Cooking is an art. I absolutely love it. Even when I am making a easy vegan recipe and trying out a new salad combination or simple pasta with tomato sauce for my boys or spend time on a new recipe. I just love cooking. I taste with my mouth and put my heart in every dish. Always looking for the balance in flavours.
Recently I have been looking into Ayurveda-this endless ocean of knowledge. Ayurveda identifies 6 Tastes by which all foods can be categorized: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Pungent, and Astringent. While the first four tastes are probably recognizable, the last two may not seem familiar. Pungent taste is hot and spicy as found in a chili pepper, while Astringent taste is dry and light as found in beetroot ,apples and so on.
| Taste | Primary Actions | Common Sources | ||
| Sweet |
Builds tissues, calms nerves
|
Fruit, grains, natural sugars
|
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| Sour |
Cleanses tissues, increases absorption of minerals
|
Sour fruits, fermented foods
|
||
| Salty |
Improves taste to food, lubricates tissues, stimulates digestion
|
Natural salts, sea vegetables
|
||
| Bitter |
Detoxifies and lightens tissues
|
Dark leafy greens, herbs and spices
|
||
| Pungent |
Stimulates digestion and metabolism
|
Chili peppers, garlic, herbs and spices
|
||
| Astringent |
Absorbs water, tightens tissues, dries fats
|
Legumes, raw fruits and vegetables, herbs
|
Your body naturally desires all of those taste and all you have to do is simply follow your natural instincts.When I am cooking a meal I love to experiment and make it better ,that the last time :-). Then I enjoy the whole process of preparation and cooking. Today I made a very simple and very easy vegan recipe. It does have all the 6 tastes, which makes it perfect.
Tomato bites with beetroot and olive tapenade
Here is what you need:
2 ripe peeled and finely chopped tomatoes
2 medium size onions-finely chopped
150 gr of flower
fresh mint (or dried )
salt and pepper
For the tapenade
2/3 beetroot
1/3 olives
some olive oil
It takes approx. 30 minutes and those measurement make about 12 table spoon size bites.
In a bowl mix the peeled and finely chopped tomatoes and onions with the flour , salt pepper and mint.
Mix it well with your hands and then use 2 spoons to form the bites as you transfer them fro one spoon to another. Preheat the oil and fry them on moderate heat until golden brown.
Place them on a paper towel and make the tapenade. In the food processor mix 2/3 beetroot and 1/3 olives -if possible black or Kalamata olives, as they have the stronger flavour and saltiness, that the tomato bites require. Mix with a bit of olive oil.
Then serve the tomato bites with some green leaves .Enjoy !
You “eat” first with your eyes, then you sense of smell. Once you eat it the whole celebration starts in your mouth and the digestion is on with a head start. Then you just have to enjoy every bite of it.
When you are in a mood for cooking you create beautiful and delicious foods.
Sending Blessings and Love
P.S This is day 69 of Word press Challenge to make a post every day. There are 161 days left of 2012.
