The Modern Ayurvedic
COOK BOOK
The Modern Ayurvedic
COOK BOOK
Healthful, Healing Recipes for Life Amrita Sondhi
ARSENAL
PULP PRESS
VANCOUVER
THE MODERN AYURVEDIC COOKBOOK
Copyright © 2006 by Amrita Sondhi
Fourth printing: 2010
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical – without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may use brief excerpts in a review, or in the case of photocopying in Canada, a license from Access Copyright.
ARSENAL PULP PRESS
Suite 101-211 East Georgia Street,
Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z6
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program, and the Government of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit Program for its publishing activities.
The author and publisher assert that the information contained in this book is true and complete to the best of their knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author and Arsenal Pulp Press. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For more information, contact the publisher.
TEXT AND COVER DESIGN by Diane Yee, Electra Design Group
CREATIVE DIRECTION by Lisa Eng-Lodge, Electra Design Group
EDITED by Bethanne Grabham and Nicole Marteinsson
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY by Nathalie Dulex, Heidi Priesnitz, and David Zielonka
YOGA PHOTOGRAPHY by Darren Alexander; CLOTHING courtesy of Movement (movementglobal.com); MODELS are James Nicholson (Pitta body type); Janet Wallden (Kapha body type), and Sonoka Ehara (Vata body type)
Printed and bound in Korea on wood-free paper
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Sondhi, Amrita, 1959–
The modern Ayurvedic cookbook : healthful, healing recipes for life / Amrita Sondhi.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-55152-286-9
1. Vegetarian cookery. 2. Medicine, Ayurvedic. I. Title.
TX837.S66 2006 641.5’636 C2006-903961-5
Dedication
I dedicate this book to all my invaluable comrades, students, and teachers, the "fringe dwellers" who keep pushing the edge on the "new normal" by practicing and regenerating the ancient healing arts; to those who pursue and create breakthroughs in health by being shining, living examples of vitality; and to the community of yogis and yoginis - locally and globally - who keep connecting to the source and transmitting the light.
Table of Contents
The Six Essential Tastes of Ayurveda
Getting Started: Tips and Basic Recipes
Food Guidelines for Basic Constitutional Types
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my parents, family (all of you!), and friends who have always stood by me as I have gone off the beaten path. Joan and Nevenka, thanks for being shining examples of practicing what you preach, and having fun while doing it! Sandra Sammartino, thanks for synthesizing all your yoga knowledge, for being an invaluable teacher who appeared at the perfect time in my life, and for showing me how to transmit from my spirit, connect to the source, reconnect to my body, and how to pass on that learning. I would like to thank all who have hosted or helped me with cooking classes and fundraisers for the Pamoja Foundation. And to the residents of Bowen Island, among others, who constantly encouraged me to write this book and share my knowledge of Ayurveda, and who helped test recipes. Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude for the wonderful team at Arsenal Pulp Press who worked tirelessly to help make this book a reality.
Introduction
Originating in India more than 5,000 years ago, Ayurveda is the oldest system of healing. The name derives from two root words in Sanskrit (the ancient Indian language): Ayus, which means life, and Veda, which means knowledge or science; therefore in English, Ayurveda