An understatement. There’s just something so delightful about all the different flavors that come together in one giant pot to make a delicious soup. It’s like creating food to sing in perfect harmony. Add a side of toast slathered with ghee, and I’m IN!
I’ve gathered two different recipes that are perfect for the remainder of your Winter season and even moving into Spring. Both of these are geared towards increasing your JATARAGNI (stomach’s digestive fire), so that you are able to digest better – especially any toxins that you encounter that try to settle in the KOSHTA (entirety of the digestive tract) and make you sick! Holistic health is 90% geared towards prevention of disease – this is the main difference between Eastern and Western Medicine. Bookmark these recipes to have on hand for the next time you need them!
The first one is Mung Soup, which can be part of a mono-diet while you’re sick or whenever your stomach is giving you any kind of trouble. I use the term “diet” loosely, only to describe something that is a “type of food,” NOT our modern usage of the term diet (associated with weight loss and often extremism). I would recommend this for anyone who is either feeling like they’re about to get sick, recovering from sickness (when your appetite is back), for someone who is Kapha Dosha predominant with a naturally slower digestion, or for anyone currently experiencing slower digestion and wanting to get it back on track. This soup not only increases digestive power, but it is also rich in protein, detoxifies the liver and kidneys, decreases water retention, helps to reduce adipose tissue, and the spices used add some lovely natural prebiotics from the seed shell casings ;)
The second one listed is Rasam Soup. This soup is more like a sipping broth, and it’s the one I would recommend for anyone currently sick. Even when you have little or no appetite, we still want you nourished in order to better fight off illness! The ingredients in this soup are specifically geared towards increasing JATARAGNI, but they are also antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory in action. RASAM means essence (or juice), and the juicy essences of these foods are nourishing, cleansing, lubricating, stimulating for digestion, detoxifying & lightening for the tissues :)
1. Mung Soup (makes 2 servings)
½ cup mung beans
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Indian or regular bay leaves
1” knob fresh ginger, minced (peel with a back of a spoon)
1TBS CCF powder (or ½ tsp coriander pwd, ¼ tsp cumin pwd, ¼ tsp fennel pwd)
1 tsp Turmeric powder
4 black peppercorns or a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper
½ tsp Himalayan salt
NO OIL
Optional: ½ cup barely or quinoa if you’re feeling more hungry
Soak Mung overnight in a cup of water or for at least 8 hours (and Barley if using it), strain
Add Mung to a pot in 3 cups water (4 if you’re using a grain), bring to a boil for 5 minutes
Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and reduce to a simmer for about 20-25 minutes (or until Mung/Grains are tender)
Enjoy! :)
You can also add in some cooked green vegetables when you start to have more of an appetite, or if you’re doing this as part of a mono-diet
2. Rasam Soup (makes 4-5 servings)
12 curry leaves
5 garlic cloves
1 tomato (medium sized)
1tsp Himalayan salt
½ tsp tamarind (soaked, squeezed out) – I couldn’t find this so I used ½ tsp paste
Boil in 4 cups of water for 5 minutes
Add 1 cup of water to help cool before blending with
2tsp cumin powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp mustard seed powder
Sip as a meal when sick or between meals to increase JATARAGNI
I’m always looking to make Ayurvedic recipes more approachable for the Western palate, so let me know how you like them when you try them! That’s all for today..
Sending so much love & blessings of health to you,
Catherine
PS. For those who want to completely NERD out over the Ayurvedic food properties of the above, here ya go!
Barley: reduces adipose tissue & lymphatic swelling, relieves fatigue, special action against Diabetes
Black Pepper: Reduces stagnant Kapha, cleanses the respiratory system & sinus cavities, digests toxins
Coriander: reduces acidity (GERD), reduces burning sensations & fever, reduces extreme thirst, reduces skin irritation and eye redness, good for the heart
Cumin: increases the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food, reduces breast tenderness or improper lactation in postnatal, improves health of the uterus
Curry Leaves: purifies the blood, anti-parasitic, digests toxins, antifungal
Fennel: normalizes the digestive fire in a downward direction, reduces gas, bloating and acidity (GERD)
Garlic: increases JATARAGNI, penetrates toxins to help digest, increases Pitta (avoid excess if acidity) & a Rajasic mind (too much aggression or hyperactivity)
Ginger: increases all 13 AGNI, increases digestive power and normalizes metabolism, digests toxins, reduces swelling, reduces nausea, anti-inflammatory
Himalayan Salt: the only alkaline salt so does not add to stomach’s acidity, helps the body absorb minerals
Indian Bay Leaves: Reduces Pitta; Cleanses the blood, anti-cancerous
Mung: Tridoshic; light & easy to digest, strengthens the eyes, needs to be combined with spices (or else it’s slightly constipating)
Mustard Seed: helps dry up sinus congestion, breaks up hard stools, helps digest meat when combined with it
Quinoa: Reduces Pitta & Kapha; easy to digest, reduces burning sensations, all essential amino acids
Tomato: hot in potency, increases JATARAGNI, causes inflammation if aggravated Pitta especially in joint pain (all nightshades do!)
Turmeric: normalizes metabolism, digests toxins, reduces pain & inflammation (esp. in the joints), reduces swelling, reduces itching sensations
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