Ingredients

• 200 gWhole green moong dal (साबुत मूंग)
• 50 gRaw rice (or skip rice for low-glycemic version)
• 1 inchGinger
• 2Green chillies
• ½ tspCumin (jeera)
• to tasteSalt + chopped coriander

Method

1. Soak moong dal + rice + ginger + chillies overnight in plenty of water (at least 8 hours).
2. Drain. Grind to a thick batter — slightly coarse, like dosa batter. Do not over-grind.
3. Add salt, jeera, and chopped coriander. Mix.
4. Heat tawa on medium. Pour one ladle of batter and spread thin like dosa.
5. Drizzle ½ teaspoon mustard oil around the edges.
6. Cook until crisp underneath (about 2 minutes). Flip for 30 seconds. Serve hot.

Ingredients

• 60 gToor dal (अरहर/तूर)
• 60 gChana dal (चना दाल)
• 60 gUrad dal (उड़द दाल)
• 60 gWhole moong
• 100 gRaw rice
• 4Dried red chillies
• 1 inchGinger
• to tasteSalt, hing, jeera, curry leaves, finely chopped onion

Method

1. Soak all four dals + rice + dried red chillies + ginger together for 4 hours.
2. Drain. Grind coarse, not smooth. Adai batter must have texture.
3. Add salt, hing, jeera, chopped curry leaves, and chopped onion (optional).
4. Heat tawa. Spread batter thicker than a regular dosa — about ½ cm thick.
5. Drizzle mustard oil. Cook until brown and crisp on both sides — about 3 minutes per side.

Ingredients

• 150 gHorse gram (कुलथी / kollu)
• 1 tspMustard oil + 1 tsp ghee
• 1 tspMustard seeds, jeera, hing
• 5–6Curry leaves
• 1Onion, chopped
• 2Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tspGinger-garlic paste
• ½ tsp eachTurmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder
• to finishLemon juice + chopped coriander

Method

1. Soak horse gram overnight in plenty of water.
2. Pressure-cook with 4 cups water, turmeric, and salt for 8–10 whistles. The dal must be very soft.
3. In a separate pan, heat oil + ghee. Add mustard seeds, jeera, hing, curry leaves.
4. Add onion, ginger-garlic paste. Cook until golden.
5. Add tomatoes, red chilli, coriander powder. Cook until tomatoes are soft.
6. Add the cooked dal. Simmer 10 minutes. Finish with lemon juice and coriander.

What to buy

• 200g packPro Nature Organic Ground Flaxseed (or Conscious Food, or 24 Mantra)

Storage

1. Once opened, transfer to an airtight container.
2. Keep refrigerated. Ground flax oxidises quickly at room temperature.
3. Use within 4 weeks of opening for best lignan/ALA preservation.

Daily use

1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon over dal at lunch (works best with toor dal, masoor dal, moong dal — disappears into the flavour).
2. Or stir into the morning oats porridge.
3. Or mix into hung curd dessert (option #3).
4. Do not add to anything boiling or pressure-cooking — heat damages ALA omega-3. Add at the end, after the dal is served.

Ingredients

• 4Black carrots (or regular orange + 1 small beetroot for colour)
• 2 tbspMustard seeds (rai), coarsely ground
• 1 tspRed chilli powder
• 1 tbspSalt
• 2 litresFiltered water

Method

1. Wash and cut carrots into thin batons. Place in a clean glass jar.
2. Add ground mustard seeds, chilli powder, salt, and water.
3. Cover the mouth of the jar with clean muslin cloth (so it can breathe).
4. Place the jar in direct sunlight (terrace works) for 3 to 4 days. Delhi sun is perfect.
5. Stir once daily. Taste on day 3 — should be tangy and slightly sour.
6. If under-fermented, sun for one more day. Once ready, refrigerate.

