The Seer

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Delicious soups are a feature of the lunches enjoyed by workshop attendees at Gurukula. Here are a few quick soup tips that you may or may not have seen before:

Vegetables added to a soup taste better if you saute them in a little butter first.

Did you know that Lettuce loves fat: Fat can be removed from hot soup by floating a large lettuce leaf on the surface. Another way to eliminate fat from soup and stew is to drop ice cubes into the pot. As you stir, the fat will cling to the cubes. Discard the cubes before they melt.

You can camouflage the burnt taste from your soups & Stews by pouring the liquid gently and carefully into a clean pan and flavor it with curry powder or mustard or some chutney.

Salty Soup - Place a raw potato in the bowl & it will absorb the extra salt.

Thickening for the Soups - Put instant mashed potato and gravies to thicken. Stir thoroughly and Keep on adding as much desired.

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A light summer soup, Mung is cooked smooth, sweet and spiced.
Asian Influences — Vietnam, Thailand, China, Philippines. Serves 4.

The Stock
1 cup split mung beans
5 cups water
4 tbsp palm sugar
a sprinkle of earth or sea saltl
a sprinkle of asafoetida (see below)

The Seasonings
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
½ tbsp fresh Thai basil
4 thin citrus rounds

Preparation
1. Inspect beans to remove stones, inferior ones, etc. and rinse.
2. In a medium saucepan combine mung and enough water to cover. Bring to boil and simmer, covered, 5 minutes.
3. In a separate kettle bring to boil the 5 cups water.
4. Drain and rinse the mung beans and restore liquid with the boiling water. Bring up to boil and skim off any foam that arises. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the sugar, salt and asafoetida and simmer another 20 minutes. During this time use a potato masher to help disintegrate the mung. Replenish water if becoming too thick.
6. Warm the ghee in a small skillet over medium low heat and sauté the fennel seeds until the aroma is fragrant. Add to the soup.
7. Let cool. Chop the fresh mint and Thai basil and use as garnish with the citrus.

Split mung beans are available at specialty grocers and Prime Products. Supermarkets may have them in the packaged dried bean section with the soup mixes etc. Health food shops may also have split mung beans.

Asafoetida is also called Hing, It’s the dried sap of a plant in the fennel family and helps digest pulses/beans and so can prevent wind. This product is packaged in a small yellow container and is available from Prime Products etc.

Reproduced with permission from Sattwa Cafe: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Enhance your Health and Well-Being based on the Traditional Healing Science of Ayurveda, by Meta B. Doherty, Lotus Press, a division of Lotus
Brands, Inc., PO Box 325, Twin Lakes, WI 53181, USA, ©2007

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It was a great joy for Pearl and me to have Adyashanti and his wife, Mukti, as guests in our home, Gurukula, for almost a week earlier this month (Oct. 07). Adya, as he is known, hails from Northern California and had come to Perth, Western Australia, to give some satsang talks and a two-day intensive.

It soon became apparent that Adya and Mukti live in complete integrity with what they know and teach, and make no claims to ’specialness’ whatever. Nevertheless, you cannot be arround this charming couple for long without being impressed by their presence which seems to radiate warmth, depth, humor and a kind of unattached spontaneity.

At one point, in passing conversation, Mukti reavealed that Adya was quite a good cook — particularly in the area of pies and other desserts. Adya said he got most of his favorite recipes from his mother who apparently is noted for her culinary prowess.

Adya’s Perth events left us all glowing and more deeply grounded in love and truth than ever and we were planning a farewell dinnerparty at a friend’s place on our final evening together before Adya and his team flew on to the East Coast for the remainder of his tour. On hearing about this, Adya offered to make an apple pie for dessert, and of course, we readily accepted.

So, on the Monday morning after the intensive, Mukti made up a list of ingredients and we did a quick shop for them at our local stores. Then after an early light lunch, Adya and Mukti took over our small kitchen and set to work on the apple pie. To me, they sounded more like children playing hppily in a sand-box as they peeled the apples, conjured up the pastry and banged about with the cooking utensils. Thse sounds were followed eventually by the most fragrant aroma which issued from our oven and filled the adjacent rooms with a presence of its own. The pie looked wonderful when it came out of the oven and was set on a rack to cool.

Later, at the dinnerparty, when Adya’s apple pie was portioned out, tasted and consumed with lashings of whipped cream etc, all agreed that the taste was simply superb and somewhat distinctive owing to his inspired preference for ginger and cloves to spice up the apple filling. Before they left the next morning, I asked Mukti for a copy of the recipe which she kindly supplied with Adya’s ‘adjustments’. Now we can share the recipe with you, and if you care to try it out and live anywher near us in Perth, I’d be more than glad to sample a piece of your pie and let you know how close you got to the masterPIEce Adya cooked up in our tiny kitchen that day.

