The Six Tastes

ButteredVeg.com

Balanced Cooking for Beginners

Are you tired of eating unappetizing, boring vegetarian food? Are you disappointed by the taste or texture? Or does it simply lack the oomph you were used to getting from meat? Have you ever asked yourself why you’re always feeling dissatisﬁed, and if there is another way? There is!

These problems all stem from the same source: your food wasn’t balanced.

In a typical Western diet, we consume far too much salty, sweet, and sour foods. Often our food is missing key ﬂavors that would otherwise complete a truly satisfying meal.

The human mind is naturally attuned to balance. Whether you are consciously aware of it, or not, your mind knows when it is not getting what it wants. This lack of balance leaves you feeling uncomfortable and desirous of something else, even if you can’t ever quite discern what that something else is exactly.

In this situation, our eating habits can easily turn into a vicious cycle—with sweet cravings followed by salt cravings—on and on, and back and forth like this. We are searching for balance in the wrong way. One extremes lead to another extreme, and we are helpless to stop our unhealthy addictions. I have been there. Have you?

The good news is, breaking the cycle is not difﬁcult once you understand how. In fact, just one balanced meal can put a stop to unhealthy cravings and set you up for success.

This one balanced meal should also be incredibly ﬂavorful and satisfying. I am not talking about the boring, bland food we typical associate with being “good for us.” I am talking about something else that kinda works like magic.

An Ancient Secret: the Six Tastes

The “magic” secret to balanced food comes from the ancient science of life known as Ayurveda. Ayurveda is all about creating balance in one’s mind and body, since balance is seen as the root of good health.

According to this 5,000-year old divinely-imparted science from India, the secret to a balanced meal, and to achieving incredible ﬂavor, is getting all Six Tastes on your plate.

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The Six Tastes are: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Pungent, and Astringent.

You will notice there is no mention of a taste known as “umami.” You may of heard of it?

Umami refers to the meaty flavor you taste in fish, and charred and fermented foods. Western taste experts recently started including umami as a fifth taste, but Ayurveda doesn’t recognize umami.

Where both systems are in agreement is on the Sweet, Sour, Salty, and Bitter tastes.

The Ayurvedic system’s unique tastes are Pungent and Astringent.

You may be surprised to learn that both pungent and astringent tastes are common in a wide variety of vegetables.

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The Practice of Balance in Cooking

I have studied and practiced the concept of the Six Tastes for over 20 years, and I can teach you how to do it. It involves analyzing the ﬂavor of what you cook, during cooking, and after sitting down to eat.

If a meal doesn’t taste amazing, think about what could be missing.

Can you taste the Sweet taste? Sour? Salty? Bitter? Pungent? Astringent? Are any tastes too strong and overpowering?

If a taste is missing, or something is too strong, try to add it to your meal right then and there. It could be a bit of ginger (pungent), something spicy (pungent), fresh herbs (astringent), a squeeze of lemon (sour), a bit of sugar or dried fruit, or more salt.

A tiny change can literally transform a blah meal into a tasty, appealing, and satisfying plate. The difference is between harmony on the plate, and disharmony; balance, and the lack of it.

The way I understand it, a balanced meal acts like a complete, harmonious circle (see diagram below on the left), while an unbalanced meal is not a circle at all, and there is no harmony.

A meal that is unbalanced can be understood as a collapsed circle, with sharp points wherever a ﬂavor is missing or out of balance (see diagram below on the right). The points pull the mind away from its natural state of calm in the middle, in search of something more to consume that will bring about balance. This is why a mind that isn’t nourished with balance cannot feel at peace.

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As you read on, you will get a good understanding of the Six Tastes, and you will be able to start the practice of balance in your own kitchen right away.

You, too, can enjoy amazing vegetarian food after learning this. It will take practice, but once you get it, you may ﬁnd that you are so satisﬁed with your vegetarian food that you never feel the need to eat meat again.

For starters, including more bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes in your meal will make a huge difference in how your mind and body perceives your food. The next section introduces the Six Tastes to you to get you started.

When you are ready, experimenting with the recipes on ButteredVeg.com is another great way to get more familiar with eating balanced food, because all of my recipes are balanced according the Six Tastes, and/or are presented broadly from this perspective.

