Sauces / Chutney / Marinades Archives - Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda

Coconut Aminos vs Soy Sauce

October 2, 2015 by Vaidya Mishra 2 Comments

Can we occasionally use it as soy sauce substitute – Coconut Aminos:

http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Secret-Seasoning-Frustration-Packaging/dp/B00P9I8U0U.

Dear Divya: Occasionally perhaps, but keeping in mind that it will be pitta aggravating because it goes through heavy processing and derivation. If aggravating pitta is not a concern then by all means it is preferable over regular soy sauce. Pitta dosha is a very sensitive dosha that can trigger all other imbalances in the physiology so you want to steer clear of any ingredients that can bring that about. Of course, as the ayurvedic texts explain, we always tends to gravitate more towards what we already have plenty of: high pitta individuals will crave food items that will further elevate their pitta dosha! My wife is a good example of this! She loves soy sauce and she had to stop eating it being a high pitta and prone to migraines in her youth. To make-up for it, together we have developed a recipe using my Amla Tamarind preserve that comes very close in taste to chinese dishes using soy sauce. I will share it shortly.

Filed Under: 2015, Archives, Featured Products, Health & Nutrition, Knowledge, Q & A, Sauces / Chutney / Marinades Tagged With: coconut, soy sauce substitute, tamarind

Is it ok to cook Avocados?

September 21, 2015 by Vaidya Mishra 4 Comments

“Dear Vaidyaji,

Is it OK to cook Avocados or it should be had raw always?

Thanks,

Pavithra”

Vaidya replies:

Dear Pavithra: cooking avocados is not a good idea because avocado oil and other nutrients in avocado are very heat sensitive. However, raw avocado has a lot of soma, and if your digestive agni is low (pachak agni), and you consume raw avocados, you may make ama (semi-digested material or toxins) from avocado. For high pitta and high agni individuals, raw avocado is a great treat, because their overactive digestion can fully metabolize the raw avocado, but if you tend to have slower digestion, here is a recipe you can try. It will help you in transforming the soma of the avocado into ojas.

You will need:

1 ripe medium avocado – take out the seed and keep the pulp

1/4 tsp. Mum’s Masala

1 tsp. lime juice

Soma Salt per taste

½ teaspoon olive oil

Mix altogether to make a rich creamy texture. If you like chilies, you can add 1 fine shredded green thai chili.

The spice mixture of Mum’s Masala supports digestion and overall metabolism and will help process the richness of avocado so you get the most out of its nutrients without making any ama.

Filed Under: 2015, Archives, Health & Nutrition, Q & A, Recipes, Sauces / Chutney / Marinades, Snacks / Appetizers Tagged With: aguacate, avocados, cooked, health, healthy, nutrition, raw

Chyawanprash; 52 Herbs for daily detox and rejuvenation

December 11, 2014 by Vaidya Mishra 4 Comments

The Rishi and The Princess

The intriguing story of Rishi Chyawan is documented in the ancient

epic tale of India, the Mahabharata. Rishi Chyawan was a great seer. He was fully enlightened and thus carried no desires in his heart, except for union with the cosmic divine. It is said that he sat immobile, his senses fully retracted into the silent self-referral bliss of meditation, for numerous years, until one day, Sukanya, the young and beautiful daughter of King Sharyati, found him and accidentally awoke him from his yogic trance. The aging rishi and the young princess were soon wed. However, their conjugal bliss was overshadowed by the rishi’s old ascetic body.

It is then told that the celestial twin physicians, the Ashvinis, came to the rishi’s help.Physicians to the gods, they had garnered the entirety of Ayurvedic knowledge for the benefit of mankind and the celestial realm. They prepared a mixture that contained the best of what Mother Nature offered in terms of divine healing, balancing, and rejuvenating altogether 52 herbs, and presented it to Rishi Chyawan. Rishi Chyawan ate it, and it restored his body to its original youthful glow and functionality in no time! And the rishi and the princess lived happily ever after….

The recipe became known as Chyawan’s Prash, or the herbal mixture of Chyawan, renown for its tonic and rejuvenative powers.

Vaidya’s Story

“The sweet taste and rich aroma of home-made chyawanprash infuses my early childhood memories spent in the village of Vaidyachak (“Vaidya’s village”) in Jharkand, NorthEast India. My father used to prepare Chyawanprash for our family members, as well as his patients, from scratch. I used to watch him select the herbs, prep them, and, finally cook them.

