Eat, Pray, Love: Ayurvedic Cuisine (Part 2)

Part Six in a Series

As I wrote in my post that was published on 22 July 2010, I learned about Ayurvedic Cuisine by way of a press release that was sent to me by Gaylord, which is a very popular South Asian eatery in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong.

According to the press release, mid-June to mid-August is referred to as the Varsha Rithu or the Monsoon period in Ayurvedic principles.

The ailments or injuries in your body tend to flare up during this period, and it is therefore advisable to take certain precautionary measures to boost your immune system. These include yoga, Ayurvedic massages, and Ayurvedic cuisine, which is vegetarian.

“There are three fundamental attributes or gunas in Ayurveda – Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas,” the press release says. “One of the key ways to physically and mentally regulate these gunas is through diet.

Eat, Pray, Love

In the first one third of Eat, Pray, Love, which I seem to be crawling through at a snail’s pace (which is no reflection on the book – I am easily distracted), Elizabeth Gilbert spends much of her time raving about the joys of Italian cooking.

Now that I have traveled vicariously through the book to India, I was expecting a little more on the country’s culinary scene. But so far, I have only learned that the food at Gilbert’s ashram “is vegetarian, light and healthy. But still delicious.”

Lunch at Gaylord Indian Restaurant

I decided to have lunch at Gaylord Indian Restaurant to sample the Ayurvedic Menu that was featured in the press release. Not knowing a whole lot about Indian food (except that it tends to be very, very spicy!), I went with an Indian friend, who – with the help of the waiter – put together a very tasty lunch.

We decided to include two dishes – one chicken, one lamb – that were not strictly Ayurvedic. Putting together the right combination of flavours and textures when dining on Indian Cuisine can be a challenge for those of us not to the manner born. I am therefore sharing our menu because I thought that these dishes went particularly well together.

Our Menu

CHICKEN TIKKA

Boneless pieces of chicken that have been tenderized for hours with yogurt and spices and then grilled in a clay Tandoor oven.

Served on a iron platter with onions and doused with fresh lemon juice at the table, Chicken Tikka has always been one of my favourite Indian dishes, and this version of it did not disappoint. Seared on the outside, it was tender and moist on the inside.

CHATPATTA HARRA MOONG

Green lentil sprouts mixed with chopped tomatoes and tangy chaat masala.

Oh, was this yummy! It was the perfect accompaniment to the Chicken Tikka.

NAAN

Crisp Indian style bread made in the clay Tandoor oven.

PALAK PANEER

A delicious combination of spinach and homemade cottage cheese cubes

Delicately flavoured – tasted far yummier than it sounded! This well nuanced dish would be perfect for those that can’t handle too much heat.

DAL MAMOOLI

Yellow lentils simply tempered with cumin, asafetida and fresh coriander.

Very, very, very tasty!

MUGHLAI BIRYANI