West Falen Lentils for Balancing Kapha Dosha
Increases Vata and Pitta slightly, but balances Kapha.
This recipe is compliments of Frank Lotz, author of Heavenly Cooking with Ayurveda. If you like this recipe, please consider purchasing his book.
Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients for 4 persons:
3-4 cups brown lentils
2 small sweet potatos or ordinary potatoes
1/2 cup celery
1 carrot
3 tomatoes
1 zucchini (courgette)
9 cups water
2 tsp lemon or 1 tsp tamarind paste
1 Tbsp each of parsley, lovage, and coriander leaves, all finely chopped
2-3 tsp ghee
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek leaves
1 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/4 tsp nigella
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
2 pinches of rock salt
1 tsp brown sugar
Tip:
2 teaspoons of creme fraiche or sour cream will add to the taste of this dish. But only use them at lunch time, because you should avoid dairy products in the evening.
When you add rice and vegetables to this dish, you have a nutritious, delicious meal, suitable for the middle of the day or the evening.
Preparation:
Sort and wash the lentils, then leave them to soak overnight in four times the volume of water. The next day drain the water then rinse the lentils under clear running water.
Wash, clean, and dice the vegetables.
Grind all the spices except the cloves, bay leaves, and mustard seeds, in a coffee mill. Heat up the ghee in a pan and fry the mustard seeds until they start to “jump”. Then put in the rest of the spices and after 20 seconds the small pieces of vegetable. Saute for 3 minutes.
Add the lentils, 9 cups of warm water, the cloves and the bay leaves. Cook at a medium heat with a half closed lid for about an hour.
When the lentils are soft, stir in the lemon juice, rock salt and finally the fresh herbs.