Years later, when I studied Ayurveda formally and learnt of the countless benefits of all the herbs that go into the Chyawanprash formula, I had the desire to share it with all my ayurvedic patients, specially after moving to the West. That’s how, several years ago, I initiated the process of sourcing and gathering the best quality wild-crafted herbs that would go into the preparation. I wanted to make sure that I incorporated every single ingredient that was mentioned in the original formula without compromise of quality.

Finally, a few months ago, everything came together, and I put together this “avaleha,” or “liquid preserve,” just the way my father used to make it! I am very happy to say It smells and tastes just as good as I remember it!

How does it work?

Chyawanprash is Ayurveda’s gift to us. It brings together the best of all the “divyaushadhi,” or divine herbs, in a recipe that is not only balancing, but is a delicious addition to daily diet. It’s no accident that it is considered India’s national tonic!

The preparation of these 52 herbs and plants involves seven stages and is complex because the herbs that are used have different properties that need to be prepared in distinct separate steps before being combined together, in order to get the full benefit. The original creators of this formula, the Ashwin Gods, taught the way of infusing the different groups of herbs together, based on how they can be categorized property-wise. The herbs that go into the mixture can be grouped into three:

rasayana or rejuvenative herbs
detoxifying and cleansing herbs
immuno-modulatory herbs

Deriving the lipid and water soluble fractions of these herbs, while

infusing their balancing properties into the base of the alma berry paste (amalaki) is thus a challenging process that has to go through different time-sensitive steps. But when it is done properly, when the powerful molecules have been duly prepared and mixed in with the organic sugar and honey, the formulation is fully potent and active, benefiting the body as soon as it touches the oral mucosa. Once in the stomach, it detoxifies traveling through the gaps of the tissues and nourishing all the aspects of the physiology.

Chyawanprash is a daily tonic that is good for all age groups all the time – except infants and children age 5 and under. The original formula contains ghee, cane sugar, and honey. Please note that the addition of ghee, honey, and sugar is necessary as they help coat the herbal molecules and deliver them to the deeper tissues. They are added as balancing ingredients because the original formula is very potent with its concentrated content of herbs and amla. They are

not flavoring agents. And since they are consumed in conjunction with the dozens of herbs that are in the formula, they body is able to process and metabolize them fully. You will not make ama from the ghee, the sugar, or the honey – no one should experience discomfort or imbalance from the sugar and fat content. However, if you have fat and sugar sensitivities or prefer to avoid consuming either or both, I have put together a Chyawanprash Syrup that contains no added fat (ghee) and no added sugar (honey or raw can sugar). For those who have concerns consuming fat and/or sugar, this will be the ideal way to get the rejuvenative benefit of all the rasayana and other herbs that are part of the original formula.

What do Charak Samhita Sutra-s say about Chyawanprash?

According to the Charak Samhita, verses 70-74, Chyawanprash has countless health benefits!

Verse 70 says that:

Chyawanprash is a great tonic for the lungs, it can take care of chronic cough, and helps alleviate breathing trouble. It supports and helps older physiologies, helps reverse aging, and it nourishes the growth of children and young adults.

Verse 71 says:

Chyawanprash supports the vocal chords; nurtures all seven tissues; nourishes the heart; pacifies Vata dosha; nourishes the blood; takes care of excessive thirst. It helps the urinary tract; nourishes the reproductive fluid, and pacifies the aggravated dosha-s in the urinary tract.

Verse 72 says:

It can be consumed as a food item, as a dessert, after your midday meal. Do not eat at night as it can be too energizing and may interfere with sleep. Consuming chyawanprash as part of your daily diet will rejuvenate all age groups, making the old young again, and the young stronger!

Verse 73 says:

Increases intelligence; boosts memory; enhances glow and complexion of the skin; keeps the body disease-free; lengthens the life-span; strengthens all five senses. Chyawanprash supports and promotes marital or conjugal bliss, strengthening both male and female physiologies! It also supports the digestive metabolic fire; increases overall radiance; pacifies apana vata.

Verse 74 says:

This verse tells us that chyawanprash could also be used as part of the “kayakalpa” protocol. “Kayakalpa” literally means restoring youth to the body inside and out! There are two kinds of kayakalpa mentioned the Charak Samhita. One is called “Kuti praveshik” which is a protocol that is carried out indoors, under strict supervision. The other is “vaat tapik” or outdoors. The indoors protocol is more efficient, and the consumption of Chyawanprash is recommended for this protocol. This verse says that whoever uses Chyawanprash as a rasayana for the reversal of aging, will get all the benefits of kayakalpa – removal of old age, rejuvenation, reclaiming beauty, strength, youthful skin, etc. This verse confirms that Chyawanprash can be used on a daily basis, safely and effectively, for daily rejuvenation; or as a clinical preparation taken under supervision with specific dosage requirements when conducting “kayakalpa” treatments for the ultimate cleansing and renewing protocol that Ayurveda can offer.

