Suvir Saran

Below is an excerpt ( I have taken the last few paragraphs and posted them, please follow the link to read the entire article) from an article in Poz magazine on Ayurveda and how it is being used in India and now overseas in the treatment of patients living with HIV and AIDS. Medicine Masala Though India's 4 million HIVers face everything from vicious discrimination to sky-high prices for retrovirals, some native ancient healing traditions may offer new solutions -- for their epidemic and ours. By Sameera Khan ".....................Ayurveda describes three universal energies that regulate all natural processes on both the macro- and microcosmic levels. That is, the same energies that control galaxies and star systems are operating on the human body. These forces, which govern all of our life processes, are known as the three doshas, or simply the tridosha. The three are vata (wind), which controls movement and the nervous system; pitta (sun), which is hot and rules the digestive processes and metabolism; and kapha (moon), which has a cooling effect and governs the body's organs, as well as cell growth and tissue development. When in balance, the doshas are life-supporting, but when out of whack, they are the agents of disease, including AIDS. Ayurveda focuses on maintaining a balance of these life energies, rather than treating individual symptoms. Thus, to diagnose an imbalance, the ayurvedic vaid (doctor) not only responds to the physical complaint but also examines a patient's history and daily habits, paying special attention to diet, the tongue, breathing, sleeping patterns and emotional and mental states. Typically, vaids treat ailments with herbal remedies -- made using indigenous plants, according to traditional formulas -- or mineral-based remedies, along with various forms of yogic cleansing, fasting and special diets. Vaids also advise patients on exercise, patterns of breathing, relaxation and meditation, and recommend practical interventions such as massage and enemas. Most vaids consider allopathic medicine to be the standard remedy for some AIDS-related infections, such as tuberculosis. Others, such as diarrhea, vaids treat using ayurveda: First, a vaid would diagnose whether the diarrhea is of vata, pitta or kapha origin. Then he or she would prescribe a group of medicines to restore balance in the body. If the diarrhea were of vata origin, for example, that remedy would consist of powdered bel (Aegle marmelos) and a decoction (concentrate) of nut grass (Cyprus rotundus)."

Ayurvedic Timeline The city-states of the Indus Valley flourished for more than a thousand years, between 2600 BC and 1500 BC. Vedas were transmitted orally through songs and verses. As they were transmitted verbally for centuries before they were ever written down, their dates of origin can only be estimated. Rig Veda (describes in 128 hymns, 67 herbs and medical practices). It is supposed to be 4, 500 years old. It is said to be the oldest known song in the world. Atharva Veda (Describes the roots of Ayurveda) Charaka Samhita (Written by Charaka around 700 BC in Punjab) - First Ayurvedic text. It contains an extensive overview of the practice of general medicine and the use of foods and herbs for healing. Susruta Samhita (600 BC) - Susruta lived around modern day Benares. This text focuses on the surgical procedures common to Ayurvedic Medicine of that period. The Ashokan Empire was the zenith of Ayurveda. The Ashokan Empire was one of the greatest ancient empires of the world. Ashoka lived in India several centuries before Christ. At the peak of his rule, he renounced violence for the practice of Buddhism. He then undertook the task of spreading the teachings of Buddha. As the religion and the way of living spread to different countries in the region, Ayurveda also got revitalized. One can see Ayurvedic influences in Tibetan Buddhist and Chinese medicine. One finds that Buddhism also influenced Japanese and Indonesian holistic medicines. Astanga Samgraha and Astanga Hridaya - In the early centuries after the birth of Christ, the third great work on Ayurveda was written by Vagbhata Senior and Junior. These two volumes reviewed the writings of the Charaka and Susruta Samhita. Islamic Invasions - Beginning from 1100 and 1200 AD... Forcibly replaced Ayurveda with the Islamic Unani medicine tradition. British Rule - 1833 the British closed all Ayurvedic schools. Remarkable the Ayurveda has even survived after all these challenges.

