Tri-doṣic Rasāyya (tasty) Bowls
Simple, one-bowl meals, often called Buddha Bowls, have been all the craze for the last few years. You can pack a lot of flavor and a lot of nutrition into just one bowl. And āyurvedically speaking, you can pack all 6 tastes into just one bowl.
Āyurveda classifies foods by their taste. There are 6 tastes in āyurveda; sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent, and astringent. According to Āyurveda the tastes are made from the same 5 elements that make up everything else. The sweet taste is created by the water and earth elements. The sour taste is created by the fire and earth elements. Salty is created by the fire and water elements. Bitter is a combination of the air and ether elements. Pungent taste is a combination of the air and fire elements. And, the astringent taste is made up of the air and earth elements. Because the elements are present in the tastes they can impact the doṣas. Sweet, salty, and sour are considered to be the “building” tastes, while bitter, pungent, and astringent are considered the “lightening” tastes.
A balanced and satisfying diet consists of all six tastes at each meal, in proportions that are appropriate for your constitution or your current imbalance. That’s one of the reasons I love these one bowl meals - they are easy to get all 6 tastes in one meal, proportions of ingredients can be adjusted for your doṣa, and spices can be added to customize based on your individual constitution. Plus, they are quick and easy to put together and make a satisfying lunch (which according to Āyurveda should be your most substantial meal of the day).
Tri-doshic Black Bean Bowl
Quick and easy 6 taste bowl.
Ingredients
serves 2
1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice (sweet)
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed - omit for kapha imbalance and add steamed brussels sprouts - (sweet - sweet potato / bitter - brussels sprouts)
1 can of black beans, drained (astringent)
1 tsp ground cumin (bitter and pungent)
¼ tsp chili powder (pungent)
Arugula (2 handfuls) (bitter)
1/2 Lime (sour)
Mineral salt - to taste (salty)
2 Tbs Cilantro, chopped (astringent, bitter, pungent)
1 avocado, sliced (sweet)
In medium saucepan cook 1/2 cup of rice in 1 cup of water until rice is tender. In the meantime, peel and dice sweet potato (or trim and half brussels sprouts). Steam sweet potato or brussels sprouts. In a small saucepan heat black beans with 1 tsp of ground cumin.
Assemble bowls by dividing rice into bowls. Top with half of the sweet potato (or brussels sprouts), half of the arugula, and half of the black beans. Sprinkle the sweet potato with chili powder. Lightly salt the bowl. Add 1/2 sliced avocado to each bowl and top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. Enjoy!
Tridoshic Buddha Bowl
This is one of my favorite “go to” lunches.
Ingredients
serves 2
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed - omit for kapha imbalance and replace with turnip (sweet - sweet potato / turnip - bitter, astringent)
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (astringent)
1 tsp Kapha Churna (recipe below) (bitter, pungent)
2 cups chopped kale (astringent)
2 beets, roasted and sliced (bitter/sweet)
1/2 cup raw saurkraut (sour)
2 Tbs roasted red pepper hummus (astringent, pungent)
1 avocado, sliced (sweet)
Mineral salt - to taste
In a small saucepan combine chickpeas with kapha churna, set heat to low and warm. Meanwhile, steam sweet potato (or turnip) until tender. Remove potato (or turnip) from steamer and add kale. Steam kale until just wilted and still bright green.
Assemble bowls by filling one quarter of each bowl with kale, sweet potato (or turnip), chickpeas, and beets. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Top each bowl with 1 Tbs hummus, 1/4 cup saurkraut, and 1/2 sliced avocado. Enjoy!
Kapha Churna recipe (by Kathryn Templeton): 1.5 T ground turmeric, 1 T ground ginger, 1/2 T ground cumin, 1/2 T ground coriander, 1/4 T ground black pepper, 1/4 T ground cinnamon
