Scope
The Hindu Compliance System gives direction on cooking science which is compiled from Bhaga Shastra. Bhaga Shastra classifies foods into rajasik, tamasik and satvik types. Rajasik food makes one feel agitated, aggressive, lustful and egoistic. Tamasik food makes a person lazy, sleepy and depressed. Satvik food gives clarity to the person and brings him peace of mind leading to bhakti (devotion), tripti (fulfilment) and ananda (bliss).
Six types of tastes are described in the Bhaga Shastra – salt, sweet, sour, hot, bitter and pungent. It states that every meal should include all these tastes so that the appetite is satisfied and the tongue is neutralized by all the tastes being together. As per the instructions in Bhaga Shastra, in order for all parts of the body, mind and brain to function properly, a balanced diet of all these tastes is a must.
Further, the purpose of having all six tastes is to balance the tridoshas in the body, namely vaata (acidic), pitta (alkaline) and Kapha (phlegm). Every ingredient used in Hindu cooking is classified as per its dosha properties.
For thousands of years, Hindus have been cooking food that is organic, nature friendly and with numerous benefits. This standard will help organizations, businesses like hotels, restaurants etc. to cook the food as mentioned in Hindu Scriptures.
Ingredient and Process of Cooking
In its humblest form, rice is made into a gruel or porridge called Congee (also called kanji, ganji,pez, ambil). Valued for the nutritional strength of the starch in this porridge where the rice isboiled to a soft consistency, the congee is the staple food in the poorest homes of India.Leftover rice soaked in water from a previous night and served as breakfast is much sought after in all parts of South India because of its high nutritional value. Its popularity is such that,there are restaurants that serve it as breakfast to office goers. Because of its high nutritionalvalue and easy digestibility, congee is prescribed as diet food for recuperating patients at home.Congee is also prepared using wheat grits (daliya), foxtail millet, pearl millet (ragi), brokenmaize, sago, etc.
To prepare the dish, rice is boiled in a large quantity of water until it softens significantly. Congee can be made in a pot or in a rice cooker. Some rice cookers have a “congee”; setting, allowing it to be cooked overnight. The type of rice used can be either short (or broken) – or long-grain, depending on what is available and regional cultural influences.Congee is bland and therefore its flavor is enhanced with salt, papadam or such varieties of crispies, pickle, chutney, vegetables, pure ghee, etc. In some regions of South India, sweet variations of the congee using jaggery, coconut, unprocessed candy sugar, buttermilk, milk, etc. are also made.
Ingredients
The essential ingredients for congee are only two – soaked rice and, 3-4 times its quantity of water.
Suitable for eka putargal (who eat once a day) and those having indigestion issues.
Small Rice – 1 padi
Clean Water – 2 padis + 1 padi
Method:
1. Soak 1 padi of small rice in 1 padi of water for about 24 minutes, mix well and drain the water.
2. Take 2 padis of clean water in a pot which can hold 4 padis of water.
3. Boil water. When the water starts to boil, add the drained rice.
4. Stir the rice well with the boiling water. Cover the pot with a lid.
5. Few minutes later, once the rice and water starts boiling, stir well again and cover.
6. Check if the rice is ¾th cooked as mentioned above and mix well again, turn off the stove.
7. Leave it on the off stove (warm) for 5 minutes and keep aside.
References
Hindu Bhaga Sasthiram: Click Here
Hindu Compliance Body
The Hindu compliance body was established under the executive order of The Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism, dated August 14, 2020, order number 10010, under the title Reviving the Hindu Compliance System and Body
to create, promote, spread and teach the standard procedures for all products and services that are in compliance Hindu Shastras.
Copyright
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