Vata ~ Pitta

So...Finally made an appointment with Dr. Kumar, a well known Ayurvedic physician in the Mysore area. I'm glad I followed through and decided to go. What a lovely man. Very gentle and knowledgeable. He asked me a litany of questions, took my pulse, and affirmed that my constitution is Vatta-Pitta. He went on to tell me that my Vatta and Pitta are just about equal giving each 3 points...and my Kapha having 1 point.

The verdict is in, I'm made up of Air and Fire. Ha ha ha.

Because I've had some digestion challenges before coming to India I'm considering doing a Panchakarma (five actions) cleanse under the guidance of Dr. Kumar. My regime will only be for 7 days, which will include a cleansing diet and herb supplementation, along with massage therapy. A detox of body, mind and spirit.

Ayurveda is really speaking to me. I love how the foundation of this ancient system is based primarily around longevity and prevention. Unlike western medicine, it's centered around maintaining balance, and understanding your own body and how it works. I love that.

With all that being said, I've started to gather ingredients to make kitachari. Yay! Kitachari is easy to digest, a great source of protein, because of the mung dal, and it's a complete food. Excellent for detoxification, and de-aging of cells and used particularly when fasting or doing a cleanse like panchakarma.

Following is a recipie that I rounded up from a Ayurveda blog I enjoy, HeyMonicaB.

KITCHARI

1 cup mung dal/moong dahl, split yellow lentils
1/2 cup basmati rice
3 cups water
3 tablespoons of ghee
1 inch piece of fresh ginger (root), peeled, chopped up well
1 tsp ajwan seeds (caraway)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp tumeric
Optional veggies, pick 2: 1 cup chopped fresh green beans, carrots, peas, cauliflower

Ok! First, wash the mung dal and the rice really well. Wash & strain, wash & strain. Then heat the water til it boils. Throw in the mung dal & rice. Cover. Turn heat down to low. While that’s going, crush the three seeds (ajwan, fennel & cumin). In another pan, heat the ghee on medium and add the ginger, seeds, tumeric, cinnamon sticks - it should smell really good! If you are adding veggies, add them to the spices once the spices are roasted.

When the water is no longer covering the mung dal & rice…but you still know there is 1/2 water in the pot, add the spices and veggies. Stir. Cover. Turn on low heat and cook until all water is absorbed. Tadaaaa! Serve with ghee and you can add a little salt. mm!