Thermos Flask Lunch - An Ayurvedic meal in a jar
This is the ideal lunch for anyone who wants to eat well at work while avoiding cafeteria and restaurant food. Because it contains a complete protein, fiber and lots of vitamins in the fresh vegetables, it can be taken day after day, using different spices, vegetables, etc. for variety. In fact, a good part of the world eats just this every day. With practice, you will find that it takes only 5-10 minutes, less than the waiting time at the restaurant. Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup yellow split mung beans, or small red lentils - well washed
- 1/4 cup basmati rice, well washed - less if watching your weight
- 1-1/2 cup fresh vegetables cut into small pieces to fit into thermos
- Whole or ground spices to taste (salt, pepper, cumin, ginger, turmeric, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 2 cups boiling water
Put the water to boil in a teakettle while you briefly saute the spices in a large saucepan for a few seconds in the ghee. (See notes below for more information about cooking spices.) Add the mung beans, rice and chopped vegetables. Cover with the boiling water, and boil for five minutes. While still boiling hot, quickly pour the mixture into a one-liter or one-quart thermos (you may need to spoon it in, but don't let the mixture cool). Close the thermos quickly and leave it closed for about four hours. The meal will cook and be ready to eat after four hours in the thermos. Notes:
- You may need to experiment with amounts and cooking times to get the best result. The exact amount of cooking time depends on the time lapse between cooking and eating and how well your thermos retains heat. If the time between cooking and eating is 5 to 6 hours, then only two minutes of cooking time may be required. If the time lapse is 2 to 3 hours, then five to ten minutes cooking time may be required.
- Since mung dal and rice swell up substantially, you will need a generous amount of water to get to get the proper consistency.
- Heavier vegetables like carrots and beets need one to two more minutes of cooking with the rice and dal. Lighter vegetables like spinach and leafy greens can be added just before pouring the whole mixture into the thermos.
- You can substitute beans and lentils for the mung beans. Heavier lentils and beans will need considerably more cooking time.
Instructions for frying the spices:
Do not overheat the ghee; it should not be smoking hot. Begin with whole spices, such as fresh chopped ginger, black pepper, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Fry them until they turn light brown or until the mustard seeds pop. Then add the ground spices, such as ginger, cumin, turmeric, cardamom and pepper, and saute just a few seconds. A spice is generally used either whole or ground, not both ways, in one dish.
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