What You Will Find If You Read On

1. Next is “A Summary of the Six Tastes,” and their effects on the body and mind. I also give examples of foods that ﬁt into each category.

2. BONUS: “The Balancing Power of Sattvic Food.” Here, I share more of the beneﬁts of eating balanced food. For example, eating sattvic food could increase positive attributes in yourself, such as goodness and truth. It also explains which foods are considered balanced, and which are not.

3. BONUS: “9 Tips for Balanced Eating.” I hope these inspire you to live better, and to enjoy your life more ... starting today!

4. RECIPE: “How to Cook Any Vegetable, South Indian Style.”

This is a powerful and generic recipe that illustrates the power of the Six Tastes, and that will help you to transform any vegetable into heaven in your mouth.

You are welcome to skip right to it, or see the recipe online.

A Summary of the Six Tastes

As you read through this summary of the Six Tastes, you will ﬁnd that many foods have a predominant taste and a secondary taste. in fact, some have three tastes. While this may sound complicated, please don’t worry. Balance is an art, not a science.

Also, each person’s understanding of balance will be different, and your understanding will change as your lifestyle changes.

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“Be attentive, and let your understanding guide you.” 1. Sweet

In moderation, the sweet taste is most satisfying of all tastes. It stimulates growth and grounding. In balance, sweet can promote a profound feeling of love and well-being; in excess it promotes complacency, inertia, and unhealthy weight gain.

As you can see below, there is actually plenty of natural sweetness in much of our food. Reducing added sugars so that this natural sweetness can be more easily discerned, is a powerful way to gain more balance.

Sweet foods: added sugars, dates, raisins, coconut, sunﬂower seeds, sesame seeds, ﬂax seeds, avocado, cow’s milk, goat’s milk, butter, ghee, unsalted cheese

• most vegetables (with the exception of winter greens, which are bitter and astringent)

• most fruits (with the exception of sour fruits like lemons, tamarind, and green mango)

• most grains (with the exception of amaranth and quinoa, which are pungent and sweet)

• most beans, lentils, peas, and tofu (with the exception of tempeh)

• all nuts

• most vegetable oils (with the exception of olive oil and mustard oil, which are pungent)

2. Sour

The sour taste promotes digestion and has a mildly warming effect on the body. On the emotional and mental levels, a small amount of sour can bring us back to reality. Large amounts can cause feelings of envy and irritation.

Sour foods: lemons, citrus, vinegar, tomatoes, strawberries, tamarind, pickled foods, yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, salted cheese

3. Salty

The salty taste is warming, and it enhances digestion. A small amount of salt can help ground you, but excessive salt leads to rigidity, and a strong desire for gratiﬁcation of the senses.

Salty foods: salt, seaweed, salty snacks, fast food, many canned and processed foods

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4. Bitter

It is unfortunate that most of us avoid the bitter ﬂavor. You don’t need much for it to have its effect. It is most helpful for balancing the heavy, moistening qualities of salty, sour, and sweet tastes. The bitter taste also helps to increase the intellect, helping one to see more clearly. For the body, it helps to relieves mucus and other watery accumulations. Too much bitter, however, will deﬁnitely make you feel bitter and unhappy.

Bitter foods: dark leafy greens, mint leaves, coriander leaves, cumin, dill

Bitter as a secondary ﬂavor: eggplant, limes, curry powder, rosemary, tarragon, orange peel, garam masala, turmeric

5. Pungent

The pungent taste stimulates appetite, improves digestion, and gives mental clarity. It also increases circulation, puriﬁes the blood, and cleanses the body. Its effect on the mind is to help a person become motivated, but in excess it can lead to anger.

Pungent foods: chili, garlic, asafetida, chili peppers, bell peppers, horseradish, black pepper, turmeric, quinoa, olive oil, and mustard

Pungent as a secondary ﬂavor: Many vegetables, like onions, leeks, radishes, carrots, and beets, have a pungent secondary taste after sweet 6. Astringent

Astringent foods reduce sweating and have a cooling effect. In excess, astringent has a contracting effect on digestion and can slow it down. Emotionally, the astringent taste supports a bare-bones approach to life.

