5 Sattvic Recipes to Nourish Your Body, Mind & Soul

By: Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji, Culinary Expert and Chef Consultant

Sattvic food means “pure essence” provides calmness, purity and promotes longevity, intelligence, strength, health, happiness and delight.

Sattvic foods are fresh, juicy, light, delicious and nourishing too. These foods give us the immensely essential energy to the body. They must not processed, must be  free of preservatives and grown in a chemical-​free environment.

5 Sattvic Recipes

Pumpkin Soup

A delicious and healthy soup smooth like silk prepared with steamed pumpkin with the richness of coconut milk, flavoured with ginger and cumin, drizzled with coconut cream, sprinkled with lightly toasted pumpkin.

Preparation Time:10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients and Quantity:

• Red pumpkin, peeled and cubed- 500 gm
• Coconut milk, freshly extracted- 2 ½ cups
• Vegetable stock- ½ cup
• Ginger grated- 1/2 tsp.
• Cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground- 1/4^th tsp.
• Rock salt- to taste

For the garnish:

• Pumpkin seeds (Pepita) Seeds, lightly toasted – ½ tbsp
• Coconut cream- ½ tbsp

Method:

• Wash and steam the pumpkin and puree it along with ginger.
• In a soup pan add the pumpkin and ginger puree, coconut milk and vegetable stock.
• Let it simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.
• Add the cumin powder and rock salt, mix well.
• Pour into soup bowls.
• Drizzle coconut cream.
• Serve hot garnished with pumpkin seeds.

Chef Tips:

You may sprinkle a little Cinnamon powder to impart a sweet and woody flavour to the soup.

Vegetable Porridge

A complete meal in itself, broken wheat porridge prepared with loads of seasonal veggies, served garnished with fresh cilantro with a generous dose of cow’s desi ghee (Clarified Butter).

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 to 30 minutes

Serves– 4

Ingredients and Quantity:

• Broken Wheat porridge (Daliya), roasted -1 cup
• Cumin seeds- 2 tsp.
• Ginger, grated- 1 tsp.
• Carrots, finely chopped- ½ cup
• French beans, stringed, washed and chopped finely- ½ cup
• Green peas, shelled- 1/4^th cup
• Cauliflower, finely chopped- 1/4^th cup
• Water- 4 cups
• Himalayan Salt – to taste
• Extra Virgin Olive oil- ½ tbsp.

For the garnish:

Cilantro, finely chopped- 1 tbsp.

For the drizzling:

Desi ghee, prepared at home from cows’ milk- 1 tbsp. / or more, if desired.

Method:

• Heat a non-stick pan add oil heat on a medium flame, add cumin seeds let them crackle, add grated ginger sauté for a few seconds.
• Add all the vegetables, sauté for 2 minutes add water and bring it to a boil.
• Now add the roasted broken wheat porridge and salt , mix well.
• Cover and cook on a medium flame, occasionally stirring it to ensure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Once the water is absorbed. Switch off the flame and let it sit covered for 5 minutes.
• Serve hot garnished with fresh cilantro with a generous dose of Home-made desi ghee prepared from cow’s milk.

Chef Tips:

1. You may sprinkle lemon juice if desired.
2. You may add vegetables of your choice.
3. You may add fresh curry leaves in the tempering