Volume V
Long before the words "fusion cooking" were coined, the kitchens of Asia were talking to one another.
Asia contains almost every climate on earth.
Readers who know Chinese medicine or Japanese temple cooking will find much that is familiar in Ayurveda.
The East and Southeast Asian pantry overlaps more with the Indian one than most people expect: rice, mung beans, ginger, turmeric, sesame, coconut, tamarind and jaggery are shared, while soy foods, seaweeds, Asian greens and teas are new.
Ayurveda describes a series of rice preparations of increasing thickness — manda (rice water), peya (thin gruel), vilepi (thick porridge), and finally rice — used to restore appetite and strength step by step after illness, fasting or panchakarma.
The greatest health risk in East Asian cooking is not any single food but the cumulative salt from soy sauce, miso, pickles, broths and condiments.
White rice is easy to digest but raises blood sugar quickly.
The Japanese home meal is built on ichijū-sansai — one soup and three side dishes with rice — while the Indian thali gathers the six tastes on a single plate.
These four seven-day menus are written for readers in East and Southeast Asia, for Asian families abroad, and for anyone who loves the Eastern table.
Nutrition values are estimated from IFCT 2017 and USDA FoodData Central per-100 g values; salt includes the salt in soy sauce (≈ 14.5% by weight) and miso (≈ 12%).
Across East and Southeast Asia, the first food for the sick, the newborn and the elderly is rice cooked in many times its volume of water. China's zhou, Japan's okayu, Korea's juk, Vietnam's cháo, Malaysia's bubur and Sr…
9 recipes
In East Asia soup is drunk through the meal, not just at its start — and is usually a clear, light broth. The Buddhist temple kitchens of Japan, China and Korea perfected flavourful stocks without meat, onion or garlic, …
10 recipes
Steaming is the most widely used cooking method in East Asia and one of the gentlest anywhere: food stays moist, needs little oil, and turns out soft. Dumplings, buns and steamed tofu are also ideal for sharing at a tabl…
8 recipes
The wok cooks quickly over high heat with little oil — perfect for keeping vegetables bright. For older digestion, stir-fry a little longer, add a splash of stock and cover for a minute (the Chinese 'stir-fry–braise'), a…
10 recipes
Noodles symbolise long life in Chinese, Japanese and Korean tradition and are served at birthdays — fitting for a book written for elders. Wheat, buckwheat, rice and mung-bean noodles each have different qualities; serve…
8 recipes
Rice is the centre of the East and Southeast Asian table. Mixed rice, coconut rice, seasoned rice and rice bowls are complete meals with very little effort.
8 recipes
Tofu, tempeh, soy milk, edamame and adzuki beans give the East Asian vegetarian kitchen its protein — exactly what older adults need more of. Ayurveda considers soy cool, heavy and somewhat hard to digest, so these recip…
8 recipes
The small vegetable side dishes of Japan (o-sōzai), Korea (namul and banchan) and Southeast Asia bring many colours and tastes to the table in modest portions — the six-taste principle in miniature.
8 recipes
East Asian meals rely on a few strong condiments — pickles, dipping sauces, seasoned salts. Used in small amounts they provide the salty, sour and pungent tastes that complete a meal.
5 recipes
In China, Korea and Southeast Asia, many desserts are warm, sweet soups (tong sui, 'sugar water') made from beans, grains, seeds and fruit — remarkably close to Ayurvedic payasam and kheer. They are served warm, in small…
7 recipes
Tea is the national drink of half of Asia, and herbal 'teas' (tisanes) form a vast pharmacy of everyday tonics. Most green and black teas contain caffeine; these recipes favour caffeine-free brews and use real tea only o…
6 recipes
The dosha year in temperate East Asia (outer ring), tropical Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka (middle) and the Indian ritu calendar (inner).
Read The Dosha Year in Asian Climates
Six rasas, five Chinese flavours and the shōjin ryōri gomi.
Read Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine and the Temple Kitchen
Thirty everyday Eastern foods and their effect on Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Read The Eastern Pantry Through Ayurvedic Eyes
The rice-porridge ladder in Ayurveda and East Asia.
Read Techniques of the Eastern Sattvic Kitchen
Salt in common East Asian seasonings compared with the WHO daily limit.
Read Salt, Soy, Seaweed and the Older Heart
The seven-step method applied to Eastern recipes.
Read Ayurvedize Any Asian Recipe in Seven Steps
Nine everyday swaps for the Eastern kitchen.
Read Ayurvedize Any Asian Recipe in Seven Steps
Two ways to build a balanced meal: the Japanese ichijū-sansai and the Indian thali.
Read Ayurvedize Any Asian Recipe in Seven Steps
The Annapurna world plate for lunch.
Read Ayurvedize Any Asian Recipe in Seven Steps
The 87 recipes by section and main season.
Read The Recipe Collection at a Glance
The culinary regions that inspired the recipes.
Read The Recipe Collection at a Glance
The recipes richest in protein per serving.
Read The Recipe Collection at a Glance
Energy and protein per serving across all 87 recipes.
Read The Recipe Collection at a Glance
Estimated energy and protein of each menu day, including the daily foundation items.
Read Using the Eastern Menus