Exclusively for Maharishi Ayurveda has Heide Maria Vendler, experienced Ayurvedic chef from Austria, created a wonderful four-course menu. Suitable for each dosha type, easy to cook - and above all very tasty. With fresh and aromatic ingredients, and adapted to the Kapha season, it’s a treat from appetizer to dessert.
Gently heat the coconut oil in a pan. Grate the ginger. Add the spices and lentils to the coconut oil and fry for several minutes until they darken slightly Add the vegetable broth and coconut milk and simmer for twenty minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and puree the soup finely. Season with salt, lemon juice and zest.
Top with a small dab of cream (or coconut almond milk) and garnish with fresh green herbs.
Wash the salad leaves and remove excess water in a salad spinner. Cut the radicchio into strips. Slice the grapefruit thinly and cut into small pieces. Halve the avocado, peel, cut into strips, and sprinkle with lemon juice.
Whisk all the marinade ingredients until creamy. Scatter the salad leaves loosely on a plate and arrange the grapefruit pieces and avocado strips on top. Drizzle with marinade, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and pumpkin seeds, and garnish with fresh watercress.
Panir-spinach filling: Wash the spinach and steam for two minutes. Drain, mix with the spices, herbs and panir (see panir recipe below). Season to taste.
Filo parcels: Melt the ghee. Sprinkle a sheet of filo with a little ghee and lay the second sheet over it. Cut the sheets into four squares, and place a quarter of the panir-spinach filling in the centre of each square. Squeeze the four corners together over the filling, and put the parcels into small moulds or muffin tins painted with ghee. Bake at 170 degrees on the lower oven tray for 30-40 minutes.
Remove the filo pastry parcels from the moulds. Put a dab of saffron sauce (see below) on each plate and place a filo parcel on it.
Heat the milk in a pan. Just before it boils, slowly stir in the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. This will curdle the milk (the protein and whey separate). Line a colander or sieve with clean cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Pour the curdled milk into the sieve. The fresh cheese remains in the cloth and the whey drips into the bowl. Leave the panir to drain in the colander for half an hour or longer, and your mild cream cheese is ready.
Soak the saffron in a little water for about half an hour. Gently fry the remaining spices and flour in ghee until fragrant. Add 120 ml of water or vegetable broth and the saffron mixture. While bringing to the boil, stir vigorously, until it becomes a creamy sauce. Stir in the cream, and season with salt and pepper. If necessary, add more water.
Peel the carrots, and use the peeler to cut them into thin strips (tagliatelle). Toss the carrot strips loosely in a steamer, sprinkle with anise, and steam for three minutes.
Use a fork to carefully turn the carrots into a ‘nest’ on the plate, and serve.
Bring the water and salt to the boil, and sprinkle in the couscous. Bring to the boil again briefly, and then turn the stove down to the lowest setting. Cover with a lid, allow the couscous to swell for ten minutes, and fluff up with a fork before serving.
Rinse a cup with water, press the couscous into it, and turn it onto a plate.
Wash the orange, grate the peel, and juice the orange. Mix the juice with the water and elderberry syrup. Fry the semolina and spices gently in a pan until the aroma is slightly nutty and delicious. Add the water-orange-syrup mixture and simmer for two minutes. Cover with a lid and allow the semolina to swell for 15 minutes, then transfer into a bowl. If it is too thick, stir in a little more hot water—it should be a creamy consistency. Beat the cream semi-solid and stir it into the semolina with the orange zest.
Bring the spices to the boil in the juice or water. Peel the pears and cut in half lengthwise. Carefully remove the core. Place the pear halves in the prepared decoction (they should be covered—if there is not enough liquid add more water) and simmer slowly until al dente. It usually takes about ten minutes, but varies depending on the type of pear. Keep the pears in the decoction until ready to serve—the longer they remain, the more colour and flavour they absorb.
Fill the semolina pudding into glass bowls, and top with milk froth or a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Remove the pear halves from the liquid, place one pear half on each plate, and serve together with the semolina pudding.
Garnish the pear halves with elderberry or blueberry compote for a delightful touch.
Bring 12 tablespoons of the spiced liquid to the boil. Stir 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch into 1 tablespoon water, and add it to the spiced liquid. Stir it in to make a creamy sauce, and pour it over the pear halves.
The semolina pudding also tastes great with blueberry compote instead of pear halves.
We hope you enjoy this healthy and delicious Maharishi Ayurvedic menu!