Satvik Recipes

Reading the chips: vāta + means the recipe balances vāta · · means neutral · − means it can aggravate that dosha.

• Breakfast

  Aloo Paratha

  Whole-wheat flatbread stuffed with a spiced mashed-potato filling, cooked on the tava with ghee and served with chutney, curd or pickle.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  50 min · serves 3 · Winter (hemanta), All year

• Breakfast

  Ayurvedic Stewed Apples

  A whole apple stewed soft with cinnamon, cloves and a little ghee; the famous ayurvedic breakfast-starter, gentle on the stomach and good for all three doshas.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  12 min · serves 1 · Autumn (śarada), Winter (hemanta), All year

• Breakfast

  Besan Cheela (Sheela)

  Chickpea-flour pancakes whisked with cumin, coriander and turmeric; the notebook's "sheela", optionally stuffed with a paneer-capsicum-corn filling.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  25 min · serves 3 · All year

• Breakfast

  Daliya Porridge (Broken Wheat)

  Broken wheat simmered soft with milk, cardamom and a touch of ghee; a hearty, satvik porridge from the north Indian kitchen, nourishing and easy to digest.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  25 min · serves 2 · Winter (hemanta), Monsoon (varṣā)

• Breakfast

  Lemon Poha (Flattened Rice)

  Flattened rice softened with turmeric, peanuts and lemon; a light, no-cook-heavy breakfast from western India that kapha types especially take to.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  15 min · serves 2 · All year, Summer (grīṣma), Spring (vasanta)

• Breakfast

  Mixed Sprouts Bowl (Moong, Matki & Chana)

  A steamed bowl of mixed sprouts, moong, matki and chana; dressed with lemon, cumin and coriander; the notebook's opening recipe and its simplest protein.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  20 min · serves 2 · Spring (vasanta), Summer (grīṣma)

• Breakfast

  Mung Dal Chilla (Savoury Lentil Pancakes)

  Soaked split mung ground to a batter and cooked into soft savoury pancakes with cumin and coriander, light, protein-rich and naturally gluten-free.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  30 min · serves 3 · Spring (vasanta), All year

• Breakfast

  Plain Dosa with Potato Masala

  Crisp fermented rice-and-urad crepes folded over a turmeric-golden potato masala, with coconut chutney on the side; the notebook's Sunday breakfast.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  40 min · serves 4 · All year, Spring (vasanta)

• Breakfast

  Pudla (Gujarati Vegetable Pancakes)

  Soft besan pudla strewn with grated vegetables and ajwain, the Gujarati cousin of the cheela, tender inside and lacy at the edges.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  27 min · serves 3 · All year

• Breakfast

  Rava Dosa (Lacy Semolina Crepe)

  A thin, crackling crepe made from a simple stir-together batter of semolina and rice flour, freckled with cumin, pepper and curry leaves; no fermentation needed.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  30 min · serves 4 · All year

• Breakfast

  Rava Upma with Vegetables

  Fluffy semolina tossed with curry leaves, ginger and quick vegetables; a mild, gently spiced South Indian breakfast that suits almost every constitution.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  25 min · serves 3 · All year, Spring (vasanta), Summer (grīṣma)

• Breakfast

  Sabudana Khichdi (Sago Pearl Pilaf)

  Soaked sago pearls tossed with peanuts, potato, cumin and green chili; the great Maharashtrian fasting dish, naturally free of onion and garlic.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  25 min · serves 2 · Winter (hemanta), Monsoon (varṣā)

• Breakfast

  Steamed Idli with Coconut Chutney

  Fermented rice-lentil batter steamed into soft, cloud-like idlis, served with fresh coconut chutney; a light, cooling, satvik classic of South Indian mornings.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  27 min · serves 4 · Summer (grīṣma), All year, Spring (vasanta)

• Breakfast

  Warm Banana–Cardamom Oatmeal

  Soft-cooked oats simmered with mashed banana, cardamom and a spoon of ghee; a warm, moist, grounding breakfast that classical energetics consider kind to vāta.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  15 min · serves 2 · Autumn (śarada), Winter (hemanta), Monsoon (varṣā)

• Lunch

  Amti (Maharashtrian Dal)

  Toor dal simmered sweet, sour and spicy with goda masala, jaggery and tamarind; the everyday dal of Maharashtra, tempered with mustard and curry leaves.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  40 min · serves 3 · All year, Monsoon (varṣā)

• Lunch

  Bottle Gourd Sabzi (Lauki)

  Bottle gourd diced and cooked soft with cumin and a whisper of turmeric, cooling, watery-light and among the most dosha-friendly vegetables in the ayurvedic garden.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  25 min · serves 2 · Summer (grīṣma), Monsoon (varṣā)

• Lunch Tridoshic

  Classic Kitchari (Moong Dal & Rice)

  The beloved one-pot dish of mung dal and basmati rice cooked soft with ghee and gentle spices, ayurveda's signature food for cleansing days and delicate digestion.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  40 min · serves 3 · All year, Monsoon (varṣā)

