Volume IV
Ayurveda was never a list of Indian dishes.
Ayurveda teaches that the qualities of the season enter the body.
Most Western supermarkets now sell everything a sattvic Ayurvedic kitchen needs: whole grains, lentils and beans, an enormous variety of vegetables, fruit, herbs, nuts, olive oil and good butter for ghee.
Indian readers living abroad, and Western readers using Volumes I and II, often ask: "What can I use instead?" This chapter pairs Indian kitchen staples with their closest Western equivalents by Ayurvedic qualities, not just by appearance.
Italian, French and Spanish cooking begin with a soffritto (mirepoix, sofrito): onion, garlic, celery and carrot softened slowly in fat.
Several everyday Western habits work against the digestion, sleep and joints of older people, according to Ayurveda.
Ayurveda and modern nutrition science agree more often than they disagree.
The single most useful skill in this book is not any one recipe but the ability to take a family favourite and make it Ayurvedic.
These four seven-day menus are written for readers in Europe, the Americas, Australasia and anywhere else with a temperate climate.
Many readers over fifty cook for one or two.
Nutrition values are estimated from IFCT 2017 (National Institute of Nutrition, India) and USDA FoodData Central per-100 g values, as in Volumes I–III.
The Western breakfast table is full of cold cereal, cold milk, juice and coffee — everything that dampens agni first thing in the morning. Here the familiar oats, quinoa, rye and pancakes come back warm, cooked, gently s…
10 recipes
Soup is where Western and Ayurvedic kitchens meet most easily: warm, liquid, easy to digest, endlessly adaptable. Every soup here starts with a 'Western tadka' — herbs and seeds warmed in ghee or olive oil — instead of o…
10 recipes
Long-simmered stews and pies are Western comfort food — and very close to the Ayurvedic ideal of soft, moist, slowly cooked food. Pulses replace meat; root vegetables, herbs and ghee provide depth.
8 recipes
Risotto, pilaf, polenta and couscous are the Western cousins of khichdi and pulao: grains slowly cooked in broth with fat and aromatics. Made with ghee, herbs and seasonal vegetables they are among the most digestible, s…
9 recipes
Pasta is wheat — sweet, grounding and Vata-pacifying — and needs only one thing to become Ayurvedic-friendly: a sauce without onion and garlic that still tastes rich. Fennel, celery, herbs, tomato in moderation, ghee, nu…
6 recipes
Roasting, braising and gratinating — the Western ways with vegetables — all suit Ayurveda when vegetables are cooked until tender, fat is measured, and herbs replace onion and garlic.
10 recipes
Ayurveda is wary of cold, raw salads — especially for Vata and for older digestion — but salads can be warm, roasted, steamed and dressed with warming herbs. Raw salads appear only in summer, at lunch, for those with str…
6 recipes
Ayurveda favours unleavened or naturally leavened breads eaten fresh and warm; yeasted bread is heavier and slightly sour. Soda bread, flatbreads and quick bakes keep the comfort of Western baking with fewer drawbacks.
5 recipes
Sauces carry much of the flavour that onion and garlic usually supply. These are the building blocks of the Western sattvic kitchen.
6 recipes
Western desserts are often cold (ice cream), heavy (cream, eggs, chocolate) and very sweet. Ayurvedic desserts are warm, small, spiced and fruit-forward — and served at the end of lunch or as a modest treat.
7 recipes
Replacing iced drinks and strong coffee is one of the most effective changes a Western kitchen can make. These drinks are warm, caffeine-free (or nearly so), and built on the same spices that Ayurveda uses for digestion …
6 recipes
The dosha year in the northern hemisphere (outer ring), the southern hemisphere (middle) and the Indian ritu calendar (inner).
Read The Dosha Year in Temperate Climates
Thirty everyday Western foods and their effect on Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Read The Western Pantry Through Ayurvedic Eyes
Nine everyday swaps for the Western kitchen.
Read Western Habits Worth Adapting
Mediterranean-style eating and the odds of frailty in older adults.
Read Nutrition for the Fifty-Plus Reader
The seven-step method to Ayurvedize any Western recipe.
Read Ayurvedize Any Recipe in Seven Steps
The Annapurna world plate for lunch.
Read Ayurvedize Any Recipe in Seven Steps
The 83 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 83 recipes.
Read The Recipe Collection at a Glance
Estimated energy and protein of each menu day, including the daily foundation items.
Read Using the Western Menus