Ayurveda-to-go
Once again, our fantastic Ayurveda chef Heide Maria Vendler has created wonderful recipes for you. Ayurveda on the move recipes that are easy to prepare at home and great to enjoy later on the road: a simple but sumptuous ayurvedic ratatouille with hearty Swiss chard falafel, and basil raita for a light yoghurt dip. This is paired with a delicious, refreshing coconut mint chai that you can also make with cow’s milk or any plant-based beverage, just as you like it.
Coconut mint chai
Ingredients for 4 servings each
- 500 ml water
- 500 ml coconut beverage (no coconut milk)
- 1 tbsp whole cardamum seeds
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- 5 cloves
- 1 handful dried mint leaves or 2 tea bags of peppermint tea
- Maple syrup or date powder to sweeten
Preparation
Bring the water with the spices to a boil. Reduce heat and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Now add the mint leaves or mint tea bags and milk and briefly bring to a boil again. Let steep for a few minutes, pour through a sieve, sweeten with maple syrup or date powder and enjoy lukewarm.
Tip
Mint chai is a delicious, refreshing beverage, especially on hot days. Of course, you can prepare it with cow’s milk or any plant-based drink as well.
Ratatouille
Ingredients for 4 servings each
- 1 eggplant
- 1 courgette
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 yellow and 1 red pepper
- 2 tomatoes (optional)
- 2 tsp raw cane sugar
- Rock salt
- 200 ml water or vegetable broth
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- Fresh basil and parsley
- 1 tsp whole fennel seed
- 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 3 cm cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 2 pinches of asafoetida
- Pepper
- Pinch of chili powder
- 1 heaping tsp chickpea flour, roasted
Preparation
Wash and dice the eggplant into large cubes, approximately 1 ½ cm. Place in a bowl with a little salt and let steep for a while.
Make a small incision near the stem of the tomatoes and blanch briefly in boiling water. Remove the skin from the tomatoes and finely dice them.
Chop the celery, courgette, and peppers into pieces approximately 1 ½ cm wide. Heat olive oil in a pan and carefully roast the whole spices (fennel seed, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf) until fragrant.
Pat dry the eggplant cubes and add them to the pan, sprinkle the raw sugar over them, and let roast for a few more minutes.
Now add the remaining vegetables (except for tomato cubes) and the ground spices. Continue to cook the vegetables over medium heat for a few minutes.
Add vegetable broth to deglaze, and tomato pieces. Cover the ratatouille and allow to gently simmer for 30 minutes.
Stir one spoonful of water into the chickpea flour and then add the mixture to the vegetables. Briefly bring the mixture to a boil so the vegetables thicken. Season to taste with salt and lemon zest and sprinkle with fresh herbs.
Tip
Seasonal vegetables give wonderful variety to ratatouille. If you don’t care for tomatoes, or if tomatoes don’t agree with you, omit them and add a bit more vegetable broth for liquid.
Swiss Chard Falafel
Ingredients for 4 servings each
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 120 g roasted chickpea flour
- 150 ml water
- 150 g cooked chickpeas
- 150 g Swiss chard
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 2 pinches of asafoetida
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Lemon zest to taste and 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt
- Chickpea flour for coating
- Coconut oil, ghee or rapeseed oil for frying
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Preparation
Wash chard, blanch in boiling water, then immediately rinse with cold water.
Shake dry and chop coarsely.
Heat the ghee in a saucepan and carefully roast the spices until fragrant. Add chickpea flour, briefly roast, then add water. Cook the mixture until it has the consistency of firm dough. Stir in the finely chopped Swiss chard and parsley, cooked chickpeas, lemon juice and zest, and season the resulting dough to taste with salt. Form into small balls or small flat cakes (2 to 3 cm diameter), roll in chickpea flour and fry in ghee, coconut oil or rapeseed oil.
Tip
We recommend frying one small ball first to test the consistency of the dough. If the dough is too soft, add more chickpea flour or breadcrumbs.
Basil raita
Ingredients for 4 servings each
- 250 g coconut yoghurt, vegan
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 pinch kala namak (black salt)
- Salt
- 1 handful basil leaves
- Lemon zest to taste
Preparation
Finely grind the fennel seeds in a mortar. Chop the basil leaves very fine. Combine all ingredients, then add salt and lemon zest to taste.
Tip
Basil raita can be prepared with normal yoghurt as well, of course. But if you’re enjoying it on the move in the summer heat, we recommend the coconut yoghurt version.