Balance Your Dosha, Choose Your Guna

I'm fascinated with Indian cuisine. It isn’t just because I dabbled in yoga, or attempted to live a yogic lifestyle, some time ago. It’s just that there’s a vibrancy to its many flavors, aromas, colors and textures, that it’s quite exciting to sample even tidbits of Indian fare. Certainly, my knowledge and experience of Indian food is quite limited as I have not tried as much authentic Indian food items as I want. But what I’ve sampled has made me want to try more, or even made me want to create my own versions.

So imagine my delight when, as I sauntered into the Metro Supermarket in Market! Market!, I discovered a host of ingredients for Indian cooking: mini papadams, garam masala, cardamom pods, various kinds of dhal, and a lot more! This resulted in me purchasing quite a number of items and creating four kinds of dips or spreads that were probably not Indian, but were Indian-inspired anyway.

Too much of anything…

Most of what I made were originally quite fiery; not exactly the yogic diet most yogis aspire to achieve. You see food (as well as all of nature), according to The Yoga Cookbook by the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, is categorized into three qualities, known as gunas: tamasic, rajasic and sattvic.

Tamasic food involves meat, fish, eggs, alcohol, fermented foods, fried foods, those burned, barbecued, half-cooked, overcooked, twice cooked and stale foods. The Bhagavad Gita describes it as food that is “stale, tasteless, putrid, rotten and impure refuse.” The book says these foods tend to make a person dull, lazy, lose high ideals, purpose and motivation, as well as develop chronic ailments, depression, anger, darkness, and “impure thoughts.”

Rajasic foods are those that tend to overstimulate the mind and body, throwing both off balance. These may cause mental and physical stress, restlessness, a bit of boisterousness, and “accentuate lust, anger, greed, selfishness, violence and egoism.” These are also said to irritate the lining of the intestines. My favorite garlic, onion, spices, as well as coffee and tea, refined sugar, prepared mustards are among those considered rajasic foods.

Sattvic foods, according to The Yoga Cookbook, are “pure” foods—those that contribute to the vitality, energy and health of the mind and body. Sattvic is the ideal guna, one which those aspiring to achieve a yogic diet must work towards. As much as possible, foods under this category are fresh, natural, organically-grown, GMO-free and prepared or stored without preservatives and artificial flavorings. Some sattvic foods include grains, pulses, nuts, fruits, vegetables, herbs, honey and organic dairy products.

Not Yet Ready

I’m not so sure if I’ll be able to achieve a purely sattvic diet ever, what with so many cuisines to experience and meals to create. And also because I’m not quite ready to give up garlic, onion and spices. My relationship with food goes well beyond nourishment—it’s a sensory experience, an appreciation of diverse cultures and respect for the amazing talents that make the world’s varied cuisine great. The best I can do, for now, is to keep these gunas in mind and adjust my food intake to reach as close to the ideal as possible without missing out on the best the world has to offer—whether it’s Filipino, Mediterranean, American, Chinese, or Indian food.

Food Formulas

These Indian-inspired recipes call for ghee, or clarified butter. I’ve learned from reading various sources that it’s simply butter without the milk solids. Melt some room-temperature butter on low heat to avoid burning it. Once melted, turn off the heat. You will notice a film will form on the surface, and some whitish milk solids will drop to the bottom. Skim off the film. Pour or spoon the clear liquid into a container, taking care not to include the milk solids. The clear liquid (ghee) is now ready for use.

The amounts or proportion of ingredients stated in these recipes are merely suggestions. You may add or reduce according to your taste. They go great with papadams.


Cottage Cheese Dip (or Topping)
adapted from The Yoga Cookbook

Yield: 4 to 6

1 tsp lemon juice
at least 1 Tbsp plain wheat germ
at least 3 Tbsp cottage cheese
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, chill then serve.


Spicy Eggplant
adapted from Indian Vegetarian Recipes

Yield: 4 to 6

3 to 4 pcs medium-sized eggplants
ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, julienned
2 to 3 green sili, sliced
1 small onion, minced
2 to 3 tomatoes, chopped
pinch of chili powder (or to taste)
garam masala
salt
coriander (cilantro or wansoy) leaves, chopped

1) Roast eggplants until soft and skin is charred. (Alternatively, you can cook the eggplant in the microwave or oven. Prick the skin with a fork before cooking.) Cool, peel then mash the flesh. Set aside.
2) Heat ghee and saute cumin seeds until fragrant.
3) Add onion, garlic, ginger, sili. Saute until onions are golden brown.
4) Add tomatoes,, spices, salt. Saute over low heat.
5) Add mashed eggplant. Mix well.
6) Turn off heat. Mix in coriander leaves. Serve.


Moong Dhuli Spread
adapted from all over…

Yield: 10 to 12

1 cup moong dhal
2 cups water
ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 small onion, minced
1 tomato, chopped
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, julienned
1 carrot, chopped finely
coriander (cilantro or wansoy) leaves, chopped
1 or 2 green sili, sliced
garam masala (to taste)
pinch chili powder
salt

1) Wash the dhal.
2) In a pot, combine dhal, water, salt, chili powder. Cook until dhal is soft and the water absorbed. Set aside.
3) Saute cumin seeds in ghee until fragrant.
4) Add onions and cook until golden
5) Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant.
6) Add tomato and sili. Saute until liquid is partially reduced and the mixture becomes likea smooth paste.
7) Add desired amount of garam masala. Add mixture to dhal. Add coriander leaves.
8) Pass the mixture through a food mill. (Or just mash the whole thing with a potato masher or a fork.)
9) Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve.


Coconut Carrot
adapted from Indian Vegetarian Recipes

Yield: 8 to 10

300 g carrots, cubed small
coconut cream or coconut milk from 1 coconut
1 small onion, chopped
2 to 3 green sili, sliced
garam masala
cumin powder
salt
sugar (optional)
water
fresh grated coconut
ghee

1) Saute onions in ghee until soft.
2) Add sili and spices. Continue sauteing until onions are golden.
3) Add carrots. Mix to coat.
4) Add coconut cream (or coconut milk), water, sugar (if using), salt. Cook until carrots are tender and coconut cream mixture is reduced. Set aside oil left in pan.
5) Once cooked, cool then pass the mixture through a food mill (or mash with a potato masher or a fork).
6) Heat oil from step #4 on medium-low and saute fresh grated coconut until slightly toasted. Add to carrot puree and mix well. Serve.