Nandini Sharma - Sakahari - The Plant Eaters cookbook A recipe book for a plant based diet rooted in Indian vegetarian cooking

SAKAHARI-THEPLANTEATERSCOOKBOOK

SAKAHARI-THEPLANTEATERSCOOKBOOK

ArecipebookforaplantbaseddietrootedinIndianvegetariancooking

NANDINISHARMA

AND

LINDALAURETTA

PhotographybyStevenMarkNeedham(stevenmarkneedham.com)

Copyright2015NandiniSharmaandLindaLauretta

Allrightsreserved.

ISBN:1492852430

ISBN13:9781492852438

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T HISBOOKISdedicatedtomymother,Lakshmi,forherunstintingsupportthroughout my life; my daughter, Dia, for inspiring me to be me; and our cook, Renu, in Calcutta,fromwhomIlearnedhowtoshopforfreshproduceandhowtoreallycook.

I give thanks to a large community of family and friends in India and the States who willingly submitted to my many ministrations and experimentation and gave me honest feedbackandtotheyogacommunitiesatYogashalainConnecticut,whereIfirststarted sharing my recipes and cooking, and at Ashtanga Yoga New York, where I sowed the seedsofateachingpracticeinNewYork.

My deepest thanks go to Steev Needham, who took the most amazing photographs, and ShaminaRao-Herel,whosedesignsinspiredthecoverandinteriorlayout.Andlastbutnot the least, my friend Linda Lauretta, without whom this journey would not have been taken.

NandiniSharma

It was a bit daunting to express my gratitude for everyone who has contributed to my philosophyonfoodasthereweresomanypeopleandplacesthatinfluencedmytimein the kitchen. Beginning with my Italian immigrant parents both of whom spent much of their lives in a kitchen; my dad in his restaurants and my mom cooking for our family.

Theytaughtmethevalueofusingthefinestandfreshestingredientswhichneverincluded anythingthatcameoutofaboxorcan.Insummer,weateoutofourfamilygardenthat wouldhavequalifiedasorganicbytodaysstandards.

To my Ayurvedic teachers and mentors who deepened my understanding of food combining and the healing qualities of wisely chosen ingredients, I offer much gratitude forsharingtheirancientwisdomwithme.TothemanygenerousIndianwomenandmen, agrouptowhommyco-authorNandinibelongs;Iamsogratefultohaveassistedyouin foodprepandlearnedhowtousetherichheritageofmagicalspicing.Ialsomustmention the many small farmers and homesteaders of the Hudson Valley, who are producing quality,organicfoodsthateasilyrivalthoseofmySicilianancestorsandprovidemewith allthemakingsofahealinglifestyle.

ToNandiniSharma,thankyouforhavingandholdingthisvisionofcraftingacookbook that came to reflect both our kitchen wizardry. You are the best and I deeply appreciate yourpersistenceatturningoutthebestfinalproductwhetheritsamealorthisbook.

LindaLauretta

CONTENTS

Recipesandfeaturedherbs

ANINTRODUCTIONTOAYURVEDICFOOD

PRINCIPLESLINDALAURETTA

T HEHEALINGBENEFITSfortheherbsandspicesdiscussedin Sakahariareprimarily derived from Ayurvedic principles. Ayurveda is the traditional healing system of Indiaandtranslatesasthescienceorknowledgeoflife.Thisisaverybroaddefinition of a vast philosophy that encompasses diet, movement (it is the sister science of yoga), andherbalandlifestyleremediesalldesignedtobalancethethree doshas,orconstitutions, thatmakeupeverythinginnatureincludingus.

The doshas, known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha, are principles that govern motion, transformation,andcohesion,respectively.Theyarebasedonthefiveelementsofether, air,fire,water,andearth.Pleaseseebelowchartforabetterunderstanding.

Foreachherb/spice,youwillseeanotationthatlookssomethinglikethis: V+P-K=.Thiskeywillnotetheeffecttheherbhasoneachparticulardosha.

So, the = means it has a neutral effect, the + means it increases that dosha, and the - indicates it decreases that dosha. Occasionally, you will also see the word Tridoshic, which simply means it is suitable and balancingforallthreedoshas.

