The weekend brought with it an adventure—the inspiring kind that leaves you refreshed, glowing, inspired, filled with awe, and in love with Nature’s Greatness.
Praia da Ursa, Sintra, Portugal
Praia da Ursa is a true hidden gem, nestled on Portugal’s rugged coastline near the westernmost point of mainland Europe. It is untouched by the hustle and bustle of the more commercialized beaches. This secluded paradise offers breathtaking views and a serene atmosphere that can make any hike worthwhile.
A GENTLE INDIAN SPICED VEGETABLE STEW
serves 3 – 4
This is a very clean, soothing and subtle-tasting dish, warming to the core. I have been making it quite regularly, sometimes adding a beetroot palya or roasted pumpkin to serve with it. Inspired by ‘The South Indian Yogic Cooking Book.’
Channa dal is a split and husked relative of chickpeas. Urad dal, rich in protein, is suggested to be used in small amounts due to its tamasic quality. Both can be found in Indian Stores.
ingredients
1 cup green beans, finely chopped
2 carrots
1 zucchini
1 small-medium sweet potato (peeled)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
4 cups water
coconut ground paste
1½ tsp split channa dal
1 tsp split urad dal
½ cup freshly grated coconut or (2 – 3 Tbsp dried coconut)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
¼ tsp whole black peppercorns
½ tsp jaggery/brown rice
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp fine rock salt
voggarane
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
6 -8 fresh curry leaves
preparation
- Finely chop the vegetables into small uniformed pieces.
- Bring to boil 4 cups water in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the vegetables and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
prepare the ground paste
- Dry-fry the channa and urad dal until golden brown, then add whole peppercorns, turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Combine the toasted spices, coconut, ginger, and 1 cup water from the simmered vegetables in a high-speed blender. (I scoop up some of the vegetables and grind these along with the paste, which adds to the creaminess.)
- Grind until it becomes a relatively smooth puree, then add the puree back into the vegetables, adding broth from the vegetables to clean out the contents of the blender.
- Allow to simmer for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
prepare the voggarane
- Heat the ghee in a small pan and add cumin seeds and curry leaves. When the cumin darkens a few shades, pour the voggarane over the vegetables.
- Season with salt and finely chopped fresh coriander. Let it sit for 15 minutes for the flavours to come through.
Enjoy with brown basmati rice or whole barley and a drizzling of ghee.
Goodness shared from Stacey
