. You can easily prepare it in a slow cooker by starting it at night on low, then pack it up to take it to work for a warming, filling mid-day lunch.
1/2 cup yellow split mung dal or red lentils
1 cup rice, according to your dosha
(VATA - white basmati rice; PITTA - brown basmati rice; KAPHA - brown rice, soaked overnight)
1 tablespoon ghee, sesame oil, or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
6 curry leaves or 2 bay leaves
1 small green Thai chile, seeded and minced
2 1/2 teaspoons Grounding Masala - recipe below
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups diced vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, tara root, green beans, zucchini, celery, mushrooms, leafy greens, etc.
Garnish with:
Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
Freshly ground pepper
1. Soak the dal and rice in a bowl together for 30 mins. Rinse until the water runs clear.
2. Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over low heat. Add the turmeric and toast for 10 seconds. Then add the ginger, curry or bay leaves, and chile and continue to toast until they crisp up, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the rice and dal and stir frequently until the dal is almost dry.
4. Add the masala, salt, vegetables and 4 to 5 cups of water. (Add quick-cooking vegetables such as zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, or leafy greens 30 mins into the cooking).
5. Bring to a full boil, then cover, reduce to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 mins, until the lentils begin to dissolve, the rice is soft, and the vegetables are soft. (If the khichari dries out too much or begins to stick, add more water; you're looking for a creamy, moist consistency).
6. Garnish the khichari with olive oil, a few turns of cracked pepper, and some chopped cilantro. Serve hot with lime slices alongside.
FOR FIERY DIGESTION: Substitute Cooling Masala (below) for the Grounding Masala; omit the ginger and chile.
FOR EARTHY DIGESTION: Substitute quinoa for the rice. Substitute Energizing Masala (below) for the Grounding Masala; add one more chile, and omit the olive oil.
GROUNDING MASALA
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
3/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
ENERGIZING MASALA
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ajwain seeds
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or crushed cinnamon bark
1/4 teaspoon black cardamom seeds (from 1 or 2 pods)
1/4 teaspoon salt
COOLING MASALA
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
3 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon dried rose petals or buds
1 teaspoon dried rosemary