Ingredients

• 100 gBlack chickpeas (काला चना), sprouted
• 2 tspMustard oil
• ½ tsp eachMustard seeds, urad dal
• 1Dried red chilli
• handfulCurry leaves, hing
• 1Onion + 1 inch ginger, chopped
• 2 tbspFresh grated coconut
• to finishLemon juice + chopped coriander

Method

1. Soak chickpeas overnight. Drain. Tie in muslin cloth and leave for 24–36 hours until sprouted.
2. Boil sprouted chickpeas with salt and turmeric — 1 whistle in pressure cooker. Drain.
3. Heat mustard oil. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, dried red chilli, curry leaves, hing.
4. Add onion and ginger. Sauté until soft.
5. Add boiled chickpeas. Toss for 2 minutes.
6. Finish with grated coconut, lemon juice, coriander.

Ingredients

• 1 cupRagi flour (नाचनी / finger millet flour)
• 2 cupsWater
• ½ tspSalt

Method

1. Boil 2 cups water with salt in a heavy pan.
2. Slowly add ragi flour while stirring continuously — no lumps.
3. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes.
4. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides — smooth and dense.
5. Wet your hands. Form into tennis-ball sized portions while still hot.

Ingredients

• 300 mlHot water
• 1 inchFresh ginger, crushed
• 1 tspSaunf (fennel seeds)
• 1 tspHoney (added after slight cooling)

Method

1. Boil 300ml water with crushed ginger and saunf for 3 minutes.
2. Strain into a cup. Allow to cool slightly (so honey is not heated).
3. Stir in honey. Drink warm.

Ingredients

• 200 gFresh curd
• 400 mlCold water
• 1 tspRoasted jeera powder
• ¼ tspHing
• 1 tbspFresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 1Green chilli, slit (mild — Bhavnagri/Anaheim variety, not hot)
• to tasteBlack salt or rock salt

Method

1. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a small pan. Add hing, chopped coriander, and slit green chilli. Cook on low for 30 seconds — the coriander should wilt and turn aromatic, not fry.
2. Cool the tadka completely (2 minutes).
3. Whisk curd with cold water in a flask until smooth and frothy.
4. Add roasted jeera powder, salt, and the cooled coriander tadka. Stir well.
5. Pack into a steel flask for the day.

Ingredients

• 1 tspMethi (fenugreek) seeds
• 200 mlFiltered water

Method

1. The night before, soak 1 tsp methi seeds in 200ml water in a covered glass.
2. In the morning, strain. Drink the water on empty stomach.
3. The soaked seeds can be chewed (very bitter) or discarded.

Ingredients

• 50 gRoasted peanuts (unsalted)
• 2Dried red chillies
• 2Garlic cloves
• ½ tspTamarind paste
• to tasteSalt + 50ml water for grinding
• tadka1 tsp mustard oil + mustard seeds + curry leaves + hing

Method

1. Grind roasted peanuts, red chillies, garlic, tamarind, and salt with 50ml water to a thick paste.
2. Heat mustard oil. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing. Pour over the chutney.
3. Use 1 tablespoon at a time, with cheela or roti. Not daily.

Ingredients

• 100 gToor dal (or 70g toor + 30g moong dal for variety)
• 200 gMixed vegetables: drumstick, lauki, carrot, tomato (any 3–4)
• 1 tbspSambhar masala (MTR or homemade)
• ½ tspTamarind paste
• 1 tspMustard oil + tadka spices: mustard seeds, jeera, hing, dried red chilli, curry leaves
• to tasteSalt + chopped coriander to finish

Method

1. Pressure-cook dal with turmeric, salt, and 3 cups water for 4 whistles. Mash lightly.
2. In a separate pan, heat mustard oil. Add mustard seeds, jeera, hing, red chilli, curry leaves.
3. Add chopped vegetables. Sauté 2 minutes. Add 1 cup water and cook till vegetables are soft (about 8 minutes).
4. Add cooked dal, sambhar masala, tamarind paste, and 1 more cup water. Simmer 10 minutes.
5. Finish with chopped coriander.

Method

1. Heat 1 tsp mustard oil in a pan.
2. Add ½ tsp jeera, ¼ tsp hing, 1 dried red chilli (broken), 4 curry leaves.
3. When jeera crackles (about 30 seconds), add the chopped vegetable.
4. Sauté on medium heat for 4–5 minutes until just-tender. Do NOT overcook — vegetables should retain bite.
5. Finish with salt + lemon juice + a pinch of black pepper.