Ayurvedic medicine is a profession practiced in India. First mentioned in the Rig Veda over 5000 years ago. Charaka Samhita was the first complete Ayurvedic text written by Charaka around 700 BC in The Punjab. It contains detailed study of general medicine and the use of foods, spices and herbs for healing. Its concepts are the foundation of what became the Greek humoral system (pertaining to one of the four fluids of the body; blood, choler, phlegm and black bile), and later the current biomedical system. This was one of the reasons that made India desirable to be conquered by Alexander. Ayurvedic physicians, called vaidyas, are trained at government schools and are granted degrees upon completion of approved curricula. In Hindu mythology food is brahman, the divine reality. Eating is the uniting factor across all lives. Our bodies come from food and live of food. Many diseases are related to diet. Thus, in ancient India, Ayurved was practiced. The same great seers of India that developed Yoga developed the science of Ayurved. Ayurved is called the science of life in India. A system of diet, exercise and healing that is at once scientific and spiritual at its core. Ayurveda sees diet and medicine as a complementary set. To be healthy one needs to find the perfect balance between diet, exercise (yoga) and mental health. In Indian home cooking, food is supposed to have healing properties that are defined by the dynamics of taste, also called Rasa. Rasa is the primary product of all food. It is the juice flowing freely through our bodies. Rasa is to Ayurveda what blood is to western medicine. Contamination of Rasa leads to a malfunction in the body. Thus there are different ways of preparing food. Care is taken to alter those properties of food that can have side effects. Certain spices are added to food to make up for properties of an ingredient that would otherwise not be healthy for the body. Cooking is an art form -- whereby spices and herbs are used not only to make food tasty but also therapeutic.

Breads of India... Is this a restaurant? Where is it? What are your favorite dishes there?

Have a recipe to share with all of us? Yes baking soda is the active ingredient. I love Dhoklas as well. How light and wonderful. I love them with some mint chutney. What tarka (perfumed oil/tempered oil) do you add to your Dhoklas?

Wingding, You are wandering into a territory that is all about spice and food. You are doing just fine. This thread was meant to bring out the many different pickling spices and their history and unique tales. Please... this has been exciting. As Polly said above, we learn every day.

What do you think about Ayurveda? Do you cook any Ayurvedic recipes? What do you know about it?

Paalak Waalee Daal (Mung Beans and Spinach) Mung daal is eaten as a staple in homes of Delhi and other northern Indian cities. The spinach gives the daal a creamy texture. The cumin and ginger add a very wonderful bite and the asafoetida gives it the meaty aroma without any of the heaviness. You can serve this with rice or chapatis and with any simple dry vegetable. 1 cup dhuli mung kee daal (split, washed green beans) 1 cup tightly packed, finely chopped spinach greens 2 tsp.ginger, finely chopped 2 small hot green chilies, chopped pinch of asafoetida 1 tsp.turmeric powder salt (to taste) 1-1/2 tsp.cumin seeds juice of half a lime 4 tbsp.canola Clean and wash the daal. In a sauce pan heat the canola and fry the cumin seeds, asafoetida and the ginger for a minute or so. Until the cumin seeds are a nice golden color. Add the daal and spinach and cook for a couple of minutes. Now add the salt and the turmeric powder and 6 cups of water. Cook uncovered on low heat, stirring occasionally until daal is tender. Add water if you want daal runny or cook more if you want it thick. Stir in the lime juice and serve hot.

Mung Daal kaa Keema (Mung Beans and Green Pea Mince) A recipe that brings a meaty texture and flavor to the vegetarian plate. Not many Indian dishes have been planned as such. This is one eaten in Kayastha homes. It is great with pooris, and for formal dinners with tandoor breads and a cool raita and some spicy vegetables. You can also use julienned fine ginger root on the daal. dhuli mung kee daal (split, washed green beans) 2/3 cup ghee 1-3/4 cups 4 medium red onions, pureed 10 cloves garlic, ground into paste with a few cumin seeds Ginger (ground) 1 inch coriander powder 3 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp 4 medium tomatoes, chopped garam masala 1/2 tsp yogurt (curd) 6 tbsp 1 cup green peas, thawed if frozen, shelled if fresh 3 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped salt (to taste) Clean and wash daal and soak overnight or for 10 hours. Drain and grind coarsely. Heat 1 1/4 cups of the ghee in a frying pan. Fry the daal in this until a light golden color. As you fry the daal make sure to keep scraping the bottom of the pan. This will prevent the daal from sticking and from getting too dark. Drain when done and set aside. Heat the remaining half a cup of ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Fry the onions in this until a nice golden color. Add the garlic and ginger pastes, saute for a moment or two and then add a tablespoon or two of water and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook for a minute and then add the tomatoes. Cook till the mix becomes paste like. Add the fried daal and 2 cups of water. Cook on very low heat for 15 minutes and then add the peas. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, and add more water if necessary. Remember the keema should be a mince like dry and moist dish. Too much water can ruin the consistency. Stir in the garam masala and the yogurt and cook, stirring until the mixture is dry. Sprinkle the keema with the chopped cilantro leaves.

Keema is a dish that many Indians love. Made from lamb or chicken minced meat, it is found in several versions across India. Do you ever make anything similar to Keema for vegetarians?

Foods of India is a store just next door to Kalustyan's. They are the store just south of it, I know for sure that they carry these items.

Tomatoes came to India with the Portuguese in the 16th century. Today, they are very popular throughout India. They are prized for their sour taste, color and flavor. Indian tomatoes are far more acidic than tomatoes we find here. This makes them much more sour and so perfect for use in dishes where that taste is needed. Indians always use very ripe tomatoes and invariably, even the very ripe ones will have a nice amount of sourness.

