Hi Fall – Hello Vata Imbalances

The sudden change in climate today is telling me that fall is here! The leaves are changing from green to red, to orange, to bright yellow, the air is getting drier and colder with every gust of wind, pumpkins are appearing in the markets and clothes I have avoided for months are becoming my friend again. Hellllooooo Fall! I love that you bring a change of color to my daily scenes of green, but must you  bring aggravated sinus’, throat and eyes?  I guess this is Mother Nature’s sign to tell me to change it up, shake it around, and turn my summer favorites into loving memories. It’s Vata season!

In Ayurveda, this time of the year is known as the Vata season.  Vata, the king of doshas governs all movement in the body from blood to waste and is also connected to our nervous system.  It’s  a combination of two elements vayu (air) + akash (ether).  The combination of both these elements create the qualities of Vata.  For those of us who have vata dominant energy or who have vata imbalances (most of us do), this can be an especially tough time of year.  Imbalances that become more prominent are dryness of skin, throat, eyes and sinus’, constipation, joint stiffness anxiety, insomnia, and lack of concentration just to name a few.

How can I keep my Vata energy in balance?

To maintain balance with Vata know it’s qualities and then do the opposite which, will help to counter balance. Like can aggravate like.

Qualities of Vata (apply this holistically – mind, body soul and all that surrounds)

Vata/Opposite

Cold /Hot
Light / Heavy
Dry /Wet
Hard / Soft

Rough /Smooth
Clear /Cloudy
Quick / Slow
Sharp / Dull

 

Tips on how to apply Vata opposite qualities to daily life

Hot + Wet = Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate with room temperature or warm beverages. Avoid ice.

• Water at room temperature
• Herbal Teas
• Ginger Tea (fresh not dry ginger)
• Warm milk with honey and cinnamon
• Almond milk shakes with fresh fruit, nuts, seeds – no ice

           

Hot + Heavy+ Wet+ Soft+ Smooth = Warm, moist foods.

• Steamed veggies instead of raw (root veggies/squash are very balancing for Vata)
• Saute leafy greens instead of cold salads. Cold leafy green salads in moderation
• Fresh ripe fruit instead of dry fruit
• Nuts and seeds make great snacks
• Pie or warm baked food over ice cream
• Warm lentils salads, soups, rice dishes
• Oatmeal. Avoid dry oats
• Quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat. Buckwheat, barley, millet, rye in moderation
• Warm hearty soups are great!

Hot + Heavy+ Smooth = Embrace the oil.

•  The good fats – like olive, flax, sesame, ghee (avoid coconut it’s too cold for this season)

• Drizzle a little extra olive oil over steamed veggies/leafy greens, which tend to aggravate dryness
• Abyangan – warm oil massage (sesame oil is nice and warm for Vata season). Good to do prior to yoga especially for stiff joints
• Nasya – a few drop of sesame or herbal vata oils in each nostril. Sounds weird but great relief afterward
•  A few drops of sesame oil in each ear prior to bed

Lifestyle Tips

• Aid your immune system with plenty of sleep and rest
• Pull out the Nettie pot at least once a week
• Pranayama - Nadi Shodhana (alternative nostril breathing)
• Yoga.  Asanas that regulate Vata such as inverted poses, twisting poses, shavaasana (corpse pose)
• Be regular by eating meals on a timely basis. Avoid skipping meals
• Stay warm with the foods you eat, the clothes you wear and your daily thoughts
• Avoid excessive multi-tasking. Create calm. Meditate
• Help your  digestion with  cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, fennel, basil, oregano, rosemary, black pepper, nutmeg, cardamom
• Aromatherapy: chamomile, lavender, rose, geranium, neroli, vetivert, rosemary, lemon balm, peppermint, basil, sweet marjoram, bergamot, lemon, clary sage, myrrh, frankincense, sandalwood, aniseed, cinnamon, eucalyptus

EMBRACE (with balance): SWEET (whole grains, fruits, veggies), SOUR, SALTY.

Keep in Check: Pungent, Astringent and Bitter

The Second Gathering

Last Sunday, April 25th Chit Chaat Chai served up some Ghar Ka Khana, which literally means food of the home. The intention behind April's menu was to serve a meal that I grew up eating on almost a weekly basis - Daal. 

Daal is a dish  that never taste the same from home to home, but always feels like your home especially with some basmati rice.  It's a staple dish that brings up fond childhood memories, even though at times there were moments of"Daal again?!". Yet, I still crave it ! For me, Daal will always be associated with home. 

Daal can be eaten many ways with many sides or pour it over almost any leftover and it just adds a little something! Last Sunday, I served it both sweet (with sev) and savory (with rice) for a side by side comparison of two of the many ways Daal can be enjoyed.  Below are some photos of the dishes...minus the main dish Daal. Unfortunately, the camera disappeared when it came time for the close-up but, pictures will come to a blog near you soon.

In the meantime, here are some other dishes from the evening that were served alongside the Daal.

Dudhi or Kadhu

a light green squash sauteed with cumin and mustard seeds

   

                                                      Cabbage Salad 

  w/green chilies, tomatoes, cilantro

Radishes

                                                       Roasted Beets

            

Sliced Cucumbers

Green Chilies 

pickled with mustard seeds

Keri Achaar

 pickled mango

Chundosweet and spicy green mango

& Limbo Achaar

pickled meyer lemon

Sev

sweet vermicilli

cooked in milk with raisins, almonds, pistachios & saffron

Badam Paak

almond and cream of wheat bar with cardamom & saffron

Recipes coming soon...

Lentils/Daal - Village Fabulous Food!

The one dish you could find in my home growing up at all times was a dish made with daal or lentils. It was a weekly staple that came in a variety of forms from sweet to savory, soup form to a mush or mixed with rice or meat to the base of a batter for some fried deliciousness. The list of dishes are endless! As are the interpretations of the word daal. 

Daal translates to lentils, but also refers to the name of the dish. Most of the time if someone says we are having Daal it usually means a lentil style soup. And because of the variety of daals available you never know what you are going to get. There is no one recipe for Daal. The taste, consistency, spice factor differs from home to home, village to village, town to town, region to region. And don't even get me started on all the different type of daals available. The one thing that is consistent with daal is that you get alot of bang for your buck.  Not only can you create a variety of dishes from one bag of daal -the perfect poor mans food but daal is a super-food rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals, cholesterol lowering fibers, amino acids, and iron. Mix daal with a grain and you get complete protein.

This Sunday, I will be making the version that is simply referred to as Daal in my home. It's a combination of Mung, Masur and Chana daals, which have been cooked in a big pot of water to create a soup like consistency. After infusing it with spices and topping it off with some lemon and cilantro it will be served with a squash dish, basmati rice and sweet sev (vermicelli) for a sweet and savory experience. All six tastes sweet, sour, salty, astringent, pungent and bitter will be present in the meal, so not to leave you with any cravings afterwards at least according to Ayurveda  Look forward to testing it with you all!

Below are a list of 7 (don't even get me started) daals that keep my kitchen cabinet full and colorful. If you are just beginning to experiment with daal,  Mung is quite versatile as it's a great soup, saute, sprout, 1 of the 2 ingredients in kitchri, its easy to find and cooks quickly.

Mung daal

 whole                          split with no peel             split with peel

Masur daal 

whole                      split with no peel

Chana daal

(garbanzo)split and peeled

Tuwar daal

split and peeled