The Cardamom Pod, Byron Bay

The one thing I have always loved about Byron Bay is that there are ample and delicious food options for vegetarians such as myself. For diners like me, it is not always easy to find satisfying vegetarian options when travelling, so when visiting Byron Bay I take great comfort in knowing that in just about every cafe and restaurant, there will be at least one item on the menu for me to enjoy. But a real highlight for me when visiting Byron is dining at The Cardamom Pod - a fantastic little vegetarian cafe tucked away in an arcade in the town centre.

The Cardamom Pod has played host to many happy diners (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike) for many years now, and is popular with visitors and locals. Their offering of traditional Indian dishes as well as modern fusion cuisine means that there is something for everyone here, so it's no surprise that this place remains so popular. Run by Hare Krishna devotees, the food at The Cardamom Pod is egg-free, as well as the vast majority of dishes also being onion and garlic free. The food on offer here (like at Govinda restaurants around the world) is 'sattvic'. In Ayurveda, a sattvic or yogic diet is one that is clean, pure and wholesome. The food is never too salty nor sweet, and it satisfies the body and soul.

Hot, comforting food is available, including an array of traditional Indian dishes such as dals, paneer dishes, kofta balls in gravy, and vegetable preparations to be enjoyed alongside rice, papadums and samosas. There are also more western dishes available such as vegetarian lasagne. Vibrant and freshly prepared salads and tempting desserts entice us from the chilled display upon our arrival, and I just know it's going to be hard deciding on what to order!

We are greeted and served by the lovely Drew, who guides us through the hot food and salads available for the day. He also tells us a bit about where the cafe sources their ingredients, much of which is locally grown and organic. I also learn that a local dairy supplies them with fresh milk from which they make their own paneer - a firm cottage cheese often used in Indian cuisine. Nothing beats freshly made paneer - it's delicious!

The great thing about dining with a group of family/friends is that you can sample a wide range of dishes, and there are no hard feelings about the occasional stolen taste test from your fellow diners' plates! For your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of our sumptuous vegetarian feast...

I thoroughly enjoy my vegetarian lasagne served with side salad. The Moroccan inspired baby spinach, chickpea and tomato salad with tangy yoghurt dressing is really good...

To finish, we share a slice of lemon and vanilla bean baked cheesecake with poached pear and syrup - simply divine!

Ladybird and family dined as guests of The Cardamom Pod.

The Cardamom Pod
Shop 8, The Pier Arcade
7 Lawson St
Byron Bay, NSW

http://www.byronvegetariancafe.com.au/


Ladybird x

Detoxifying Green Mung Bean Soup

Just a quick post from me this evening after a rather busy weekend!

Here is a nutritious soup recipe from our cookbook of the month - Eat Right for your Body Type by Anjum Anand. This soup is widely recommended by Ayurvedic practitioners as it is said to be revitalising and revitalising for the body. The green mung bean's outer green skin is rich in minerals and has a cleansing action on the digestive tract. It is commonly used as a source of sustainance during Ayurvedic fasts.

Seeing as I'm expecting, fasting is definitely off the cards for me. I like it on its own for a light lunch now and then, or for dinner I sometimes make this a little thicker by reducing the amount of water and then I serve it with steamed rice and vegetables.

The following is an adapted recipe from the book and suits all doshas. Speaking of which - did you take the quiz I linked to at the end of my previous post on the book? How did you find it?


The basic soup (suits all doshas)

200g green mung beans, washed in several changes of water
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
750ml water
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
rock salt, to taste
fresh coriander, chopped
lemon juice, to taste

Basic tarka (flavoured oil)
2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander


Method

1. Wash the mung beans thoroughly and then soak them either overnight or for at least 4 hours before cooking. Bring the lentils, fresh water and ground turmeric to a gentle simmer and cook until soft - around 30-40 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

2. Once the beans are cooked, heat the ghee in your smallest pan/saucepan, add the asafoetida ad allow to sizzle for 5 seconds. Add the cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds until the seeds have darkened and become aromatic. Add the remaining spices, let them sizzle for 20 seconds then tip into your soup and stir through. Simmer for a further 5 minutes, add salt and lemon juice to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander.

Till next time!

Ladybird x

Cookbook of the Month - June 2011

It is with much delight that I announce the Cookbook of the Month for June. It has been a little while since I've done this feature, so I've put quite a bit of thought into choosing something interesting for you, my precious readers!

This month's book comes from British-Indian celebrity chef and author Anjum Anand. You may remember I have featured some of her recipes on Diary of a Ladybird previously, such as my post on Carrot Kheer. At any rate, this month's book focuses on creating delicious food for optimum health by following ayurvedic diet principles.

Introducing Eat Right for your Body Type by Anjum Anand:

I have personally had a great experience with this book, and feel I must share with you that it was whilst follwing the guidelines in this book that I became pregnant with our little one currently on the way... Coincidence perhaps, or perhaps my body was in optimum health! I am no longer following the guidelines as strictly, but am definitely mindful of them in my everyday eating. So you never know - even if you have never heard of ayurveda before, I would urge you to keep an eye on this month's feature... I'll be sharing some great recipes from the book,some of which are Indian in influence, others more 'western'. I do hope you enjoy them :)

So what is ayurveda?
As described on Anjum's website:
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian science and is thought to have formed the backbone of many of the Eastern holistic medicines. It had a unique way of looking at the body and understood completely the relationship between food and the body. According to Ayurveda, what you eat can affect how you look, how you feel, who you are and most importantly, your health!

What are the 'Doshas'?
Everything in the universe is made up of the same 5 elements; air, ether, water, earth and fire. We have all 5 elements in our bodies but generally not in the same proportions, there will be more of one or two of them. These excess elements give us our own individual (elemental) imbalance (our personal DNA). In Ayurveda, these imbalances are grouped into three and are known as doshas. The three doshas are vata (an excess of ether and air), pitta (an excess of fire) and kapha (an excess of earth and water). Most of us a combination of two doshas but generally even here, one will dominate. Our dosha (imbalance) will determine who we are, how we look, how we think, our temperament and our tendencies.

Which dosha am I?
I thought you might be curious like I was! Click here to download a quick and easy questionnaire. Once you complete it you will not only be aware of your dosha, but you will also be able to see how the recipes I'm featuring will be of benefit to you, and how you can alter them to better suit your dosha.

To read more about your dosha, go to the bottom of this page on Anjum's website and click on the relevant dosha: http://www.anjumanand.co.uk/ayurveda/

More on this feature in the coming days :)

Ladybird x

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