Filed Under: 2014, Archives, Desserts, Health & Nutrition, Knowledge, Main Meals, New Arrivals, Sauces / Chutney / Marinades Tagged With: chutney, chyawanprash, formulation, herbs, new arrival, rasayana herbs, rejuvenate, syrup

Introducing a perfectly delicious and healthy potato substitute called: Nagaimo.

July 24, 2014 by SVA Customer Service Leave a Comment

Vaidya Mishra: “It is found in almost all Asian grocery stores. A lot of people following the SVA diet are missing potatoes in their cooking. Lorna Cheng, a scientist and SVA healer who follows and recommends the SVA diet in her teachings, brought the Nagaimo vegetable to me to check whether I could approve it and add it to the SVA diet. I researched it and tried and tested it myself, and found that it is the perfect healthy substitute for potato. When you peel and boil it, it tastes and looks 100% like potatoes, but even better than that, it is lighter and easier to digest, because it has a completely different chemical and nutrient make-up.
Here is a breakdown of various nutrients found in nagaimo:
Magnesium
Zinc
Vitamin C
Mucin
Potassium
Diastese
Vitamin B1
Polyphenol
Dietary Fiber
Just touching and looking at nagaimo, you will notice like I did that it has a lot of mucilage – slimy residue. The good news is this is a perfect prebiotic for the body. Asian cuisine loves this vegetable and is aware of its therapeutic properties. I created different recipes, using my new SVA Garcinia Masala blends – they were all very good. I would like to share them with you.
Caution: the peel carries some skin irritating chemicals, make sure you wrap in a towel or paper towel while peeling them, or even better, wear some clinical gloves (available at Target’s pharmacy etc) to avoid getting a rash. Do not touch any other body parts after touching the vegetable. If you get a skin irritation, rinse the affected area with fresh water, wipe, and apply a moisturizing cream.
The overall feeling, after eating nagaimo, is that it is very nurturing even though light, and it readily creates bliss with nourishment. A lot of on-line Japanese recipes are recommending we eat it raw. In my opinion eating this vegetable raw can create ama. Because of its high content of mucilage, nagaimo will be heavy to digest for certain people in certain situation. That is why it is best to cook it with Garcinia Masala because this spice blends makes it easier to digest, easy to absorb, and more palatable and flavorful. You will never crave potatoes again!

Spice-coated toasted crunchy Nagaimo
Peel and then chop the naigamo into medium size cubes
Boil in 2 cups of water; do not cook thoroughly only half way so that the nagaimo does not become mushy.
In a pan, add 1 teaspoon of ghee and 1 teaspoon of vata, kapha or pitta garcinia masala -based on your need.
Add 1/8 teaspoon of soma salt, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric.
Sautee these spices altogether for a few minutes.
Add the 2 cups of nagaimo cooked half way and sauté with spices.
Optional
you can add 3-4 curry leaves and 1 green chili.
Stir and cook for ten minutes.
Make sure it is thoroughly cooked so that spices are well absorbed.
After cooking garnish with finely chopped cilantro leaf and enjoy!

Mashed potato substitute
Peel and boil nagaimo in 2 cups of water. Boil until it is very soft and mushy.
Then in a pan sauté in 1 teaspoon of ghee, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, 1 teaspoon of Garcinia Masala for vata, pitta or kapha, ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon of any nuts of choice (like pine nuts, shredded almonds, bits of cashews} toast all together.
Optional ingredients: Add 4 curry leaves and/or green chilies.
Toast altogether and add your boiled Nagaimo.
Mash it well with all spices and stir. Toast everything again together for a few minutes.
Add ½ lime juice and 1 teaspoon of olive oil and Soma Salt to taste.

Nagaimo in a spicy sauce
Peel and cut medium sized cubes of nagaimo.
In 8 oz. of water boil nagaimo half way cooked.
Sauté 1 tablespoon of ghee, 2 crushed green cardamoms and 2 crushed black cardamoms, ¼ of crushed cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of garcinia masala of your choice, ¼ of turmeric, ¼ teaspoon of soma salt
After sautéing spices for a few minutes add the half boiled nagaimo. Stir and toast everything together. Toast nicely so it is cooked well.
Add 8 oz of water to the pan. Cover and cook for ten minutes. This is a nice juicy recipe for nagaimo.