I went to an Ayurvedic cooking class yesterday. And was so inspired that I turned a good ol' boring mulligan into Paleo Indian-Inspired Slow Cooker Beef Stew (for two).
Ayurveda is the traditional Hindu system of medicine. It's based on the idea of balance in bodily systems. And uses diet, herbal treatment, and breathing to accomplish this.
And a large part of this balance has to do with digestion for each of the three body types. In other words, Ayurveda for a large part has to do with gut healing.
And herbs and spices form a large part of that healing. But in don't think that all the herbs and spices in this type of cooking are hot ... far from it.
There are cooling spices too ... like cardamom, coriander, and cilantro. That seem to go with my own body type.
Ayurveda has been researched too. And some studies have found that plant extracts have been as effective as medicine for certain conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis.
Ayurveda explains that most diseases are caused by the accumulation of “ama”. Ama is the result of undigested food getting into the blood stream and tissues.
Sound familiar? This is a spot-on explanation of what I'm constantly describing as leaky gut. A relaxing of the tight junctions between gut cells that allow stuff that shouldn't be there to leak into the bloodstream. Which leads to chronic inflammation.
I'm actually not surprised that they figured this out thousands of years ago. Because they also theorized the movements of the planets in Vedic astrology equally as long ago.
The Result ...
I thought of the beef stew because it's been raining nonstop here for days. And hot food is totally the ticket. Not to mention that I needed to use the organic beef stew meat that came in my ButcherBox.com box.
The recipe is also chock full of veggies. So the meat, veggies and herbal balance combine here to make my tummy vastly happy.
As well as both the temperature and warming spices to heat up my near-freezing (it snowed here today for the first time since the 1970's) body.
So I played with a lot of these in this dish ... to find the right balance for my own gut. And ... since the recipe is pretty much made-up ... the amounts of everything are approximate. So find the right balance for you.
As a result, I have TWO versions of this (actually three) to share with you ... a really simple and a little more complex recipe. I like the extra-added flavor in the more complex one that browning flour (almond)-dredged meat and then onions and garlic can add to this dish.
As well as the briefly-aromatized spices. You might also do the more complex recipe until you brown everything.
And then put in all the veggies instead of adding halfway all at once if you're doing something later. Or ... if you don't have ANY time ... you can just dump the whole lot in the crockpot and go!
Also, I added a butch more Kashmiri chilli powder at the end. It's more subtle than the American version. But it DOES kick you in the end in the end ...
Any way you do this recipe, Eat it UP! I know I will!
AuthorJill Place
In a large ziploc bag, combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add stew meat to bag and and shake to coat. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add coated stew meat and cook to brown all sides. Remove from heat and add to crockpot.
Heat 1-2 more Tbsp oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add onion or fennel and cook until lightly browned on the edges, about 4-5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Put in crockpot on top of beef.
Using same skillet add wine over medium low heat and loosen brown bits on bottom of pan. Continuing to simmer, reduce wine volume by half, stirring constantly. Add the Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and spices from chilli powder to bay leaf. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Mix the broth/wine/spice mixture into the crockpot ingredients and simmer 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Add the carrots, sweet potato, and mushrooms halfway through the cooking time. Cook just until meat and veggies are tender. Remove bay leaf.
Add veggies the same time as the meat. They will be pretty soft but still delicious!
Skip the first three steps (the flouring and browning) and add all ingredients directly to crockpot. Stir to combine, Cover the crockpot, and cook on low for 6-8 or high for 3-4 hours.
Add the tapioca starch or arrowroot to a small bowl with 1/2 cup cooking liquid or water. Whisk until smooth.
Turn crockpot to high setting. Add the peas. Stir the flour mixture into the stew gradually until desired thickness is achieved. Remove from heat and serve with chopped fresh cilantro and a dollop of Dairy Free yogurt or sour cream.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large ziploc bag, combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add stew meat to bag and and shake to coat. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add coated stew meat and cook to brown all sides. Remove from heat and add to crockpot.
Heat 1-2 more Tbsp oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add onion or fennel and cook until lightly browned on the edges, about 4-5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Put in crockpot on top of beef.
Using same skillet add wine over medium low heat and loosen brown bits on bottom of pan. Continuing to simmer, reduce wine volume by half, stirring constantly. Add the Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and spices from chilli powder to bay leaf. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Mix the broth/wine/spice mixture into the crockpot ingredients and simmer 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Add the carrots, sweet potato, and mushrooms halfway through the cooking time. Cook just until meat and veggies are tender. Remove bay leaf.
Add veggies the same time as the meat. They will be pretty soft but still delicious!
Skip the first three steps (the flouring and browning) and add all ingredients directly to crockpot. Stir to combine, Cover the crockpot, and cook on low for 6-8 or high for 3-4 hours.
Add the tapioca starch or arrowroot to a small bowl with 1/2 cup cooking liquid or water. Whisk until smooth.
Turn crockpot to high setting. Add the peas. Stir the flour mixture into the stew gradually until desired thickness is achieved. Remove from heat and serve with chopped fresh cilantro and a dollop of Dairy Free yogurt or sour cream.
Leave a Reply