The 6 flavours of Ayurveda: interesting facts & recipe

Ayurvedic nutrition brings the body back into balance and gives us strength and energy. Important for the right diet are the "Rasas", the 6 flavours of Ayurveda:

• cute - madhura
• sour - amla
• salty - lavana
• bitter - tikta
• spicy - katu
• tart - kashaya
• The Rasas influence the Tridoshas(Vata, Pitta, Kapha). By knowing these interrelationships, it is possible in Ayurvedic nutrition to put together a suitable diet plan for every constitutional type and every health disorder. Ideally, the 6 Rasas should be regularly found together and in roughly equal parts in a dish.

We tell you here what effect the 6 flavours have in Ayurveda and which foods they are assigned to.

Sweet - Madhura

• Sweet foods, who would have thought otherwise, work on an emotional level
• Associated elements: earth and water
• Doshas: Kapha is built up, Vata and Pitta are reduced
• They give strength, have a calming effect, make people content, create a feeling of well-being and security.
• Foods with heavy properties cannot be digested well as they reduce the digestive fire

Sour - Amla

• Acidic foods wake you up, they sharpen the senses, release enzymes and hormones
• Associated elements: Fire and earth
• They can ensure good digestion, have a cleansing effect, increase saliva secretion, stimulate appetite, strengthen organs
• Doshas: Kapha and Pitta are strengthened, Vata is reduced
• In excess they cause thirst, muscle weakness, diarrhoea and inflammation

Salty - Lavana

• Salty foods strengthen the digestive fire and are appetite stimulants
• They dilate and cleanse the body channels, have a diuretic effect, promote sweat production and are degrading to the tissues
• Doshas: Pitta and Kapha are strengthened, Vata is reduced
• In excess, it can cause water retention in the tissues, weakness, thirst, fever, eczema, gout and inflammation.

Bitter - Tikta

• Bitter foods can be emaciating and drying
• However, they also stimulate the appetite, purify the blood, reduce fat, aid digestion, promote exercise and help with fever, burning and itching.
• They also stimulate the body's digestion of sugarand fat
• Doshas: Vata is strengthened, Pitta and Kapha are reduced
• In excess, it can cause dizziness, loss of strength, dry mouth and headaches

Sharp - Katu

• Spicy foods awaken the senses, have an invigoratingeffect
• They stimulate the metabolism, have a warming effect (therefore particularly pleasant in winter), energy begins to flow again, they can break down fatty tissue, have a lachrymatory effect, stimulate the appetite, promote saliva secretion and cleanse the mouth, stimulate the organs, have an anticoagulanteffect.
• Cooking makes them more digestible
• Doshas: Vata and Pitta are strengthened, Kapha is reduced
• In excess they can have a diaphoretic effect and cause leanness, fatigue, dizziness, thirst, burning, vomiting, trembling

Spicy foods include the following: Ginger, chillies, black pepper, onions, garlic, radishes, radish.

Herb - Kashaya

• Tart foods have a degrading and absorbing effect on the tissues, they have a soothing, healing, cooling and blood-cleansing effect and can also dry out the bodily fluids
• Doshas: Vata is strengthened, Pitta and Kapha have a reducing effect
• In excess they cause flatulence, weakness, heartache, dry mouth

Filled Ayurvedic Pancakes - Recipe with 6 flavours of Ayurveda

Bitter:
cumin, coriander, royal cumin, basil

Spicy:
Onion, ginger, chili, black pepper

Sour:
Tomato, yogurt

Sweet:
carrot, avocado, chickpea flour

Salty:
Salt

Tart:
Spinach

Ingredients overview (for 4 crepes)

For the dough:

• approx. 90g chickpea flour
• 2 hands full of fresh baby spinach
• 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
• ¼ tsp roasted cumin seeds
• ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
• ¼ tsp coriander powder (optional)
• Himalayan salt to taste
• ¼ tsp black pepper (ground)

For the filling:

• ½ red pepper
• ½ avocado
• 1 carrot
• ½ onion
• 7-8 cherry tomatoes
• Fresh basil leaves
• 1 green chilli (optional)
• Ghee

Preparation

1. Halve the tomatoes, chop the remaining vegetables
2. Puree the spinach with a little water and ginger in a blender.
3. Mix the chickpea flour with all the spices
4. Mix spinach-ginger puree with chickpea-spice mixture and scramble with a fork like a scrambled egg
5. Add 2 tablespoons of yoghurt and continue to stir. This mixture forms the crepe batter. For a thinner consistency, add a few tablespoons of water.
6. Put some ghee in a hot pan and fry the onions over a high heat until they are translucent but not soft. Remove the onions and set aside.
7. Roast the carrots in the same pan without adding any more fat and then remove them.
8. Fry the peppers again without adding any more fat for a few seconds and then remove them.
9. Roast the tomatoes briefly, then brush with a little ghee and put them out again.
10. Also roast the chilli a little and add to the rest of the vegetables.
11. Add a few drops of ghee to the pan, mix the prepared batter again briefly and pour the appropriate amount for a crepe into the pan and spread it out. When the batter is firm on the bottom, turn the crepe and fry on the second side.
12. Spread the previously roasted vegetables on one half of the crepe, add avocado slices and fresh basil. Meanwhile, leave the crepe in the pan.
13. Fold the filled crepe and serve hot.

Here you can find a video for the preparation:

We wish you a good appetite and much success in cooking with the 6 flavours of Ayurveda!