Here's a bitter taste in your mouth that you'll learn to love!
In Ayurveda, meal planning consists of including foods with six different kinds of tastes- sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent and bitter. Cooking with spices like fenugreek and turmeric are a couple ways to add some bitter taste to a meal, but a few favorite other ways will be posted here.
In Ayurveda, meal planning consists of including foods with six different kinds of tastes- sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent and bitter. Cooking with spices like fenugreek and turmeric are a couple ways to add some bitter taste to a meal, but a few favorite other ways will be posted here.
STIR FRIED KARELA
Choose firm, fresh, slender karela. Slice each karela down the middle. Then into chunks. If the seeds are small they can be cooked, too. Leave the intact (If it's reddish inside rounder selections of karela, save those ripe seeds to grow your own!) Add ghee to a skillet. When hot, toss in the bitters and add salt and stir a bit on high heat. Adding a littlemore ghee if needed. Then cover and lower heat and left cook on low heat at least 30 minutes. Stir and karela should look browned. If needed, turn up heat at the end and sear a few minutes for better browning, as desired.
DANDELION GREENS
Our newest offering for Krishna's lunch regarding the bitter department. Dandelion greens are now available in the market if you don't care to grow and or pick your own.
Just wash, chop and fry like you did the karela. Steam on low until desired tenderness.
A QUICK METHOD
No time for cooking? Simply sprinkling on a little Italian herbs, especially basil and oregano on top of soups, kitchri, veggies and so on will do. You can even have a small container of extra herbs to sprinkle on along with the the salt and pepper shakers on the dining table. That way one can add extra on their own meal, just in case not everyone in the family is on board about adding it to theirs! These are dried herbs, but if you can grow them, fresh is even better tastewise.
What's the big deal about adding bitter herbs, spices or foods? Well, more info can be found on Google about the benefits and how western diets are often lacking in this important taste that helps prevent or control diseases like diabetes or eczema or to help fight infections. Once I had cured an infection just by adding fresh sage leaves for a couple days to my plate or cuttings of thyme from the garden. All the above are also good.