Astringent foods: Cauliﬂower, celery, lettuce, sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cilantro, unripe banana, cranberries, pomegranate, turmeric, okra, parsley, saffron, basil

Astringent as a secondary ﬂavor: Beans, lentils, and many vegetables, have astringent as a secondary taste after sweet

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BONUS #1: The Balancing Power of Sattvic Food

Ayurveda recognized three qualities in the universe, which are reﬂected in food and in all things. These are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.

Sattvic Qualities Sattvic Foods Goodness, positivity, truth, Sattvic foods are fresh and in-season wholesomeness, serenity, wholeness, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, whole creativity, constructiveness, balance, grains, legumes such as beans and conﬁdence, peacefulness, and lentils, nuts, seeds, oils, and a selection of virtuousness spices and herbs.

Sattva excludes canned and processed foods, meat, ﬁsh, and poultry, as well as foods grown with chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Rajasic Qualities Rajasic Foods Passion, activity, self-centeredness, Rajasic foods are considered not egoism, individualizing, driven, moving, completely beneﬁcial, nor are they and dynamic harmful. It is recommended to minimize them. These foods include caffeinated drinks such as coffee, black and green tea, cola drinks, and energy drinks, as well as chocolate, spicy food, and salt.

Tamasic Qualities Tamasic Foods Foods that are considered harmful to Tamasic foods include meat, ﬁsh, onion, either mind or body, with harm to mind garlic, scallion, leek, chive, mushroom, including anything that will lead to a duller, alcohol, blue cheese, eggplant, and stale less reﬁned state of consciousness, and or leftover food. harm to body including foods that will cause stress to an internal organ.

Obviously, most of us would love to gain more of the positive qualities of sattva. One way is to eat foods that contain these qualities. This is a key secret to incredible ﬂavor, and it involves eating more of the right foods.

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BONUS #2: 9 Tips for Balanced Eating

1. Eat cooked, hot food 2. Eat tasty, easily digestible food 3. Eat food in the proper amounts; not too much or too little 4. Eat on an empty stomach, after your last meal has been digested 5. Be mindful of food combining. Not everything goes together. 6. Eat meals in pleasant surroundings 7. Do not rush while eating; but don’t take too long either 8. Focus on your food while eating (although pleasant conversation is also good) 9. Only eat food that is good for your body and mind

Tips adapted from “The Ayurvedic Cookbook,” by Amadea Morningstar with Urmila Desai

RECIPE: HOW TO PREPARE ANY VEGETABLE, SOUTH INDIAN STYLE

To see this recipe online, click here.

South Indian seasoning is a wonderful way to prepare any vegetable. The simple spice combination enhances vegetables’ natural sweet ﬂavors, adds nutrition, and improves digestibility.

This spice combination is the most commonly used grouping of spices in South Indian cooking. I learned it from my mother-in-law, and quickly fell in love with the taste, which is ﬂavorful, yet gentle. Best of all, I have found that this method works to prepare any vegetable. Below I have some suggestions for vegetable combos you can try.

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SOUTH INDIAN PREPARATION

Before learning how to cook vegetables South Indian-style, garlic was the go-to ﬂavoring. It probably is for you too. This is tasty, but it can be overwhelming if you eat it a lot. I ﬁnd it so nice to have this way of preparing vegetables as an alternative.

The South Indian way to prepare any vegetable makes the most wonderful use of turmeric, which gives the vegetables a golden hue. Turmeric is also a beneficial natural anti-inflammatory, among numerous other benefits.

The black mustard seeds used in this recipe may be new to many of you. These seeds are similar to the yellow mustard seeds used for mustards, but they are also quite different. These tiny black seeds are added to hot oil at the beginning of cooking, and sautéed until they pop. The popping transforms part of the seeds’ natural pungency into a toasty, nutty ﬂavor.

The urad dal is also browned and becomes nutty in the hot oil. The tiny white split bean (pictured on the third spoon above), is transformed into golden brown bits of ﬂavor. You also get texture from the dal, a bit of crunch. I just love this ingredient! Who imagined a lentil could be used as a spice!? I guess when you are vegetarian, and lentils are plentiful, anything is possible. Indian cuisine is ﬁlled with unique uses for lentils.

