Simple Recipes

If you're planning to cook while you're in Mysore, here are some simple recipes, extracted from “The Ayurvedic Cookbook” by Amadea Morningstar with Urmila Desai. Enjoy!

Pulao (Serves 5-6)

Preparation time : 30 minutes with basmati rice

1 cup basmati rice, uncooked

¼ cup ghee (or butter)

3 cups water

1 tbsp sunflower oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp turmeric

1 cup green peas

½ cup green bell pepper, chopped (optional)

¼ cup cashew nuts, chopped (or pumpkin seeds)

¼ cup raisins

½ tsp sea salt

1 ½ tsp curry powder (mild)

In medium sized saucepan, heat the ghee or butter. Add the rice. Stir constantly over low heat for 3 minutes, watching carefully. When it is coated all over and glistens slightly, add water. Cook until soft : 15 minutes for basmati. Cool in saucepan.

In a medium-sized skillet, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add turmeric and vegetables. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add nuts or seeds and raisins and mix well. Add cooled rice, fluffing it with a fork as you take it from its pan. Add salt and curry powder. Mix well. Serve.

Mung Dhal with Spinach (Dhal Palak)

Serves 3-4

Preparation time : with pressure cooker, 45 minutes. Without pressure cooker, 1 hour or slightly more.

1 cup split mung dal

4 ½ cups water

1/8 tsp hing (you can find it at the Indian herbal stores)

1tbsp sunflower oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp sea salt

¼ hot green chili pepper

1 ½ tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp lime or lemon juice

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

Garnish : fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Wash the dhal well, and put it in the pressure cooker with the water and hing. Bring to pressure and cook for 15 minutes. Or, use a regular pot, bring to a boil, cover and cook until tender and soft, for about 45 minutes. In a small skillet, warm the oil and add the cumin, mustard seeds and garlic. When the mustard seeds pop, stir in the turmeric, and combine the mixture with the cooked mung dhal. Add the rest of the ingredients except the spinach and cook for 10 minutes. Then, add the spinach, and cover and cook until tender, for 5-10 minutes over medium heat.

Comments : goes really well with chappatis, or rice, and a vegetable side dish.

What to Cook

If you're planning to cook, make sure you have a well-stocked kitchen. Spices, herbs, rice, pasta and cooking utensils are easily available at the shops in Gokulam, or Loyal World supermarket.

Breakfast : French Toast and Banana Lassi

Main Course Option 1 : Fried rice & stir-fried vegetables with garam masala

Main Course Option 2 : Vegetarian Pasta

Remember to eat lots of fruit!

Dessert : Baskin Robbins ice-cream, bananas, homemade coconut crumble cookies and a drizzle of honey.

(Where to buy : Baskin Robbins at Loyal World, Coconut Crumble Cookies from Trupti Provision Stores)

Where to Get Stuff

Trupti Provision Store - corner of 7th Cross (near Chakra House)

This tiny provision store has practically everything.... eggs, sugar, breakfast cereal, rice, lightbulbs, candles, homemade chocolates, cakes and cookies, soymilk, yoghurt, fresh milk, ice cream....you name it! Opens daily from as early as 6am and closes at 9pm (lunch break from 1pm to 4pm).

Kaavyam Bookstore - #138/1 Doctor's Corner, Gokulam 3rd Stage. Phone : 9480477729

Kaavyam has quite a good stock of books, especially if you're looking for additional reading texts for your Teacher Training Course. If you can't find the title you're looking for, speak to Jayanthi and she will try to order in the title for you.

Honesty Fashions

For your bedding needs, go to Honesty Fashions, located just a short walk away from the Coconut Stand, on 9^th Cross. Most of their prices are fixed, so there’s really no point negotiating, as this is one of the more complete shops to get your linen, towels, yoga mat, pillows, last minute Indian kurta outfit or saree silks.

Sudha’s – #236/A 8^th Cross, 3^rd Stage Gokulam (same road as AYRI).

It’s easy to miss Sudha’s unless you actually know of the place. Sudha is a very talented and enterprising lady who is a whiz with her sewing machine. She sews the most gorgeous yoga mat bags, clothes for men and women (pants, skirts and tunic tops), sling-bags… and she even carries hand woven Mysore yoga rugs.

Needs Tours & Travel - #251 2^nd Main, 3^rd Stage Gokulam.

Murthy’s Mobile Ph : +91-880265622 or Office Ph : +91-821-4258785

Needs Travel is the ‘go to’ place for most of your (pardon the pun) needs! Services offered include money changing, money transferring, house rentals, water dispenser rentals, courier, air/ground ticketing, ground transport to/from Bangalore International Airport, safe lockers and motorbike/scooter rentals, just to name a few.

Devaraj Market (or Mysore Market) in town

I love the market! Shop for fresh vegetables, fruits, incense, perfumed oil, stainless steel and copper pots and pans (they call them “vessels” here), cutlery and crockery, literally thousands of colourful Indian glass bangles and more!

The shops around the market are great too- colourful handspun Mysore silk sarees beckon from the glorious window displays, tailors who can turn around a custom-made outfit in 48 hours, Bombay Tiffany's for Indian sweets, restaurants, barbers, CDs and the whole works!

Bombay Tiffany’s, just outside the Devaraj Market

You mustn’t leave Mysore without tasting its sweets! Check out Bombay Tiffany’s for the infamous Mysore Pak and Badam Barfi (almond candy). Be warned, it’s super sweet, so sharing is recommended.

Swastha Kerala Ayurveda Panchakarma Centre - #703 14^th Cross 3^rd Stage Gokulam (at the back of Adithya Hospital). Phone : +821-2413446

Good things are meant to be shared! Dr Subeesh’s team of Keralan ayurvedic therapists is a gift from heaven. Dedicated to rejuvenating your tired body from all the days of intense yoga practice, or attending to a particular health condition, their 2-hour treatments are certainly something I look forward to, each weekend.

Swastha is about a 10 minute walk from Anu’s Internet Café – just follow the road signs, you won’t miss it. Do call and make an appointment, as they only have one therapy room.

Shaila’s Cooking Classes - #1015/A, 9^th Cross, 3^rd Stage Gokulam (near Doctor’s Corner).

Phone : +821-2513265

If you’ve got a few days to spare before you depart from Mysore, you might want to check out Shaila’s cooking classes. Learn to make traditional thalis, dosas, idlis, chutneys, Indian sweets, different types of dhal, salads and more!

Internet Cafés

Rishi’s - #188 9^th Cross, 3^rd Stage. Phone : +821 4287230

(Rishi also provides money changing services and lunches for yoga students)

Anu’s # 367 2^nd Main, 3^rd Stage. Phone : +821 4288120.

(Anu also provides buffet lunch and dinner for yoga students, as well as ground transport to/from Bangalore International Airport. Beware of the dog!).