Niti Sheth

Just relax!

Easier said than done.

And that’s something I tell all my clients and often have to remind myself to do.

We live in times that make it impossible for us to live in our natural relaxed state - so allowing our bodies to relax becomes yet another ‘thing we need to do’.

Here are two simple things I do to train my body to relax from time to time:
- do a body scan meditation. Just search this term on YouTube - many different videos of different lengths will come up. Just choose one based on the amount of time you have and then listen to the voice! No need to watch the video - just follow along the guided meditation. It allows your mind to pay attention to different parts of your body and consciously making yourself relax.
- ⁠find out what part of the body you naturally tense on a regular basis. It could be that you clench your jaw, or hunch your shoulders or even tighten your buttocks - all of these will happen subconsciously without use realising it. It’s then our job to notice this and from time to time when you’re doing a daily activity (like boiling a kettle, or brushing your teeth, or when you stop at a red light) remind yourself of this tension and consciously relax. It’s like the atomic habit strategy of habit stacking - find something that you already do and pair it with a new habit you want to implement.

And then it’ll be easier to,
Just relax!

Bottle Gourd Kofta
Ingredients:
- grated bottle gourd
- grated paneer
- boiled potato
- green chillies
- fresh coriander
- salt
- garam masala
- ghee and/or oil
- whole spices: cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, green cardamom, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, star anise, dried red chili, fresh green chili, fresh finger, Ekadasi hing (if available)
- powdered spices: turmeric, cumin-coriander, red chili
- salt
- fresh tomatoes, carrot, bottle gourd

Method:
1. To make the koftas, combine boiled potato (mash it well), grated paneer, grated bottle gourd, salt, coriander, green chilies and garam masala. Mix it all well and then form small patties.
2. Air fry (or shallow fry) these. I brushed these with a bit of oil before placing in the airfryer - I put them in at 180 degrees for 8 minutes, then turned them before keeping them in for another 8 minutes.
3. To make the gravy: heat ghee or peanut oil in a heavy-botton saucepan. First saute the whole spices (cinnamon, clove, black pepper & green cardamom, star anise, dried red chili, fresh green chili, fresh ginger, Ekadasi hing (if available), coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Cook these well for a few minutes on low heat until they begin to turn brown and smell aromatic.
4. Add in chopped tomatoes, bottle gourd and carrot and mix everything well. Cover with a lid and allow everything to cook until soft. The skin should peel off the tomatoes and the carrot and bottle gourd should be completely soft.
5. Allow this gravy mixture to cool and then blend well.
6. Pour the blended gravy back into the pot, add in the powdered spices (turmeric, cumin-coriander and red chili powders) and salt. Thin out the gravy if needed by adding extra water.
7. Cook the gravy for 5-7 minutes until all the flavours have incorporated well.
8. To serve, add a few of the koftas to a bowl, top with gravy and eat with Ekadasi chapatis or some hot quinoa.

Dudhi-Chana Dal
Ingredients:
- 2 palmfuls chana dal
- 1 small piece dudhi/lauki/bottle gourd
- 1 small tomato
- 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon sambhar powder
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon jaggery
- ghee
- mustard seeds
- cumin seeds
- 1 small green chili
- 1/2 inch grated ginger
- pinch asafoetida/hing
- a few curry leaves
- lemon/lime juice
- fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
1. Wash, rinse and then soak the chana dal for a few hours (if you’re short on time, soak for at least 1 hour in boiling water).
2. Wash, peel and cut the bottle gourd into small cubes. Do the same thing with the tomato (you can leave the skin on).
3. In a pressure cooker, place the chana dal, bottle gourd, tomato inside with enough water (around 2-3 cups). Add in turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin-coriander power, sambhar powder, salt and jaggery. Close the lid and allow to pressure cook for 4-5 whistles on medium heat.
4. Once the bottle gourd and chana dal have cooked and the pressure has naturally released, prepare the tempering.
5. In a small vessel, heat the ghee, once hot, add in mustard seeds (allow them to pop) and then add in cumin seeds, green chilies, grated ginger, asafoetida and curry leaves - cook everything until it’s nice and aromatic.
6. Add the tempered spices to the bottle gourd and chana dal mixture, mix well and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow to simmer for a few minutes.
7. Turn the heat off, add in the lime/lemon juice and fresh coriander.
8. Serve with hot rotlis or rice, offer with love and honour with gratitude!