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As for the chili powder in this recipe, it is an Indian red chili powder, which tends to be quite hot. You can easily substitute cayenne pepper if that is all you have. The heat levels are similar.

If you need to make this dish without the urad dal and black mustard seeds, you certainly can, and you will still get good results. I leave them in the recipe because it keeps it authentic. Also, the results are even better when you use these ingredients. I encourage you to invest in these new ingredients when you are ready.

My Guide to Indian Ingredient Substitutions will help you with sourcing, and in getting to know all of the wonderful spices used in Indian cooking.

Recipe: How to Prepare Any Vegetable, South Indian Style

Serves 2 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (sweet)

• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds [*optional] (pungent)

• 1/2 teaspoon split urad dal [*optional] (sweet, astringent)

• 1 teaspoon turmeric power (pungent, bitter)

• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (pungent)

• 4 cups vegetables, cubed or chopped, about 1/2-inch in size (sweet, astringent OR sweet, pungent)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt (salty)

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon or lime juice (sour OR sour, bitter)

Note: If your vegetable combo includes tomato, you have the sour ﬂavor covered, so leave out the lemon juice.

Optional add-in ingredients

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• Sliced onion or shallot • Coriander leaves, chopped

Suggested vegetables and combos

1. Clean and chop your selected vegetables and have them ready by the stove. Keep in mind that different vegetables may take different times to cook. If you are using a root vegetable with a green, keep them separate, and start cooking the root ﬁrst before adding the green.

2. Place a 10-inch sauté pan on medium heat and add vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds and urad dal, and sauté until at least half the mustard seeds pop, and the dal has turned golden brown. (If you do not have these ingredients, start with the next step.)

3. Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder (or cayenne pepper), and salt to the oil for a few seconds, and stir until the aroma is released. Add the vegetables and a pinch of salt, and mix well. If you are using the optional onion, sauté it in the spices ﬁrst for a couple of minutes.

4. Cover the pan and cook for 3–10 minutes (depended on the type of vegetable you are using), until the vegetables are fully cooked. Add a little water if needed to help the vegetables steam in their own juices.

5. Taste and adjust for salt. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice if your dish does not contain a sour vegetable. Stir in the coriander leaves if you are using it.

To Serve

Enjoy your balanced vegetable dish with steaming hot basmati rice. Add an Indian dal, such as Whole Mung Dal with cumin, ghee and turmeric, and Whole Wheat Roti Flatbread for a complete meal.

If you don’t have dal, or you would like something simpler, I would suggest enjoying the vegetables with toasted, buttered, whole wheat sourdough. Add a poached egg if you would like extra protein.

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Recipe Notes

Canola oil, or another neutral tasting oil, is preferred over olive oil for this recipe, because it is relatively tasteless, and the spices used in this preparation are subtle.

Split urad dal is a small white bean, available online or in Indian grocery stores. If you do not have it, it is ﬁne to leave it out.

Red chili powder is an Indian chili. It is very similar to cayenne, so you can substitute with cayenne powder if this is all you have. The red chili adds pungency and burning heat, so adjust the amount to your taste. I suggest adding at least a tiny bit to obtain the beneﬁts of the ingredient. The dish will not be the same without it.

About the turmeric: Feel free to add more or less according to your taste. If you want more health beneﬁts from the turmeric, add no more than 1 1/2 teaspoons, because too much can start to taste bitter. Also, be careful not to overcook the turmeric in oil, as it can burn easily.

About onion: It can be really nice here, particularly with the greens. Try some sliced shallots or red onion, and cook it with the spices for a few minutes before adding the rest of your vegetables. It will add additional depth of ﬂavor.

I do not suggest garlic or ginger, as it can be overpowering. However, if you want to add it, do so after the black mustard seeds and urad dal are cooked, and before adding the powdered spices. Sauté on low for a couple minutes, then add the powdered spices and continue with the recipe.

Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Experiences to Share?

I’d love to hear from you! [email protected]

Feel great, and take care of yourself!

Andrea

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