3 warm Ayurveda-backed winter recipes

Ginger Bliss

This is a perfect drink for winter mornings to keep away cold, cough,

aches and pains.

Makes: 1 cup; Preparation time: 10 minutes; Effect on doshas: V- K-*

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 cup hot water

• 2 pinches dry ginger powder

• 1 tsp honey (optional)

• 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Method

• Coarsely grind the cumin seeds using a hand pounder or spice grinder.

• Heat the water in a pan and add the dry ginger and cumin; cover the

pan with a lid and allow it to steep for 5–7 minutes.

• Filter with a fine mesh strainer and drink it hot/lukewarm.

• You may also add honey (only when the drink is lukewarm) and

lemon juice if you wish.

Notes

• To make this easier, you can use a tea infuser to hold the cumin seeds

and dry ginger, and when the steeping is done, you can easily remove

the infuser from the vessel.

• Other spices/herbs that can be used for making herbal infusions

are mentioned in the table below. Use one or more of these

in combination.

Golden Spread

A sweet, immunity-boosting winter delight for people of all ages.

Makes: 1⁄2 cup; Cooking time: 45 minutes; Drying time: 1 day; Effect

on doshas: V- P-

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup ash gourd, skin peeled, seeds removed, chopped into 1⁄2-inch

pieces

• 1 cup water

• 2 tsp ghee

• 1⁄2 cup rock sugar powder

• 1⁄2 tsp long pepper powder

• 1⁄2 tsp dry ginger powder

• 1⁄2 tsp cumin powder

• 2 pinches coriander powder

• 2 pinches bay leaf powder

• 2 pinches cardamom powder

• 2 pinches black pepper powder

• 2 pinches cinnamon powder

• 1 tsp honey

Method

• Add the ash gourd and water to a kadai, cover and cook for about

20 minutes.

• Then squeeze the ash gourd in a muslin cloth to extract the juice.

• Collect the ash gourd pieces and dry them in sunlight for 5–6 hours.

Then cut them into smaller pieces or pierce them multiple times with

a fork and fry them in ghee for 5–7 minutes.

• Now add the juice that was collected earlier. Add the rock sugar and

cook it. Keep stirring the ash gourd continuously with a ladle to

prevent the contents from sticking to the bottom of your cooking

vessel. When a semi-solid mass is obtained, stop cooking. This should

take approximately 20 minutes.

• Add the long pepper, dry ginger, cumin, coriander, bay leaf,

cardamom, black pepper and cinnamon powders while the mixture

is still hot. Mix well to get a homogeneous mass.

• When the mixture becomes lukewarm, add the honey and mix well.

• This jam can be stored in a moisture-free airtight container for up to

2 weeks in the refrigerator.

• You can enjoy this jam with flatbreads or simply stir 1 tsp of this jam

into a cup of yoghurt or warm milk/water and enjoy it as a beverage.

Notes

• It is not necessary to get a jam with a smooth consistency. As we are

not grinding the ash gourd, there could be some small pieces.

• This recipe can be prepared with yam instead of ash gourd. When

prepared with yam, the recipe improves your digestive enzymes,

regulates bowel movement, promotes good gut bacteria and is K- V-.

Peppery pineapple soup

A sweet, spicy, tangy soup with the goodness of pineapple, lentils, herbs and spices for winter or monsoon.

Ingredients

To roast and grind

¼ tsp pigeon peas

¾ tsp coriander seeds

¼ tsp split chickpeas

1 dry red chilli

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds

To make the soup

½ cup pigeon peas

¼ cup pineapple, skin removed, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp peppercorns

2 cups water (divided into 1½ cups + ½ cup)

1 tsp sesame oil

2 pinches asafoetida

¼ tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

¼ tsp rock salt, or as per taste

Method

Roast and grind:

• Heat a pan and dry roast all the ingredients specified under ‘To roast and grind’ on a low flame for 15 minutes, stirring all the while until the ingredients emit an aroma. Transfer them to a plate and let the mixture cool down to room temperature. Then grind this mixture using a mixer-grinder to get a fine powder.

Prepare the soup ingredients:

• Wash and soak the pigeon peas in water for 30 minutes. Then discard the water.

• Grind the pineapple pieces in a mixer-grinder and filter it using a stainless-steel strainer to get pineapple juice.

• Remove the skin of the garlic and using a hand pounder, crush the garlic cloves, cumin seeds and peppercorns together.

Prepare the soup:

• Cook the pigeon peas with 1½ cups of water in a pressure cooker for 2–3 whistles.

• When the pressure goes off, open the lid and add the crushed garlic mixture, turmeric powder and ½ cup water. Let it boil on a low flame for about 7–10 minutes. Do not cover with a lid.

• Heat the oil in a pan, add the asafoetida and sauté for 2–3 minutes. T hen add it to the cooker.

• Remove the cooker from the heat and add the pineapple juice, salt and coriander leaves. Mix well and enjoy.

Excerpted with permission from ‘Eat According to your Body Type: 150 Ayurvedic Vegetarian Recipes to Restore Health’ by Lakshmi Lakhshmanan, published by Harper Collins India (Indus Source).