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Makes one 9 inch (23 cm) pie.

Short Crust Pastry (Pate Brisee) Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups (350 grams) plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon (30 grams) granulated white sugar

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 - 120 ml) ice water

Apple Filling Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) Granny Smith apples (about 6 large), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 8 cups sliced) (about 900 grams sliced)

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/4 cup (55 grams) light brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (15 grams) cornstarch (corn flour)

Directions:

In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds). Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. If necessary, add more water. Do not process more than 30 seconds.

Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball. Divide the dough in half, flattening each half into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour before using. This will chill the butter and relax the gluten in the flour.

After the dough has chilled sufficiently, remove one portion of the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry into a 12 inch (30 cm) circle. (To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards).) Fold the dough in half and gently transfer to a 9 inch (23 cm) pie pan. Brush off any excess flour and trim the edges of the pastry to fit the pie pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

Then remove the second round of pastry and roll it into a 12 inch (30 cm) circle. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.

Make the Apple Filling: In a large bowl combine the sliced apples, sugars, lemon juice, ground ginger, cloves, and salt. Let the apples macerate at room temperature for about two hours. Then, place the apples and their juices in a strainer that is placed over a large bowl (to capture the juices). Let the apples drain for about 15-30 minutes or until you have at least 1/2 cup (120 ml) of juice. Spray a 4 cup (960 ml) heatproof measuring cup with a nonstick vegetable spray, and then pour in the collected juices and the 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of unsalted butter. Place in the microwave and boil the liquid, on high, 6 to 7 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to about 1/3 cup and is syrupy and lightly caramelized. (Alternatively, you could place the juices and butter in a small saucepan and boil over medium high heat on the stove.)

Meanwhile, remove the top pastry crust from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes so it has time to soften and become pliable. Transfer the drained apples slices to a large bowl and mix them with the cornstarch (corn flour). Then pour the reduced syrup over the apples and toss to combine. Pour the apples and their syrup into the chilled pie crust. Moisten the edges of the pie shell with a little water and then place the top crust over the apples. Tuck any excess pastry under the bottom crust and then crimp the edges using your fingers or a fork. Using a sharp knife, make five 2-inch (5 cm) slits from the center of the pie out towards the edge of the pie to allow the steam to escape.

Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill the pastry while you preheat the oven.

Preheat the oven to 356 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place the oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on the rack before preheating the oven. Place a piece of aluminum foil on the stone (or pan) to catch any apple juices.

Set the pie on the stone or pan and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes or until the juices start to bubble through the slits and the apples feel tender (not mushy) when a toothpick or sharp knife is inserted through one of the slits. Make sure to cover the edges of the pie with a foil ring to prevent over browning after about 30 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 3-4 hours before cutting.

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, yogurt or softly whipped cream. Store at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

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Here’s a recipe for a delicious and nourishing North African/Mediterranean style vegetable soup that’s easy to make. The recipe serves four people.

Stock Ingredients

1 cup red lentils

5 cups water

1 quill cinnamon

2 carrots

1/4 tsp loosely measured saffron threads

The Intriguing Seasonings

1 tbsp ghee

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp sumac

A sprinkle of asafoetida

1 tsp earth or sea salt

1 tsp sesame seeds

Seven Easy Steps

1. Inspect the lentils for small stones, inferior ones, etc. and remove.
2. Soak for several hours.
3. Bring the lentils and water to boil and if foam arises, drain, rinse and
   change with another 4 cups of fresh boiling water. Or skim off all the foam
   and continue cooking in the same liquid. Simmer for 45 minutes with the
   cinnamon. Add the carrots, sliced, and cook 15 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile scoop out 1/4 cup soup and float saffron on top. Swirl
   occasionally to develop color, aroma, taste and attributes.
5. Warm the ghee in a small skillet over low heat. Sprinkle in the paprika,
   turmeric, ginger, sumac, asafoetida and swirl. Heat for one minute and let
   cool. If cinnamon quills are unavailable add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
6. When the lentils are well cooked, mash if desired, adding the saffron
   water, salt and skillet mix. Heat another 5 minutes while dry-roasting the
   sesame seeds over medium low heat.
7. Ladle soup into bowls with a small squeeze of lemon if no sumac powder is
   available and garnish with the seeds.

Enjoy

Reproduced with permission from Sattwa Cafe: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Enhance your Health and Well-Being based on the Traditional Healing Science of Ayurveda, by Meta B. Doherty, Lotus Press, a division of Lotus Brands, Inc., PO Box 325, Twin Lakes, WI 53181, USA,
©2007 All Rights Reserved.