Eggless Lauki Chocolate Brownies

Recipe from

Ingredients: (makes 12 brownies)
•⁠ ⁠1 cup grated lauki (bottle gourd)
•⁠ ⁠1 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
•⁠ ⁠1/2 cup cocoa powder
•⁠ ⁠1/2 cup castor sugar
•⁠ ⁠1/2 cup brown sugar
•⁠ ⁠1/2 cup plain yogurt (dahi)
•⁠ ⁠1/2 cup vegetable oil
•⁠ ⁠1 tsp vanilla extract
•⁠ ⁠1 tsp baking powder
•⁠ ⁠1/2 tsp baking soda
•⁠ ⁠1/4 tsp salt
•⁠ ⁠1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
•⁠ ⁠1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Method:
1.⁠ ⁠⁠Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2.⁠ ⁠Peel and grate the lauki. Squeeze out the excess water and set aside.
3.⁠ ⁠In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4.⁠ ⁠In another large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, yogurt, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.
5.⁠ ⁠Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing gently. Fold in the grated lauki. If the batter is too thick, add a little water or milk to achieve a smooth consistency.
6.⁠ ⁠Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts if using.
7.⁠ ⁠Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs (brownies should be fudgy).
8.⁠ ⁠Cool, offer with love and honour with gratitude!

Lauki Raita

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup lauki/bottle gourd grated
- 1 cup yoghurt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- handful chopped coriander and mint leaves

Method:
1. Peel and grate the bottle gourd. Then add it to a pot of boiling salted water for 2 mins.
2. Once it’s boiled - leave to drain in a colander/large sieve. Squeeze out any excess moisture.
3. Prepare the yoghurt by whipping it to a smooth consistency.
4. Then mix in the salt, black salt, cumin powder, mint and coriander leaves and cooked bottle gourd.
5. Mix well and serve as a side dish to your meal!

I feel like dudhi has been unfairly labelled as the boring vegetable of the Indian kitchen 😂

It’s mild, it’s watery, it’s not particularly exciting to look at… and perhaps that’s exactly why we don’t give it enough credit.

But that mildness is actually part of what makes dudhi so versatile. It happily takes on the flavours of whatever you cook it with, which means it can be transformed in so many different ways — from a raita to a sabji, soup, kofta or even something sweet.

And from an Ayurvedic perspective, it’s an interesting vegetable too. Dudhi is light, cooling and hydrating, making it particularly lovely in the warmer months when we’re naturally looking for foods that are lighter and more refreshing.

So rather than dismissing it as the vegetable you were forced to eat as a child, I’m giving dudhi another chance.

Five recipes. Five Ayurvedic lessons. And hopefully, by the end of this series, I’ll have convinced at least one dudhi-hater that this humble gourd deserves a little more love.

Let’s see if I can convince first 😅🌿

I know people can be divided about ‘hiding’ certain vegetables or foods into meals to make people eat them.

And I get it, we should encourage people to eat whole foods and ingredients without the need to disguise them, and get them to appreciate the ingredients as they are.

But you and I both know that ‘hiding’ foods isn’t done out of malice - it’s done out of love. I want my family to eat healthily, and sometimes that might mean sneaking in a veggie or two in dishes that I know they’ll actually eat.

So if you have picky eaters in the house, and especially ones that turn their nose up when they hear the word laukhi or dudhi, then this recipe is for you.

Shout out to my niece and nephew for always eating what I make (well they don’t have a choice 😂).