Lemons and Lime come from India. For some strange reason, limes are more commonly used in Indian homes. Limes are called Nimbu. Lime juice is often added to dishes at the very end. This gives the dishes a great finishing taste and also in my opinion, often reduces the heaviness of both spice and fat in a dish. It is also used in Indian cooking to counter the need to salt dishes rather generously, since spices do not always taste good unless enough salt is added.

Vinegar is mostly used in certain pickles in the North. In Southern and western India, one sees more use of Vinegar. It is part of the Portuguese influence in that region. Vinegar is commonly used in the cooking of the people of Goa, parts of Karnataka, Kerala and some other Konkan areas. It is also used in many recipes of the Parsee and Jewish communities of India. In the Konkan region one finds Coconut based Vinegar. The Parsees of Gujarat and Bombay use Cane Vinegar.

Yogurt is the most popular souring agent in many Northern Indian homes. In fact even in the south, yogurt is now used when souring dishes. Yogurt is extremely healthy. And even more so in Indian homes, since it is made fresh at home and often twice a day. Indias largely tropical climate makes it easy for chefs to set yogurt with little if any fuss. Making yogurt from skim milk can be a great way of making a more sour yogurt. Certain Indian dishes call for sour yogurt and Indian chefs have many tricks that they employ to make their otherwise very mild and naturally sweet yogurt turn sour.

And of course, the hostess had picked up several CD's of Indian music. Tamil, Hindi and Urdu songs were being played on the music system. The music could be heard in even the most remote corners of the large estate. It was surreal for me, since I had to keep reminding myself that I was not in India.

If the Henna was not enough to entertain, the hostess had organised for the young girls to get a lesson in the anicent Indian art of Rangoli and Mandala. These are the arts of decorating the floors of houses with various colored powders, sands and flowers and grains. Two large 12 feet round tables were set up with all the many colors of sand in the center. The girls had several patterned papers to choose from and also glue for each of them. They painted beautiful patterns in the most amazing colors as they ate and munched on the food. I felt I was transported back to a lavish Indian party in Delhi. Bridgehampton was to my mind, no different from a posh New Delhi neighborhood. The young girls and their mothers had the same aura as that one sees in the gatherings in the richer neighborhoods of Delhi. But what was most impressive was that the hostess had planned all of this while traveling to Hong Kong and Singapore. The young girls go to private school in Hong Kong. And each year, for the last three years, they have had a Summer Tea Party with a special theme.

When the young girls came over, they were greeted by the daughters of the house. They were dressed in beautiful Lahengas, Cholis and glass bangles and gold anklets, necklaces and earrings. The young man who was hired to do the Henna (mehndi) Tattoos greeter them by giving each girl a beautiful hand dyed and embroidered textile from India. He wrapped them around the girls as a sarong. They then picked a design or three or five that they wanted to get tattooed on themselves. He was very good with kids and these girls were enthralled by what they saw him doing and what ended up imprinted on each of them. What a great idea to have for a party hosted by two young girls for tea. The girls were 8 and 10 year old. Their friends were in the same age group.

I meant a Kurta Payjama ( the traditional male attire from India).

The two women servers wore identical silk Saris in a beautiful magenta color with gold borders. The man helping wore a kura Payjama. The two chefs wore the usual chefs uniform. The table cloths were in different bright jewel tone colors. The flower arrangements were bold and bright and fragrant. There were beautiful Indian onion paper lanterns scattered around the large compound and around the wrap around patio. The hostess had bought these from Singapore and Hongkong.

There were an assortment of great bright, spiced and kid-friendly cookies that the host had bought from a local baker. There were beautiful petit fours, cakes, brownies and fudge as also some candy.

Wingding, I wish I could help you more with information on Kodampoli. I know it is Fish Tamarind. I also know it is a souring agent used in many curries in Southern India. But I have never cooked with it myself. Sorry! Where did you get your recipe from? Did you learn it in your travels to India?

Recipe Please! It sounds amazing...

Kokum is used in South-Western Indian cooking mostly. Kokum grows on trees and has purple flesh. It will add a purplish color to food and certainly make it sour in taste. It is a ingredient essential to the famous Sindhi Curry. It is a dish cooked in the Sindhi homes around Bombay and all over. Sindhi Curry has chickpea flour in its base. When I lived in Bombay, Kokum coolers were very popular. They are tangy and refreshing. Kokum is found in several of the Fish curries from the Konkan coast, especially Goa.

The Tandoor on wheels was the big hit. It always is at parties where I tote it. People cannot stop looking at how amazing the cooking technique is and how simply yet exotic it is.