Ayurveda recommends a satisfying yet light meal in the evening. The main point is that it should be digested before we go to bed. A freshly cooked, light vegetable soup is tasty, does not put a strain on the digestion and can be prepared quickly – in about 25 minutes.
Our recipe uses a homemade vegetable stock as a basis. This gives a refined taste and is very easy to prepare. We have included an example stock recipe here (see further down this page) but naturally, you can vary the vegetables, herbs and spices according to availability and taste. Whenever time is short, you can resort to a ready-made organic stock, but choose one without glutamate.
The five vegetables we have suggested for the soup here can also be replaced or supplemented by others, as long as they are easy to digest.
We hope you’ll enjoy preparing and eating!
Ingredients for 2 persons:
- 700 ml vegetable stock
- 40g each of: celery stalk, carrot, kohlrabi, fennel, yellow bell pepper
- some parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of Ghee (clarified butter) – during the Kapha period you can also use olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chickpea flour
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida – or just a large pinch, if you use concentrated asafoetida
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1/8 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp curry powder
- 1/8 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
- a large pinch of ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp of rock salt (or to taste)
- 1 1/2 tsp of lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp of maple syrup
Preparation:
- Heat the Ghee in a saucepan, add chickpea flour, asafoetida, ginger powder, cumin, and curry powder; lightly roast while stirring constantly
- Add the vegetable stock and the fenugreek and bring to the boil
- Dice the celery stalk and add it
- After 5 minutes, add the carrots
- After another 5 minutes, add the kohlrabi and the fennel
- Add rock salt, lemon juice, maple syrup and black pepper
- Take the soup off the heat, stir well, add the parsley
- Let it draw for a few minutes and serve in preheated bowls or plates
Example recipe for homemade vegetable stock
You can easily make the stock while you’re preparing lunch, so it doesn’t take any extra time.
- 1 1/2 ltr of water
- 2 tablespoons of Ghee (clarified butter). During the Kapha period you can also use olive oil
- 1 slice of celery root
- 1/2 carrot
- 3 cm sweet potato
- a piece of celery stalk
- Broccoli stems
- 1 branch of lovage
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp of crushed (not ground) fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp of crushed aniseed
- 1 clove
Heat the Ghee or oil in a saucepan. Add the vegetables, spices and herbs; sauté for about 2 minutes while stirring constantly.
Add the water and boil on low heat for 45–60 minutes with the lid on. Then pour through a strainer to keep only the liquid part.
Put it on higher heat and boil down to about 700 ml. Use right away or store in the fridge until needed.
© Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre Bad Ems
