Hey foodies! Are you into healthy eating but also want to enjoy tasty yet gentle food with minimum spice, oil, sugar and wheat? I have just started my Ayurvedic cooking journey and this past few days I have tried out a few of the recipes i learned whilst staying at an Ayurvedic retreat over the new year. The head chef at the retreat was a great cook and he specialised in Ayurvedic cooking. I was placed on a strict diet, and whilst a bit nervous about having to eat really basic food, I was very pleasantly surprised to be eating incredible food with rich flavours and textures and yet zero oil used for cooking and just the most cooling and gentle spices. I was also served very small portions compared to what i am used to. Normally i eat until i am full, but now i see the great benefits of not crashing when i eat just 3/4 full.
So one dish that I absolutely loved was the dish shown in the thumbnail. The whole ensemble was just amazing, and the vegetables in particular, though looking bland we perfectly harmonised with a light sauce made with blended cashew nuts, fennel seeds, coconut flakes, tomatoes coriander powder, turmeric, curry leaf, and lime. This sauce was simply stunning, and topped this slightly crispy 'carrot and pumpkin' cake, which despite being naturally sweet, was also savoury with a very slight crisp.
I am doing my best and learning as i go, so i have not yet perfected this. Last night i tried the cake part of the dish but it stayed all mushy and did not develop a crispy outer layer at all in the oven. I think i over steamed the pumpkin and didn't dry it off enough in the pan so it was just too moist and sticky to bake well. Nevertheless it tasted darn amazing with the sauce, and i mopped it up with some homemade cha patis, a favourite staple in India.
So this post will focus on the first part of the dish. How to turn a few basic veggies into a delicious aromatic 'Vegetable Maapas'. It is made as a dish to support cooling the body and spirit down, so if you are someone who is running hot this is a great dish for you. Just follow the instructions below and enjoy! In the next post i will explain how to make the carrot cake and that amazing sauce. I want to try it again first and get that patty crispy!
Note that you can add more sauce to the Vegetable Maappas which is how the Chef showed me to make it, despite it being more plain when i ate it at the restaurant. I think it worked well, but if you really want to make the dish even more gentle then you can simply use less sauce! OK hope you are ready, here is part 1 of this dish, the 'Vegetable Maapas'! Note that the name of this dish is what the Chef called it so you cant find it on google. All his recipes were his own, and so they are unique.
Once i have perfected this dish I will use it to launch the new Medicinal Cooking Competition. The idea will be that you will all try the dish out and then you can learn how to make it, how amazing it tastes, and maybe even be a winner of some Hive Dollars! I hope to start this very soon :)
Vegetable Maapas
Ingredients
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Coriander powder
- Turmeric powder
- Kokum or Tamarind paste
- Mustard Seeds
- Coconut Milk (optional)
- Tomatoes
- Carrot
- Cauliflower
- Curry Leaf
- Salt
- Little Water
How To Make It
I am showing you the way to make the more saucy version of this dish as its a bit more exiting! If you would like to make it like it is in the thumbnail just don’t make much less sauce and mix with the vegetables to taste.
- Prepare a heavy pan with low to medium heat. No Oil!
- Roast Mustard Seeds, Fennel Seed and Curry Leaf until you hear the seeds start to pop.
- Add garlic and stir fry until the aroma develops.
- Add onion and stir fry for a few minutes on medium heat.
- Add ginger and continue to stir fry for 4 minutes.
- Add salt to taste.
- Add coriander powder, Turmeric powder and mix well.
- Add chopped tomatoes and stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Add a little water.
- Simmer and reduce the water whilst mixing.
- Add more water if necessary and continue to cook.
- Add mixed veggies. If you are making the dry version then steam the vegetables before hand.
- Add coconut milk
- Add salt
- Bring to the boil and switch off the heat.
That's it! If you chose to make the saucy version of the dish then here is how that looks!
The dry version is also very nice and works well with the sauce of the carrot and pumpkin cake. That said, if you do make chapatis or rice then a bit more sauce can be nice! Hope you enjoy! Let me know if you try it out!
Have a beautiful day folks <3 x