• Lunch

  Coconut Vegetable Korma

  Garden vegetables simmered in a fresh coconut-cashew gravy with mild sweet spices, a rich, cooling festival dish from South Indian satvik kitchens.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  45 min · serves 4 · Winter (hemanta), Autumn (śarada)

• Lunch

  Dal Tadka (Moong Dal with Ghee Tempering)

  Soft-cooked yellow moong dal finished with a sizzling ghee tempering of cumin, red chili and hing; comfort in its plainest, most honest form.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  30 min · serves 3 · All year

• Lunch

  Ghee Rice

  Basmati rice sautéed in ghee with whole spices and cooked fluffy, the notebook's simplest celebration rice, fragrant with nothing more than patience.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  25 min · serves 3 · All year, Winter (hemanta)

• Lunch

  Misal (Satvik Matki Usal)

  Sprouted matki simmered in a spiced coconut-tomato curry, topped with crunchy farsan; the notebook's fiery Nashik-style breakfast, here made without onion or garlic.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  − , Can aggravate pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  50 min · serves 3 · Monsoon (varṣā), Winter (hemanta)

• Lunch

  Paneer Chilli (Indo-Chinese)

  Crisp cornflour-battered paneer tossed with capsicum and onion in a gingery chilli sauce, the notebook's foray into Indo-Chinese, kept as an occasional treat.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  − , Can aggravate pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  35 min · serves 3 · Winter (hemanta)

• Lunch

  Phulka with Seasonal Sabzi

  Whole-wheat phulkas puffed dry on the flame, served with a simple vegetable sabzi; the everyday satvik plate of most of India, honest and neutral for every dosha.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  35 min · serves 2 · All year

• Lunch

  Royal Potato Curry (Whole-Spice Dum Aloo)

  Potatoes braised in a tomato-ginger gravy perfumed with cinnamon, black cardamom and crushed black pepper, finished with roasted cumin; the notebook's most regal curry.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  45 min · serves 3 · Winter (hemanta), Autumn (śarada)

• Lunch

  Spinach Dal (Palak Dal)

  Toor dal simmered with fresh spinach and a cumin-tomato tempering, iron-rich, protein-rich and light on the stomach, a weekday regular across Indian homes.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  35 min · serves 3 · Spring (vasanta), Winter (hemanta), All year

• Lunch

  Steamed Rice

  Rice cooked soft and separate with a spoon of ghee, the base of the Indian plate and, in the classical view, food at its most innocent.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  20 min · serves 3 · All year

• Lunch

  Sweet Potato & Green Bean Curry

  Sweet potatoes and green beans simmered in a coconut-ginger gravy with curry leaves, sweet, warming and deeply satisfying without being heavy.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  40 min · serves 3 · Autumn (śarada), Winter (hemanta), Monsoon (varṣā)

• Lunch

  Vegetable Dum Biryani (Lucknowi Style)

  Rice and vegetables layered with yogurt, whole spices, cashews and raisins and sealed to steam slowly; a festive one-pot from the notebook's mains section.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  90 min · serves 4 · Winter (hemanta), Monsoon (varṣā)

• Lunch

  Vegetable Pulao with Whole Spices

  Basmati rice steamed with whole warming spices and garden vegetables, a festive yet satvik one-pot lunch from the north Indian kitchen.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  40 min · serves 4 · All year, Winter (hemanta)

• Dinner

  Ash Gourd & Moong Soup (Kūṣmāṇḍa Rasa)

  Ash gourd simmered with moong dal, cumin and curry leaves into a pale, cooling broth; one of the most revered vegetables in the classical texts.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  35 min · serves 3 · Summer (grīṣma), Autumn (śarada)

• Dinner

  Carrot–Ginger Soup

  Sweet carrots blended silky with fresh ginger and a touch of ghee, a bright, warming bowl for cold evenings, light on the stomach before sleep.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  30 min · serves 3 · Winter (hemanta), Autumn (śarada)

• Dinner

  Lauki Dal (Bottle Gourd & Moong Dal)

  Split moong dal cooked with bottle gourd into a soft, cooling stew; gentle enough for the evening table and a classic pairing in ayurvedic kitchens.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  35 min · serves 3 · Summer (grīṣma), Monsoon (varṣā), All year

• Dinner

  Paneer Bhurji with Green Peas

  Fresh paneer crumbled and scrambled with ginger, tomato and peas; a soft, protein-rich satvik dinner that comes together in minutes.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  22 min · serves 2 · Winter (hemanta), All year

• Dinner

  Pumpkin Dal (Kaddu Dal)

  Sweet pumpkin cooked into moong dal with cumin and a touch of jaggery, a golden, gently sweet stew that grounds vāta on a cold evening.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  35 min · serves 3 · Autumn (śarada), Winter (hemanta), Monsoon (varṣā)

• Dinner

  Satvik Pepper Rasam

  A thin, peppery tamarind broth with cumin and tomato; the South Indian restorative, clearing and warming, that satvik kitchens serve as soup or over rice.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  25 min · serves 3 · Monsoon (varṣā), Winter (hemanta), All year

• Dinner

  Whole Mung Soup (Sabut Moong Shorba)

  Whole green mung simmered until breaking down, with ginger, cumin and tomato; a warming, protein-rich soup that is dinner-sized without weight.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  45 min · serves 3 · Winter (hemanta), Monsoon (varṣā)

• Snack

  Cucumber & Mint Salad with Coconut

  Cool cucumber rounds tossed with mint, lemon and coconut; the simplest possible summer refresher, kindling nothing and cooling everything.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  10 min · serves 2 · Summer (grīṣma), Spring (vasanta)

• Snack

  Cucumber Raita

  Whisked curd folded with cucumber and roasted cumin, the cooling side the notebook keeps beside every spiced main.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  · , Neutral for kapha

  10 min · serves 3 · Summer (grīṣma), Spring (vasanta)

• Snack

  Date & Almond Bites

  Medjool dates and almonds ground together and rolled into small rounds, an uncooked, naturally sweet snack that settles vāta and travels anywhere.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  15 min · serves 4 · Winter (hemanta), Autumn (śarada)

• Snack

  Fruit & Cream Dahi Pachadi

  Fresh curd, enriched with the malai of slowly reduced milk; folded with seasonal fruits, black salt and sugar; a sweet-salty yogurt bowl from the notebook's later pages.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  + , Balances pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  40 min · serves 4 · Summer (grīṣma)

• Snack

  Ghee-Roasted Makhana (Fox Nuts)

  Lotus seeds roasted in ghee until crisp and tossed with rock salt and pepper, the classic light satvik snack, loved by fasting and meditation traditions.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  10 min · serves 2 · All year, Winter (hemanta)

• Snack

  Gobi Manchurian (Indo-Chinese)

  Cauliflower florets in a crisp maida-cornflour jacket, tossed in a tangy chilli-garlic sauce; the notebook's second Indo-Chinese entry, recorded as-is.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  − , Can aggravate pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  40 min · serves 3 · Winter (hemanta)

• Snack

  Homemade Mango Ice Cream

  Reduced milk, ripe mango pulp and sugar churned in the freezer into a dense old-fashioned ice cream; no machine, no eggs, just patience.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  50 min · serves 6 · Summer (grīṣma)

• Snack

  Medu Vada (Urad Dal Vada)

  Soaked urad dal whipped into an aerated batter and fried into golden, crisp-rimmed doughnuts, soft and savoury inside; the notebook's vada, served with coconut chutney and sambar.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  40 min · serves 4 · Monsoon (varṣā), Winter (hemanta)

• Snack

  Mint-Coriander Chutney

  Fresh mint and coriander ground with ginger, green chili and lemon; the notebook's everyday green chutney, five minutes in the making.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  10 min · serves 4 · All year, Summer (grīṣma)

• Snack

  Mysore Pak

  Besan roasted in a syrup of sugar and ghee until it sets into dense, fudgy squares; the notebook's great sweet, royal in origin and unforgiving of shortcuts.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  40 min · serves 8 · Winter (hemanta), Autumn (śarada)

• Snack

  Sprouted Moong Salad

  Fresh moong sprouts tossed with cucumber, tomato, lemon and coriander; a living, light snack for spring and summer that kapha types thrive on.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  15 min · serves 2 · Spring (vasanta), Summer (grīṣma)

• Snack

  Takra (Spiced Buttermilk)

  Thin buttermilk churned with cumin, ginger and curry leaves; the digestive drink Charaka praised so highly it earned its own chapter of verse.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  5 min · serves 2 · Summer (grīṣma), Monsoon (varṣā), All year

• Snack

  Tomato Chutney (Tambdi Chutney)

  Tomatoes cooked down with red chili and a whisper of garlic into a glossy, sharp-sweet relish; the notebook's cooked chutney for the days raw isn't right.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  − , Can aggravate pitta
  • kapha  + , Balances kapha

  20 min · serves 4 · All year, Monsoon (varṣā)

• Snack

  Vada Pav (Satvik Batata Vada)

  Spiced potato dumplings in a crisp gram-flour shell, tucked into soft pav with green and tamarind-date chutneys; Mumbai's street classic, made without onion or garlic.

  • vāta  · , Neutral for vāta
  • pitta  − , Can aggravate pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  50 min · serves 4 · Monsoon (varṣā), Winter (hemanta)

• Snack

  Warm Badam Milk (Almond–Saffron)

  Milk simmered with almond paste, cardamom, saffron and a touch of jaggery; the classical bedtime nourisher, said to steady sleep and settle vāta.

  • vāta  + , Balances vāta
  • pitta  · , Neutral for pitta
  • kapha  − , Can aggravate kapha

  20 min · serves 2 · Winter (hemanta), Autumn (śarada)