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Vegetarian cooking lesson 16, Indian Gunda and Sangri Sabji

A cooking demonstration for preparing traditional Indian vegetables.

"Both the guṇḍā and the saṅgrī grow in the desert of Rajasthan, at our Jadon Ashram in the Pali district."

"For me, and for all of us, it is very important always to know where our food comes from, what we are eating, its origin, and through whose hands it has passed."

A monk prepares a dish of guṇḍā and saṅgrī, vegetables harvested from ashram lands in Rajasthan. He explains the sourcing and preparation of the dried ingredients, then cooks them with spices, onion, and yogurt, while also demonstrating how to make chapati. The process is interwoven with spiritual reflections on food origins and chants.

Filming location: Vép, Hungary

Good morning. Hari Om. Today we are preparing the kuṇḍa and saṅgrī sābjī. Both the guṇḍā and saṅgrī grow in the desert of Rajasthan, at our Jadon Ashram in the Pali district. They are harvested there, then cooked, dried, and the seeds are removed in preparation. The guṇḍā is a very healthy vegetable that grows on trees. Swamiji says it is very healthy for our stomach and intestines. Here, we have soaked the guṇḍā overnight because it is already cooked and dried. The saṅgrī is also soaked overnight. There are, of course, many different ways to prepare and use them, but this is how we do it. I am just looking for any long pieces to cut them a little smaller, as it is easier to eat them with chapati. The Saṅgrī also grows on a tree. It is harvested, washed, dried, and prepared at our Chadana Ashram. Our Karma Yogīs, especially our dear Jānkī with her helpers, prepare them nicely so we can have them here in Europe and around the world. We drain the water. For me, and for all of us, it is very important always to know where our food comes from, what we are eating, its origin, and through whose hands it has passed. So when I see and touch this vegetable, I remember the holy land of India, Mother India. We start by putting some olive oil in the pot. We need cumin seeds—just a little, not too much. We add them to the cold oil, as I am using olive oil, and this method works well. We sell the dried guṇḍā here in packages. They look like this—sun-dried. The income supports our ashram, so everyone can order or bring some. It is also necessary to have ready the turmeric, chili powder, and here we also use mango powder (amchur), coriander powder, cumin powder, and, of course, salt. The saṅgrī and guṇḍā need a little sour taste. Some people, and we also do this, add yogurt at the end. We cut the onion, which we prepared earlier, and add it now. The asafoetida and cumin seeds are starting to splutter, so we put them in. It needs a little more oil. Some people also use ghee, if preferred. Because the vegetable is very dry—it is grown in the desert of Rajasthan, also at our Rani farmhouse where we harvest the guṇḍās from the trees—we add a good amount of onion. If you do not like onion or garlic, you need not add them; it is according to taste. Wait until the onion turns slightly light brown. Meanwhile, we prepare the spice mixture with water. I would use about half a teaspoon of turmeric, chili powder to taste, a little more coriander powder (about two teaspoons), cumin powder, a teaspoon of salt (or a little more), and we will add the mango powder later. Some people like garlic; we add it at the end so its healthful effect on the veins and arteries is preserved. We mix these spices in water. Take care that the onion does not burn. This mixture will cook until the oil comes to the surface. Yesterday, while cooking halvā, we saw that the oil must come to the surface, and then we continue by adding the vegetables. Śiva Oṁ Śiva Para Para Śiva Oṁ Kara Śiva Tava Caraṇam Nama Niśaṅkara Niśaṅkara Oṁ Maheśu Caraṇam We wait until the chapati griddle (tawa) gets hot. Now we can add the saṅgrī and then the spice mixture. Let it cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. We can cover it. Then we can prepare one chapati while the griddle is hot. The dough was prepared earlier. You already know how to prepare chapati dough. Depending on your time, you can make thin or thick chapatis, according to your taste. Make them round. Look, there should be no wrinkles or cracks, otherwise it will not puff up. Use three fingers, then between the thumb and index finger, make it round by moving it slightly between your fingers, not with your whole hand. Everyone will do it according to their own possibilities. Not everyone has a small rolling pin; some chapatis we make only between the hands, like this. Place it on a towel. Guṇḍā Sabjī and Saṅgrī Sabjī are very good for traveling because they are dry vegetable dishes, not liquid. We cook them until the water evaporates. They are dry, so we can put them in a container with parathas; they are quiet for the journey. They are very good eaten cold and do not need to be hot. The vegetable is soft because it is pre-cooked and dried again. The chapati griddle is hot. When we touch the dough and our hand feels hot, then the dough is ready. Yes, it changes color. We can turn it after about 30 seconds on one side. This is to show how to prepare it the correct way for Japān, as he is a master in every discipline, and he has promised to show us the correct way to prepare the Japān. Slowly, we cook it. We must take care that it is done on the corners and sides as well. Often we see chapatis done too quickly and not properly, which is not good. Then the air inside produces heat, and this heat cooks the chapati. In India, I have also seen them put directly on the fire and turned round and round. It is better to prepare fewer, but in a good, proper way, not too soft. This is especially important when we cook for samādhi; it should have dry possibilities. Keep the chapati a little warm by placing it in a covered basket. Now let's check on the guṇḍā. If you do not have lemon, you can use yogurt. I put only a little amchur powder because at the end we add yogurt or kefir inside. The taste is good, no? I would not put green chili; it should have dried red chilies inside, but we do not have them here, so I cannot. So we add a little more chili powder according to your taste, if you like it hot or not. At the beginning, there should have been red dried chilies together with the cumin. It should not stand for too long, otherwise it burns. Now we add a little yogurt, but we have to be careful. The fire should be off, otherwise it is too hot. The yogurt will curdle and not look good. We must mix it constantly, otherwise the yogurt clumps together. We let it cool down a little and then mix the yogurt in. Otherwise, it mixes together. To show you here, we are putting the yogurt in. When it has cooled down a little, the yogurt does not go in immediately, so it will not curdle. Coriander, if you want. You can add some garlic or not; it depends. I will just leave it now. I am not tasting it to see how it is. However it is, it will be good. If you want, you can put a little here first, and this will cover it. You know, put it a bit tight. Oṃ Manāpūrṇe Sadāpūrṇe Śaṅkara Prāṇa Malate Dhyāna Rāya Siddhate Kecchante Japārvati Māta Japārvati Devī Pittā Devo Maheśvara Pāṇḍava Śiva Bhakta Svāsthi Śubhaṃ Nandāya Thubhaṃ Garoti Kalyāṇam Ārogyaṃ Dhanasampatā Satru Pudi Vinasaya Deepa Jyoti Namastute. Deep Jyoti Parabrahma Deepam Sarve Mohanam. Deepana Sajjade Sarvam Sandhyatikvam Sarasvatyam. Brahmaatmanam Brahmaavir Brahma Gnobrahmanahutam Pramevate. Nagantayam Brahma Karma Samadhinam. Oṁ Pūrṇamadaḥ Pūrṇamidaṁ Pūrṇāt Pūrṇamudacyate Pūrṇasya Pūrṇamādāya Pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate. Oṁ śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ,... Oṁ namaḥ pārati, pārati hara, hara pārati.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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