Whatdoesallthismeanforyouinrelationtotherecipes?Theeasiestwaytoanswerthat isthroughexample.Alight,airyfoodlikeleafygreensfallsundertheVatacategoryand thereforeaddsthosequalitiestothedishandtheoneeatingit.Chilies,ginger,andmustard seed,withtheirheat,areconsideredtoincreasethequalityofpitta.Butternutsquash,with itssweetandsomewhatstarchyqualities,isconsideredtoincreasethequalityofkapha.If youfeelcoldallthetime,eatingfoodsthatgenerateheathelpsbalanceyou.

To get an idea of what your individual constitution may be, there are many evaluation tools that can be found by searching the Internet, or for a more accurate assessment, consultanAyurvedicpractitioner.

Ayurvedaplacesgreatimportanceonwhatandhowwedigestratherthanfocusingsolely onthefoodsweeat.Asweareallunique,notwopeoplewillhavethesamereactionstoa dietary regimen. An understanding of how each food contributes toward digesting your mealiskeytobalancedoverallhealth.Thisistheideabehindouremphasisonpresenting you with recipes and guidance on the herbs and spices propertiesto help you make informedchoicesonwhatyouputintoyourbody.

Wishingyoujoyfulcooking, buonappetito,andstrongdigestion!

ANOTEONTHERECIPESNANDINISHARMA

T HERECIPESINthiscollectionaredrawnfromthestyleofcookinginNorthIndia

Punjab,inparticular.AlthoughIgrewupinCalcutta,theeasternpartofthecountry, both my parents were Punjabi, so we usually ate vegetarian meals made with Punjabi spices. Some spices are common across the country, such as cumin (jeera) and turmeric (haldi). Some are localized to a region or a state. In this selection you will find use of somesouringagents,suchasdrymangopowder(amchoor)anddriedpomegranateseeds (anardana), that draw from the influences of the fruits in the northern plains of India (althoughmangoesgrowacrossthecountry).PomegranatewasintroducedtoIndiabythe Persians, and the best-quality pomegranates sold in the bazaars of New Delhi are called

kandahariimportedfromKandahar,Afghanistan.Itisanunusualspiceandflavorand will not be found in any other Indian recipes, especially South Indian, which uses tamarindasasouringagent.

Theconceptoforganicorwholesaleproducewasalientome,asIgrewupinIndiainthe 1970s, and most produce was grown locally using few chemical agents (although that processoffarmingunfortunatelyischangingtoday).

Fruitsandvegetableswereavailableonlyseasonally,sincerefrigerationandcoldstorage wereexpensive.Itwassimplertogrowandselllocally.Weatewhatwasavailableinthat season,anditwasproducednaturally.Andbecauseapplianceswerefewandfarbetween, foodwascookedfresheverydayandinsuchquantitiesthatcouldbeconsumedthesame day. The hot summer months of India do not allow food to last overnight; unless refrigerated,itwouldrotandhavetobethrownaway.

SomeoftheingredientsusedinIndiancookinghavebeeninexistencesincethebeginning of recorded history. Understanding the pharmacological significance of the ingredients helpedmetounderstandtheimpactoftheseherbsandspicesonthedigestiveandother systems. This renewed understanding helped me explain why all Indian dishes have a sprinklingofchoppedcilantroasagarnish;itsnotjustbecauseitlooksgood.Thecilantro compensatesandcoolsdownanyhotspicesinthedish.Ginger,withitscarminativeand digestive properties, is used abundantly in cooking, as is turmeric, with its healing antibacterialandanti-inflammatoryeffects.ObviouslyourIndianforemothers,steepedin thesignificanceofAyurvedaandtheirunderstandingofit,knewthebestwaytocombine these spices for their best effects; in this manner, that understanding encouraged a daily consumption of these health guardians. Reading my friend Lindas explanations of the pharmacologyandhealthbenefitsoftheseherbsandspiceshasbeenarevelationtome; eventhoughIhavecookedinthismannerallmylife,todayIhaveadeeperunderstanding ofthebeneficialeffectsofeatingIndianvegetarianfood.