Quinoa-Asparagus Pilaf Recipe

A Kapha-balancing Ayurvedic diet focuses on foods that are light, warm, dry, and stimulating to counterbalance Kapha’s heavy, cold, and damp qualities. The goal is to increase digestion, reduce stagnation, and invigorate energy levels.

Kapha-Balancing Dietary Guidelines

1. Favor:

• Tastes: Pungent (spicy), bitter, astringent

• Foods:

  • Vegetables: Leafy greens (kale, spinach, mustard greens), cruciferous (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower), asparagus, radishes, and bitter gourd

  • Fruits: Apples, pears, pomegranates, berries, dried fruits (in moderation)

  • Grains: Quinoa, millet, buckwheat, barley (light grains; minimize wheat and rice)

  • Legumes: Lentils, mung beans, black beans

  • Dairy: Minimal; opt for goat’s milk or small amounts of ghee

  • Proteins: Light meats (chicken, turkey, freshwater fish), plant-based proteins

  • Oils: Minimal use of light oils (mustard, flaxseed, sesame)

  • Spices: Ginger, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, cloves, cardamom

2. Reduce or Avoid:

• Tastes: Sweet, sour, salty (increase heaviness and congestion)

• Foods:

  • Dairy: Milk, cheese, yogurt (heavy and mucus-forming)

  • Fats: Excess oils, fried foods

  • Grains: White rice, wheat, oats (can be heavy)

  • Sugars: Sweets, excessive fruits, cold desserts

  • Processed & Heavy Foods: Junk food, deep-fried foods, cold and creamy textures

  • Salty Foods: Excess salt, pickles, fermented foods (can cause water retention)

3. Eating Habits for Kapha Balance:

• Eat warm, light, and freshly cooked meals (avoid heavy, oily, or cold foods).

• Use spices generously to stimulate digestion and circulation.

• Practice intermittent fasting or avoid eating late at night.

• Drink warm herbal teas (ginger, cinnamon, clove, tulsi).

• Eat in moderation and avoid overeating, as Kapha can accumulate easily.

Kapha Pacifying Recipe: Quinoa Asparagus Pilaf

The warm quinoa and cooling asparagus balance each other to create a beneficial lunch or dinner for all constitutions. (Serves 4–6)

Ingredients:

1 cup dry quinoa

2 cups water

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee

1⁄2–1 pound asparagus, depending on your taste and budget

1 large carrot

1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon fresh winter savory leaves (optional, but good!)

2 tablespoons onion

Directions

Rinse the quinoa well in a colander; then cook it in a small saucepan with the water and salt. After it comes to a boil, cover the pan and turn the heat low. While the quinoa is cooking, wash the asparagus and chop it into 1-inch pieces. Wash the carrot and slice it into thin ovals or half-moons.

Warm the olive oil in a large iron skillet. Finely chop the rosemary and onion and add them to the oil. When the onion begins to get translucent, add the carrot. Cover and cook on medium heat until tender (about 5 minutes). Add the asparagus and cover and cook another 2–3 minutes until it is tender yet slightly crispy. When quinoa is done (about 20 minutes), toss it lightly in the vegetables in the skillet, using a fork to fluff it. Finely chop the savory and stir it in.

Recipe by

Amadea Morningstar, author of The Ayurvedic Cookbook and Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners