In the 6th Chapter of the Bhagwat Geeta, Krishna says:
nāty-aśnatas tu yogo ’sti
na caikāntam anaśnataḥ
na cāti-svapna-śīlasya
jāgrato naiva cārjuna
The simplest translation of this verse is:
O Arjuna, yoga is impossible for anyone who overeats, undereats, oversleeps, or undersleeps.
While living on the material platform of life, the kind of food we eat, how much we eat and how well our body digests the food we eat, depends a lot on external stimulants. We probably unconsciously train our tastebuds to safeguard the cycle of karmic debts we are destined to accumulate. So for most of the priveledged, there are central bodies who design our plate while for the underprivileged, its their economic strength. Some sections of the society are forever overeating while some others are forever starving. For most of the black and white world, food is the problem while sleep is the solution. Material knowledge does simplify life so all beings can fit into categories that can be monitored, studied and concluded about. Stereotypes thus dominate while Individuality is lost somewhere in the middle. The individuality that is so unique. Just like the foods we eat. Take vegetables for example, there are so many of them, so many varieties of the few names we recognize and yet we tend to think of them as only vegetables.
There are so many vegetables that are branded as unpopular. It is not that they lack flavor, they are just not cooked right. Drumstick is one such vegetable that loses its flavor easily when overcooked or cooked in too much water. This is a picture of you at the age of two years enjoying drumsticks.
I have realized that when food is cooked in a proper way, its impossible to overeat or remain unsatisfied. The body just knows how much of what to eat and when to stop. Our senses and tastebuds are capable of experiencing many tastes and flavors. So chillies onions garlic and such are not as quintessential to Indian cooking as is often believed. Though this recipe uses tomatoes, mustard and a little garlic, the dominating flavor is still that of drumsticks.
There are always those days when you need simple food. That neednot translate as boring. That is when a bowl of rice or khichadi comes in handy. And there are a plethora of dishes that can accompany a humble bowl of rice (or a basic khichadi). One of my all time favorites for khichadi is Alu baingan.
And with a bowl of Rice, Sambhar is a great accompaniment but so is this tangy Drumstick Potato Curry that I call Saragva Bateta nu Shaak:
Heres what you need:
2 long drumsticks
2 small or 1 medium potato
2 medium tomatoes
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp grated ginger garlic
ED7 spice mix and Sendha Namak
1 & 1/2 Tbsp Sesame seed oil (I use refined)
And heres what you do:
Lightly Peel and chop the drumsticks into 2 - 3 inch logs
Peel the Potatoes and cut it into wedges of a similar length
Grind the Mustard seeds to a powder or beat in a mortar pestle till powdered.
Grate ginger garlic.
Lightly steam drumsticks.
In a nonstick pan, heat a Tbsp of oil and stirfry the potato wedges till half cooked. Add Mustard seed powder and mix continuously to avoid burning. Add the ginger garlic. Mix. Add the steamed drumsticks and mix to coat; stir fry for two to 3 minutes only.
Now add the water in which drumsticks were steamed. Add the chopped tomatoes on top. Add ED7 Spice Mix and Sendha Namak. Mix. Simmer on open for a few minutes.
Cover it with a plate filled with water and cook untill the vegetables are cooked (the tomatoes will be easy to mash, potatoes will be soft and drumsticks soft from the inside).
Serve hot garnished with corriander leaves.
And heres how it works:
Mustard seeds are pungent and sour. When ground and cooked with tomatoes, they bring the unusual tangy taste to this dish which mixes really well with drumsticks. And stirfried potatoes take on the flavors of both while still retaining their sweet astrigent flavor.
Drumsticks are often cooked with potatoes as they both balance each other out. While one is pungent and heating in potency, the other sweet and cooling. While one balances Vata and Kapha, the other balances Pitta and Kapha.
nāty-aśnatas tu yogo ’sti
na caikāntam anaśnataḥ
na cāti-svapna-śīlasya
jāgrato naiva cārjuna
The simplest translation of this verse is:
O Arjuna, yoga is impossible for anyone who overeats, undereats, oversleeps, or undersleeps.
While living on the material platform of life, the kind of food we eat, how much we eat and how well our body digests the food we eat, depends a lot on external stimulants. We probably unconsciously train our tastebuds to safeguard the cycle of karmic debts we are destined to accumulate. So for most of the priveledged, there are central bodies who design our plate while for the underprivileged, its their economic strength. Some sections of the society are forever overeating while some others are forever starving. For most of the black and white world, food is the problem while sleep is the solution. Material knowledge does simplify life so all beings can fit into categories that can be monitored, studied and concluded about. Stereotypes thus dominate while Individuality is lost somewhere in the middle. The individuality that is so unique. Just like the foods we eat. Take vegetables for example, there are so many of them, so many varieties of the few names we recognize and yet we tend to think of them as only vegetables.
There are so many vegetables that are branded as unpopular. It is not that they lack flavor, they are just not cooked right. Drumstick is one such vegetable that loses its flavor easily when overcooked or cooked in too much water. This is a picture of you at the age of two years enjoying drumsticks.
I have realized that when food is cooked in a proper way, its impossible to overeat or remain unsatisfied. The body just knows how much of what to eat and when to stop. Our senses and tastebuds are capable of experiencing many tastes and flavors. So chillies onions garlic and such are not as quintessential to Indian cooking as is often believed. Though this recipe uses tomatoes, mustard and a little garlic, the dominating flavor is still that of drumsticks.
There are always those days when you need simple food. That neednot translate as boring. That is when a bowl of rice or khichadi comes in handy. And there are a plethora of dishes that can accompany a humble bowl of rice (or a basic khichadi). One of my all time favorites for khichadi is Alu baingan.
And with a bowl of Rice, Sambhar is a great accompaniment but so is this tangy Drumstick Potato Curry that I call Saragva Bateta nu Shaak:
2 long drumsticks
2 small or 1 medium potato
2 medium tomatoes
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp grated ginger garlic
ED7 spice mix and Sendha Namak
1 & 1/2 Tbsp Sesame seed oil (I use refined)
And heres what you do:
Lightly Peel and chop the drumsticks into 2 - 3 inch logs
Peel the Potatoes and cut it into wedges of a similar length
Grind the Mustard seeds to a powder or beat in a mortar pestle till powdered.
Grate ginger garlic.
Lightly steam drumsticks.
In a nonstick pan, heat a Tbsp of oil and stirfry the potato wedges till half cooked. Add Mustard seed powder and mix continuously to avoid burning. Add the ginger garlic. Mix. Add the steamed drumsticks and mix to coat; stir fry for two to 3 minutes only.
Now add the water in which drumsticks were steamed. Add the chopped tomatoes on top. Add ED7 Spice Mix and Sendha Namak. Mix. Simmer on open for a few minutes.
Cover it with a plate filled with water and cook untill the vegetables are cooked (the tomatoes will be easy to mash, potatoes will be soft and drumsticks soft from the inside).
Serve hot garnished with corriander leaves.
And heres how it works:
Mustard seeds are pungent and sour. When ground and cooked with tomatoes, they bring the unusual tangy taste to this dish which mixes really well with drumsticks. And stirfried potatoes take on the flavors of both while still retaining their sweet astrigent flavor.
Drumsticks are often cooked with potatoes as they both balance each other out. While one is pungent and heating in potency, the other sweet and cooling. While one balances Vata and Kapha, the other balances Pitta and Kapha.
Comments
Post a Comment