Re: SAttvic AhAr : Indian Cuisine Basics
|| Om Namo Bhagavate VAsudevAya ||
Namaste
Let us talk about FAST FOOD ... not quite. Recipes for UpavAs (fasting days).
UpavAs = residing close to paramAtmA. The idea is to fast at least from certain staple foods to practice restraint and focus on the Ishta DevatA for whom you are fasting, and not on food or thoughts of food and the strength it brings. A general rule of thumb is to abstain from grains, beans, pulses, too much of oil and spice and of course onion, garlic, mushroom, yeast and any other rajasic/tamasic food that cannot be offered to the Ishta DevatA.
Beware: commercial cheese (especially hard ones) contains rennin / rennet that sadly is an animal product. In any case, apart from paneer, the fermented and aged cheeses should be avoided as tAmasic.
Variations of fasts:
1. Nirjal - no food no water for a day or until evening e.g. Bhima Nirjal Ekadashi, Narsimha Chaturdashi
2. fruit and milk only
3. fruit, milk products, cucumber, starchy roots only i.e. potato, yams, ratAla, sago, tapioca, waterchestnut, buckwheat (a weed not a grain), nuts.
4. No grains and beans and non-offerable items. All other sattvic food.
VaishNavs fast on EkAdashi for Lord VishNu, increase their japa and read more scriptures when possible. There are major festival and holy days like MahAShivrAtri and others. Others fast on a particular day of the week for their Ishta DevatA e.g. Monday - SomvAr for Shankar (Shiv), Tue or Fri for Devi, Thu for DattAtreya (TrimUrti of BrahmA VishNu Shiv).
Recipes for UpavAs:
1. sAbudAnA Khichadi - Sauted spicy nutty Sago / Tapioca Pearls
Category : upavAs - fast / savory
Ingredients
2 cups sago or tapioca pearls (sAbudAnA)
1 cup ground roasted peanuts
3/4 cup cubed boiled potatoes.
1 t cumin seeds (jeera)
1 1/2 t salt - adjust.
2 t sugar
4 T ghee or butter
Garnish (optional)
1/2 cup grated coconut (either fresh or soaked in water)
chopped coriander
lemon juice
Method
1. Soak the sAbudAnA in water the night before for best results, or at least for an hour.
2. While the pearls soak , boil , peel and cube the potato.
Dry-roast the peanuts in a pan and rub off the peels as far as possible. Grind the peeled peanuts in a grinder. If you are likely to use roasted ground peanut more often, make a lot of coarse peanut powder to store in a jar.
3. In the same pan heat the ghee or butter. Add cumin and chillies. As they crackle and pop add sAbudAnA, ground peanuts and the boiled potato cubes.
4. Season with sugar, salt. Toss, cover and steam for a few minutes. Stir and turn off heat when the sAbudAnA looks somewhat transparent (not milky white any more) and has a soft spongy texture. The key is to keep stirring and tossing to avoid the tiny pearls from sticking together.
5. Garnish with a dash of lemon juice, grated coconut and coriander.
Offer to your Ishta DevstA warm, possibly with sweet yogurt on the side.
[ Source: Traditional recipe passed down thru' generations , also from a popular cookbook - Ruchira ]
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2. sAbudAnA Kheer ( Sago / Tapioca Pudding )
Category : Ekadashi / upavas - fast / desert
Ingredients
1 cup sago or tapioca pearls (sAbudAnA)
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 t freshly ground cardamom
A pinch of saffron
Method
Soak the sAbudAnA in water the night before for best results, or at least for an hour.
Boil milk in a tall pot.
Add sAbudAnA to the pot. Let it cook in the milk. (You do not have to soak the sAbudAnA, but soaked is welcome too)
Letting some milk evaporate, add sugar and stir.
As the pearls are cooked they turn transparent (from white)
Add cardamom and saffron. Stir and turn off heat.
Offer the cooled kheer to your Ishta
Last edited by smaranam; 18 February 2011 at 06:25 AM.
Reason: For best results, soak sAbudAnA in water overnight, but shortcuts of 1 hr will work too.
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