Kormas and nut based creamy sauces are the Persian influence in India. This one is a curry from Kashmir the Northern most part of India.

I Green Bell pepper cubed

1 Cup Onions Chopped

1 Jalapeno sliced

4 Cloves garlic peeled and minced

4 Cups Frozen mixed Vegetables, Peas, Carrots Beans and Corn

1 Cup Tomato Paste

½ Cup Whipping Cream

½ Cup Cilantro chopped

4 Tbs. Clarified Butter

1 Tbs. Fenugreek Seeds

1 Tbs. Ground Cumin Seeds

1 Tsp. Garam Masala

1 Tbs. Salt

Heat the clarified butter and add the fenugreek seeds till they sizzle. Fry the onions and bell pepper together till the flavor starts to come out. Add garlic , jalapenos, and fry some. Put in the mixed vegetables, salt and ground cumin. Then add the vegetables and cook on medium heat till everything is well mixed and cooked. Add the tomato paste, cream, cilantro and garam masala. The curry should be thick. Serve with Indian flatbread or over Basmati Rice.

Garam Masala. There are many different ways to make this mix.

Equal amounts of Cloves, Cardamom and Cinnamon ground together. This is your basic Garam Masala.

Daal Makhani is a favorite lentil delicacy from Punjab, North India. Any Indian full course dinner or lunch must have some type of lentil in the menu. Lentils are cooked into a spicy gravy and are used as a dipping for flatbreads or to spread over rice. Lentils can also be soaked and blended into a puree and fried as appetizers. In South India lentils are soaked, ground and mixed with rice powder to make crepes. These crepes are called Dosas or they may be filled with spicy potato filling and rolled into Masala Dosas or spicy crepes. Lentils are an excellent source of protein and each state in India and each village cooks them in their own special way. When you visit an Indian Grocery store you will see many different varieties of the lentil. These lentils are also available at Asian or Far East markets. Today’s lentil recipe will use three different types of lentils.

1 Cup Urad Daal whole or Kali Daal or Black Lentils whole and not split available at Indian Groceries

½ Cup Split Mung Bean Daal also available at Indian Grocery stores

½ Cup Chana Daal or split Chickpea Lentils available at Indian or Asian Grocery stores

1 Tsp. Turmeric Powder

½ Tsp. Cayenne Pepper Powder

1 Tsp. Whole Cumin Seeds

2 or 3 Whole dried Cayenne Peppers

1 Cup Onions chopped fine

1 Tbs. Fresh Ginger peeled and grated

2 or 3 Cloves of Garlic peeled and grated

1 Cup Tomato Paste or 1½ Cups fresh Tomatoes chopped

1 Tbs. Jalapenos or any hot Green Chilies like Serranos or Thai Hot chopped

1 Cup Cilantro chopped

1 Tbs. Garam Masala Punjab Style recipe included

1 Cup Whipping Cream for garnish

1 Tbs. Salt or to taste

1 Tsp. Sugar

5 Tbs. Ghee or clarified Butter. You can get this at Vitamin Cottage or Indian Groceries or make your own by simmering unsalted butter till the milk solids separate and then strain it out.

6 Cups Water (you may need more)

First take six cups of water in a big pot and bring it to a boil. Wash all the lentils together and put it to the boiling water. Add the turmeric and cayenne pepper powders in the pot. Let it simmer in medium or medium low heat for about forty five minutes to an hour until the lentils almost falls apart. You might need more water if the lentils are not cooked and the water is all gone. With a hand blender or egg beater blend the lentil to a smooth paste. Add salt and sugar and set it aside.

In a pot or frying pan heat four tablespoons of ghee and add the whole cumin seeds and whole cayenne peppers. When they start popping add the onions and start frying. After the onions are light brown, add the garlic and the ginger paste and after about one minute put in the tomato paste. Fry this for a little bit till the liquid goes away, then mix this spice mixture with the blended daal or lentil.

Bring the whole thing to a boil and simmer for about fifteen minutes for all the flavors to develop and mix together. Add Garam Masala, the rest of the ghee and the hot green chilies. Serve hot in bowls with some cilantro and a scoop of whipping cream as garnish on top. Enjoy! The lentil mixture in this dish varies from chef to chef.

This is a very simple and tasty vegetable. This can be served with Basmati rice or with Indian flatbreads.

