Ayurvedic Steamed Broccoli

The green vegetable that tops my list to keep kapha in balance is undoubtedly ‘Broccoli’! In fact all cruciferous veggies are good to keep kapha in check. Wet weather brings with it lethargy and heaviness which starts influencing kapha people to become lazy and dull. Gloomy weather tends to get me in moods, so this time before it got hold of me, I made this simple dish to get me on my feet!!

There is nothing much to making this dish. All you need is a nice spice mix (that you love), fresh ginger, orange zest, pumpkin seeds for little bit of healthy fat and a nice crunch and last but not least a drizzle of your favorite oil, in my case it’s the roasted walnut oil…yum!!

Per Ayurveda, it’s good thing to steam cruciferous veggies instead of eating them raw as they can be easily and completely digested. Also most of the cruciferous veggies contain goitrogens which can be lessened by steaming them to keep our endocrine system working efficiently.  All spices in general are good for kapha especially the hot and dry ones work wonders!

This dish tastes amazing on a bed of freshly made brown rice. I would recommend eating brown rice during the wet season as brown rice tends to be more heating and dry (good for kapha). White Basmati rice tends to be cooling and heavier good during hot summer months.

What made this simple dish so flavorful is this spice mix I recently bought from Savory Spices. Unique blend of paprika, shallots, oregano, and green onion brought life to my steamed broccoli which otherwise is pretty bland dish. I love eating minimally cooked dishes to preserve all the beneficial nutrients but never like to compromise with flavor. A simple dish has to be flavored rightly so that it gets into your repertoire or else trust me you will not eat it!

I added this spice mix along with freshly grated ginger while steaming the broccoli so that it gets infused while steaming. Once done I plated the steamed broccoli and topped with pumpkin seeds and orange zest. When ready to eat drizzle with little bit of your favorite gourmet oil!

Enjoy this simple but amazingly flavorful dish to get your spirits up on a cold wet day!