6 simple recipes to balance kapha imbalance

Do you sometimes feel a dip in physical energy? Or worried that your clothes are not fitting as well thanks to a sudden weight gain? Perhaps you have more of the earth element in you.

As per Ayurveda, our body constitutes of five elements and three doshas (the bio-dynamic forces) – vata (wind), pitta (fire), and kapha (earth). When these three doshas are in balance, they correspond to your physical and mental traits, and as a result, you enjoy good health. At times, there is an imbalance in these three doshas. The imbalance can be due to improper diet, the influence of different time in a day, season among others.

Signs of kapha imbalance:

• Cold with excessive mucus
• Sinus
• Poor bowel movements
• Sudden weight gain
• Dip in physical strength

If you are experiencing these, then you may have kapha dosha imbalance. What you need are kapha balancing recipes and foods.

Protips:

• Bitter, astringent and pungent tasting food will help in balancing kapha dosha.
• Excessive food consumption can lead to kapha imbalance.
• Eat light and easy-to-digest meals.
• Reduce sugar intake in your kapha dosha recipes.
• Honey is a good sweetener for kapha.

Kapha balancing recipes

Kapha salad

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup moong (green gram) sprouts
• 2 grated carrots
• Lettuce
• Lemon
• Oil
• Salt to taste
• Ground black pepper

How to prepare:

• Mix sprouts with the vegetables.
• Drizzle lemon juice or oil over it.
• Add salt to taste.
• Toss and serve.

Suggestions:

• In general, most pungent and bitter vegetables may be used in kapha dosha remedies. Choose and add from this list – beet greens, beets, bitter melon, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, green beans, green chilies, leafy greens, lettuce, mustard greens, okra, lemons and limes.
• As part of the salad dressing for this Ayurvedic recipe for kapha, you may choose from among these – lemon, wholegrain mustard or dry powder, raw honey, olive oil, thyme, salt & black pepper.

2. Kapha pacifying soup

Ingredients:

• 7 cups (approx.) cauliflower
• 1 large head broccoli
• 4 to 5 cups water
• 2 teaspoons (tsp.) coriander
• 1 tsp. fenugreek
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
•  ½ tsp. turmeric
• 1 pinch hing or asafetida
• Black pepper
•  2 tablespoons (tbsp.) ghee, sesame or olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt

How to prepare:

• Cut and boil the cauliflower and broccoli with water in a cooker on a low fire. Once, done, keep aside.
• Warm the ghee. Add the spices in it, till an enticing aroma fills the room.
• Add the spices to the vegetables and sprinkle salt to taste.
• Mash with a masher and serve hot.

3. Khichadi (Millet and lentils mix)

Ingredients:

 ¾ cup pearl millet
 ½ cup split moong dal (green gram)

For sauté and garnish

• 1 tsp. cumin
•  ¼ tsp. turmeric
• 2 tsp. coriander
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• A few curry leaves
• Black pepper
• Rock salt
• Ghee

How to prepare:

• For one portion of millet and moong, add 5-6 times as much water and cook on a low fire.
•  If required, add more water while cooking.
• Add the sauté and salt to taste.
• Add ghee.

Suggestions:

• Khichadi, prepared with old rice and split moong dal, is beneficial for fevers or stomach ailments.
•  It is advisable to eat it with ghee or butter throughout pregnancy.
• Due to its light, heating and drying effect, millet is beneficial in high metabolic residues, and dull digestive fire. It is, therefore, a useful addition to your kapha recipe.

4. Pearl millet flat bread (Bajra roti)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups bajra flour
• Ghee for serving

How to prepare:

1. Mix bajra flour and sufficient water in a bowl and knead into a soft dough.
2. Divide the dough into equal, large balls.
3. Generously sprinkle bajra flour on a ball of dough, and flatten it with your hands to make rotis.
4. Heat a pan and place the roti on it. 
5. Pat the roti with water.
6. Once the roti dries up, flip it and cook evenly.
7. Apply ghee for taste and serve hot.

5. Leafy greens with chickpeas

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of chopped baby spinach
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• ½ inch knob of ginger, chopped
• 2 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp. powdered cashew nut
• Salt to taste
• Oil spray
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

How to prepare:

1.  Wash the spinach and cut.
2.  Add ginger and coriander leaves to it and cook, stirring frequently for about five minutes and then turn off.
3.  Warm the ghee in the saucepan. Add the cumin and coriander seeds; stir-fry until the coriander seeds become slightly darker.
4.  Add the spices to the spinach mix.
5. Mix and mash the mixture with a masher; add enough water to make a thick paste.
6.  Add the chickpeas and let the mixture boil.
7. Add the powdered cashew nut and let the mixture simmer.
8. Turn off the heat.
9. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste.
10. Serve this kapha dosha remedy hot with millet rotis.  

6. Til laddoo (Sesame seed rolls) with ginger

Ingredients:

• 1 cup black sesame seeds
• ¼ cup cashew nuts
• 1 cup powdered jaggery
• 1 tsp. cardamom powder
• 1 tsp. ginger powder
• 1 cup water

How to prepare:

• Roast the black sesame seeds in a pan on a low flame till it changes color, and mash with a pestle and mortar.
• Add jaggery and ginger powder to it.
• Now, add powdered cashew nuts to it and mix well.
• Use ghee to make laddoos (round balls).

These kapha pacifying recipes can help you stabilize the cold and dry feeling caused by the imbalance. Some Ayurvedic therapies may also help you balance vata dosha.

For any enquire about Ayurvedic cooking courses, write to us: ayurvediccooking@vvmvp.org.
For any enquire about the Ayur Jagruti program, write to us: ayurjagruti@vvki.org.

Based on inputs from Dr. Sharika Menon, Ayurvaidya.