2 Cups Potatoes peeled and cubed

2 Cups Cauliflower Florets

1Cup Peas

4 Tbs. Cooking Oil

1 Tbs Whole Cumin Seeds

1 tbs. Jalapenos chopped

1 Tbs. Turmeric Powder

1 Tbs Paprika Powder

1 Tbs. Salt

1 Tbs Sugar

1 Cup Water

1 Tbs. Clarified Butter

1 Tsp. Garam Masala

Heat the oil in a pot and add the cumin seeds and jalapenos. After frying them for sometime add the potatoes. After the potatoes are fried for sometime add the cauliflower florets and all the ground spices, salt, sugar and peas. Add one cup of water and when everything is heated cover and simmer on low heat for about twenty minutes, stirring in between. After everything is cooked add the garam masala and ghee and serve.

“Ayurveda” or the science of life is the ancient medical system of India and existed since about 5000B.C. There are four religious doctrines discovered many years ago in India. They are the Rig-Veda, Sham Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The Ayurveda is contained within the Atharva Veda. Ayurveda is based on firstly a belief in God. The healing system is based on love.

According to Ayurveda, there are three major life forces in the body called the three biological humors. In Sanskrit they are called Vata, Pitta, and Kapha and are also known as the “Tridoshas”. They again relate to the elements of air, fire and water and is the basis for the treatment of both physical and psychological constitution. There is also the three “Gunas” or qualities called Satya, Rajas, and Tamas. The biological humors are the root of this ancient healing system.

 Ayurvedic science of food and diet is a tremendously large field and influences every aspect of one’s life. In Chinese medicine there is reference to Yin, Yang and Chi or blood to be the primary elements in the body. In European Medicine it refers to as the Bile, Blood and the Phlegm. In Ayurveda “Purusha” means male and “Prakriti” translates as female. The “Tridoshas” Vata Pitta and Kapha as discussed before are the dynamic principles that govern the body, mind, and consciousness.

 The Ayurvedic treatment of any disease is based on the three biological humors and is reflected on the six tastes sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter and astringent. Ayurveda cannot change or cure health problems in an instant. Some factors like diet will respond to changes but again it requires some time to change any person’s established diet. Choosing the proper diet might lead to the cure of the disease itself.

Soups play an important part in Ayurvedic cooking. These are mostly made of beans, peas, lentils or “Dals” and spices boiled together and are high in proteins. There is a rice and lentil mixture called Khichuri or lentil stew, which is easily digestible and gives strength and vitality. Rice plays an important part in Ayurvedic cooking and is very good for Vata and Pitta diets and should be moderately used by Kapha diets.

Ayurveda sometimes recommends more cooked vegetables than raw for some people. Red meat is not recommended for any constitution at all but sometimes fish and white meat like chicken and turkey are more acceptable. In Ayurvedic diet the spices do not have to be extremely strong but then the food does not have to be bland either. The best way to keep all the biological humors content and to create tasty food is to figure out a balance between the amount of spices and oil used and to try to bring out the full flavors in them.

The Ayurvedic properties of some of the ingredients

Bitter Melon – This has a soothing effect on Pitta and the Kapha elements in the body. It is also very good for Diabetes and anemia. In India diabetics often grate it and drink the juice squeezed out of it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

Limes and Lemons – These have excellent healing power in Ayurveda. When people have morning sickness or nausea especially pregnant women, lemon or lime juice diluted with water and a little salt served as a drink works like a miracle. In very hot days lemon or lime juice mixed with five times as much water, a little salt and some sugar and ice makes a wonderful lemonade soothing and healing for the whole digestive system.

Cranberries- These are sour and astringent and one should not eat too much of it. It helps cool down the discomfort in very hot and spicy foods. Cranberries when eaten raw disturb all the three doshas but when cooked with sugar they help digestion.

Carrots cooked, help the digestive system and constipation. When carrots are eaten raw with other vegetables or as salad it helps prevent cancer.

Cilantro is the leaf of the coriander seed. It is also known as Chinese Parsley. This herb is a balance between all the biological humors and helps soothe colds, fevers and nausea. The Coriander Seed is among the medicinal plants mentioned in books about three thousand years ago. The seed when ground and used in dishes is good for digestion.

Garlic, this vegetable is very good for heart, lungs blood and the muscular system. Garlic has a lot of heat in it and too much of it should not be taken at one time. Garlic is said to purify the blood, lower blood pressure and aid digestion. It is also considered to be helpful in curing diabetes, lower cholesterol and help in asthma and whooping cough.