Ingredients

• 2 mediumBeetroot, boiled and grated
• 30gWalnuts, finely chopped
• 3 tbspChickpea flour (besan)
• 1 inchGinger, grated
• ½ tsp eachCumin powder, garam masala, black pepper
• to tasteSalt + chopped coriander
• 2 tspMustard oil (for brushing)

Method

1. Squeeze excess water out of grated boiled beetroot using a clean cloth.
2. Mix beetroot, walnuts, besan, ginger, spices, salt, coriander into a stiff dough. If wet, add more besan.
3. Form into 6 small flat tikki (~50g each).
4. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment. Brush both sides with mustard oil.
5. Bake at 200°C / 400°F for 12 minutes per side, until edges are crisp.

Ingredients

• 300gSpinach (palak), blanched
• 200gHung curd (curd in muslin, drained 4 hours)
• 1 tbspMustard oil
• 1Onion, finely chopped
• 2Tomatoes, pureed
• 1 tsp eachGinger-garlic paste, jeera, garam masala
• ½ tspTurmeric, kasuri methi (crushed)
• to tasteSalt + black pepper

Method

1. Blanch spinach 1 minute, drop in ice water. Squeeze, blend to smooth puree.
2. Heat mustard oil. Add jeera, then onion, ginger-garlic paste. Cook till golden.
3. Add pureed tomato, turmeric, salt. Cook 5 minutes till oil separates.
4. Add spinach puree, garam masala, 100ml water. Simmer 5 minutes.
5. Cut hung curd into 1-inch cubes (paneer-style). Fold gently into the spinach gravy. Simmer 2 minutes only — do not boil (curd will split).
6. Finish with crushed kasuri methi + black pepper.

Ingredients

• 2 largeBell peppers (red or yellow), tops cut off, seeds removed
• 100gMasoor dal, pre-cooked till just soft (not mushy)
• 1Onion, finely chopped
• 2Tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tsp eachGinger-garlic paste, jeera, kasuri methi
• ½ tsp eachTurmeric, garam masala, red chilli powder
• 2 tspMustard oil + 1 tsp ghee
• to finishSalt + chopped coriander

Method

1. Heat oil + ghee. Add jeera, onion, ginger-garlic. Cook till golden.
2. Add tomatoes, all spices, salt. Cook 5 min till mushy.
3. Mix in pre-cooked masoor dal. Cook 3 minutes — should be thick and dry, not soupy.
4. Stir in kasuri methi + coriander.
5. Stuff bell peppers fully with the dal mixture. Replace the cut tops.
6. Place in a baking dish with a splash of water. Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 25 minutes, until pepper is tender.

Ingredients

• 25 gSattu (roasted black gram flour)
• 250 mlCold water (or chilled)
• 1 tspRoasted jeera powder
• 1 tspLemon juice
• to tasteBlack salt (kala namak)
• ½Green chilli, very finely chopped (mild)
• 1 tbspFresh coriander, finely chopped
• pinchBlack pepper

Method

1. In a tall glass, dissolve sattu in 50ml of the water — make a smooth paste, no lumps.
2. Add remaining 200ml water gradually, whisking constantly.
3. Stir in jeera powder, lemon juice, black salt, chopped chilli, coriander, black pepper.
4. Pour into a steel flask. Drink mid-morning, around 11 AM.

Ingredients

• 100 gFresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3Dried red chillies (mild — Kashmiri, not hot)
• 1 tbspTamarind paste
• 1 tspJaggery (gud) — small piece
• 2 tspMustard oil
• ½ tspBlack salt (kala namak)
• tadka1 tsp mustard oil + ½ tsp mustard seeds + 4 curry leaves + pinch of hing

Method

1. Heat 2 tsp mustard oil. Add chopped ginger. Sauté on low heat for 5–6 minutes until ginger softens and loses raw pungency. Remove from heat. Cool.
2. In a grinder, add cooled ginger, dried red chillies, tamarind paste, jaggery, black salt. Add 2–3 tbsp water. Grind to a smooth, thick paste.
3. Final tadka: heat 1 tsp mustard oil. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing. Pour over the chutney.
4. Refrigerate. Use 1 tablespoon at a time with cheela, idli, or roti.