Yamuna Devi - Lord Krishna’s Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking

Copyright 1987 by Yamuna Devi
All rights reserved.

Dedicated To Srila Prabhupada:

"Whatever actions a great man performs,

common men follow.

And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts,

all the world pursues."

Bhagavad Gita 3.21

In Memoriam - Yamuna Devi 1942-2011

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book has been brought to life by the efforts of people who deserve special mention. Lifetime friend Dina Sugg has collaborated on the project for years, giving it her invaluable support, guidance and hard work. From the typing of the original handwritten manuscripts to the final keying-in of the computer corrections, she has sacrificed more than just her time.

Bala Books publisher Joshua M. Greene years ago shared my vision of seeing this cuisine in America's kitchens. His intelligent structuring cut the unwieldy 1,400 page manuscript down to size and greatly improved its contents. Bala Books production manager Philip Gallelli's enthusiasm and helpful attitude kept the pressure of deadlines at bay. His dedication and enthusiasm leveled mountainous obstacles during production.

Photographer Vishakha Dasi is a patient friend who not only shot the cover photo and more than 300 others as reference for the illustrations, but also spent months collecting props and testing recipes. Illustrator David Baird met every deadline and painstakingly turned the photographs into works of art.

Book designer Marino Gallo's graphic artistry is evidenced on each spread. Gilda Abramowitz exercized sensitivity and skill in her copy-editing. Special friend Farnie Spottswood shared her culinary knowledge and expertise through months of recipe testing, and her husband, John Sims, provided support and encouragement. Patricia Gallelli contributed exacting work on metric weights and measurements. Design consultant Barbara Berasi and computer typist Michelle Farkas also have my deepest thanks. I am indebted to Amy Mintzer and her industrious staff at E.P. Dutton. A special and heartfelt thanks goes to Jonathan Rice for having made the entire effort possible.

It is not possible to mention everyone who has helped on this project, but I offer them all my thanks.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Author

Yamuna Devi, was born in Butte, Montana in 1942 of Italian-American heritage. Known then as Joan Campanella, she had an early and instinctive artistic style which manifested in her becoming proficient in ballet, the calligraphic arts, pottery and other artisan crafts, studying under some of the most renowned teachers in the world. During her youth, Yamuna also began exploring the culinary arts, especially French and Italian cookery, but it wasn't until she met her spiritual preceptor, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, in 1965 that her lifelong dedication to mastering and teaching the ancient and masterful vegetarian cuisines of India ensued.

Srila Prabhupada, as the Swami was lovingly known, traveled to America at the advanced age of 70 and widely inculcated the yoga known as bhaktiyoga, the yoga of devotion, of which Yamuna Devi was an early devotee. Srila Prabhupada was himself a masterful chef who began teaching Yamuna classic Indian culinary skills from the very first day of their meeting, and this training continued for many years. One of his last requests to her was that she teach what she had learned to others. LORD KRISHNAS CUISINE, THE ART OF INDIAN VEGETARIAN COOKING, is the cumulative manifestation of what she imbibed.

Yamuna Devi was also known for her beautiful and melodic singing. In 1969, she recorded the Govindam album with George Harrison of the Beatles and friends, ultimately touring in Europe and the UK. Later in life she encouraged many talented young artists in the popular kirtan singing movement.

Throughout her life, Yamuna Devi taught legions of eager students the cooking arts and was always refining and evolving her methods. She peacefully passed away in 2011 while calling out the Holy Name of her Lord. For more information on Yamuna Devi, please visit her tribute website at www.krishnamagic.com.

INTRODUCTION

E very cookbook author must feel that there is something unique in his or her work that justifies the effort of producing it. I'm no exception. My feeling is that in this book you will find the richly varied foods from India's regional cuisines presented in a unique way, a way that explains India's culinary heritage in a spiritual light.

My involvement with both an Indian and vegetarian lifestyle began in 1966 when my sister invited me to attend her wedding in New York. She informed me that she and her fianc had met an Indian Swami, called Srila Prabhupada, and were taking Sanskrit classes and studying Bhagavad Gita with him.

I arrived the day before the wedding and was unexpectedly whisked to lunch at the Swami's apartment. Everything about the experience was exotic, even though I was told it was an everyday meal: nutrition from grains, protein from beans, and vitamins from fresh vegetables. There were two hot vegetable dishes, dal soup, rice and buttered wheat flat breads. A yogurt salad and chutney served as accompaniments. They were ordinary vegetables, but cooked extraordinarily well. This meal bore little resemblance to the Indian restaurant food I had experiencedit was light, vibrant and subtly seasoned. As a cook, I was fascinated.

At the close of the meal, Prabhupada explained to me that it was the custom for the family members of the bride to prepare the wedding feast and, although he would be doing the cooking, he invited me to assist him in the task. The irony of the situation was almost comical to me. Here I was, with my inexorable apathy toward anything "spiritual," having come to New York expecting a traditional wedding, and finding instead an Indian "swami" performing a "hindu" marriage ceremony with me helping to cook the wedding feast! Yet my curiosity was roused and his sincerity was infectious, so I gladly accepted.

The day of the wedding, I arrived at Srila Prabhupada's apartment and was met with genuine hospitality. Prabhupada escorted me in and immediately served refreshments. More new tastes: flaky lemon-flavored crackers laced with crushed peppercorns and a frothy chilled yogurt drink sprinkled with sugar and rose water. As we spoke, I relished the sensational new flavors. He was a gentleman, a patient listener and an interesting speaker. He did not try to overwhelm me with emotional charisma, nor did he drone on with dry philosophy. He was quite unlike any religious man I had ever met.

Within an hour of my arrival at his apartment, I was introduced to numerous new spices and seasonings, unfamiliar ingredients and foreign cooking techniques. Given the stationary task of shaping potato-stuffed pastries, called aloo kachoris, I observed him from the adjoining room. Working in a narrow galley kitchen, he was organized and impeccably clean, simultaneously preparing up to four dishes at a time. His flow of activity was efficient and graceful, and, save for his instructions to me, his attention focused solely on his craft. He performed a number of tasks by hand, without the help or likely hinderance of tools. Each spice was measured in his left palm before use. Dough was hand-kneaded, bada dumplings hand-shaped, and fresh cheese hand-brayed until smoothand, despite his advanced age, all with lightning speed. I was intrigued by the obvious satisfaction he experienced in every task he undertook. After having cooked all day, he performed the wedding ceremony that eveningthe event culminating with the lavish eighteen-course feast he had prepared.