A HAPPY BODY IS A HEALTHY BODY

Arundale’s Indian cookbook incorporates ayurvedic wisdom and recipes for systemic balance and overall health.

The author, a native of India, immigrated to the United States in the 1970s. Once settled in America, she worked hard to master the art of Indian cooking. The author of multiple Indian cookbooks, Arundale has constructed this contribution upon the premise of ayurveda, a “traditional and natural system of medicine used to improve well-being.” The author discusses ayurvedic wisdom, presents recipes, and offers culinary remedies for specific ailments. Ayurvedic practices—based upon the idea that people are born with different internal energies (doshas) that are often unbalanced in our bodies—can include specific diets, daily routines, and seasonal approaches to achieve balance and health. Each internal energy, in turn, can interact with spices and foods to heal and balance the body. The book presents Indian recipes that promote health with subsections dedicated to spice blends, oils and dairy, soups, khichadis (rice/lentil dishes), legumes/dal, grains, breads, side vegetables, and chutneys and salads. The text includes healing recipes for specific ailments, such as apricot juice with nutmeg for constipation, fresh mango juice for building bodily tissues, and spinach, beet, and celery juice for uterine disorders and arthritis. This cookbook emphasizes ancient cultural wisdom and will enable cooks to produce authentic Indian dishes that cater to individual and family health needs. Unlike many other Indian cookbooks, this work features a primer on preparing a variety of spice mixtures and details some unique bread offerings, such as corn roti with cilantro and spicy onion wheat bread with fresh marjoram. The table of contents is clear for cooks seeking specific creations, and the recipes are user-friendly and easy to follow. Although the book does not offer an empirically grounded argument for ayurveda or feature options for those who have autoimmune disorders or cannot tolerate gluten and dairy, this work beautifully incorporates a healthy perspective with delicious, authentic Indian cuisine.

A sure pick for Indian food enthusiasts seeking a new approach to well-being.