Onions though pungent help a lot with cholesterol. When eaten raw onions sometimes have conflicts with Vata and Pitta but helps Kapha and is good in colds and coughs and congestion.

Ginger has a very cooling effect on coughs, colds, heart problems and blood circulation. Fresh tea with ginger, basil, and honey is soothing in any type of cold. It also helps in digestion, eyesight, and is good for aged people as it heats the joints, is useful against gout, helps poor blood circulation and is also considered a cure for travel sickness. In India sometimes ginger is used as an antidote to poison.

Mint as the historians say, came originally from the Mediterranean. It is good for soar throat and hiccups. The aroma of mint is very soothing and refreshing.

Asafoetida or Hing is a dried resin like product extracted from the rhizomes of “ferula” or giant fennel. The name comes from the Persian word “Aza” meaning resin and the Latin word “Fetida” meaning stinking. Imported from Persia and Armenia, this spice is used in Indian, Arab and also some Roman cooking in very small amounts due to the strong and pungent aroma. It is medicinal because it can be a sedative, expectorant in colds and helps in the treatment of flatulence and bronchitis. Asafoetida grws well in the dry regions of Iran, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.

Turmeric has been used in Asia for a very long time all over Asia. In the Carribean Islands it is called Indian Saffron. It has much more functions than food coloring, dyeing clothes and being an important ingredient in Asian food and Indian curry. Ground Turmeric is an antiseptic to raw fish and meat and is also a food preservative to some extent. Turmeric helps with all the biological humors in human body.

Mustard came from Asia and the Chinese have been using it for thousands of years. Apart from having it’s own taste and flavor mustard also enhances the flavors of other spices. Mustard induces vomiting and is regarded to be a diuretic and a stimulant and plasters made of ground mustard were traditionally used for healing arthritis and rheumatism.

 Cloves have a very good flavor alone or combined with other spices. It reduces gas and is good for digestion. The Clove Oil is used for tooth aches and massage for curing rheumatism. Clove is also an essential ingredient in Indian curries.

The best Cinnamon is from Sri Lanka but it is also grown in India, Brazil, Indonesia, the islands of the West Indies and the islands of the Indian Ocean.

Cardamom existed in India years before the birth of Christ and is one of the most ancient spices in the world. It is used separate as well as with other spice mixes. Cardamom cures stomach disorders and can be used as a breath freshner.

The word Khichuri literally means a hotchpotch or a mixture

2 Cups Mung Bean Dal, or split yellow Lentils available at the Indian Groceries or Asian and Thai markets. You could substitute with split Red Lentils available at regular grocery stores.

1 Cup Basmati Rice

4 Tbs. Ghee, clarified butter, or cooking oil

2 Bay Leaves

2 Whole Cayenne Peppers

1 Tsp. Cumin Seeds, whole

1 Jalapeno or two Serranos chopped fine

1 Tsp. Asafoetida or Hing powder (available at Asian or Indian grocers)

1 Tomato chopped, about one cup

1 Tbs. Fresh ginger peeled and grated

1Tsp. Turmeric powder

1 Tbs. Roasted and ground Cumin Seeds

1Tbs. Salt

1Tbs. Sugar

1Tsp Garam Masala (Equal amounts of Cardamom Cinnamon and Clove ground together)

6 Cups Water (You might need more)

In a big stockpot boil about 6 cups of water. Wash the Mung Bean Dal and put it in the pot with the turmeric powder. After the dal gets soft and starts to fall apart add the Basmati Rice. After the Basmati Rice cooks for about five minutes add the roasted Cumin Seed Powder. The consistency of this dish should be like the American chili. If you need more water add hot water so as not to slow down the cooking. After the rice is cooked but not glutinous turn the heat off the pot but keep it covered.

In a small pan heat three tablespoons of the ghee or oil. Put the bay leaves, cumin seeds, whole cayenne peppers whole and the Asafoetida. Keep stirring constantly and reduce the heat so as not to burn. Add the grated ginger and fry it a little bit. When the flavor starts coming out and the ginger turns a little light brown in color, mix the whole thing in the stockpot with the salt and sugar and start simmering it again. Add the green chilies, the remaining tablespoon of the ghee and the Garam Masala. Serve hot. You can be creative and add different types of vegetables to this stew. This stew is a meal in itself.