Sattva : Issue 10
Cafe style coffee at home | A recipe from my new book | Get sprouting | Change your mood in 20 minutes
Sattva (सत्त्व) is a beautiful Sanskrit word that has many meanings—spirit, true essence, good sense, wisdom, quality of purity, energy, consciousness and mind, among other things.
Through this fortnightly newsletter, I want to bring to you all things good, which will make your life better. My focus will be on topics such as mindfulness, productivity, slow living and sustainability, accompanied by genuinely useful recommendations of products, books, music, links to read, and of course food and recipes. Through these, I hope to instil some Sattva in your life.
Bring the cafe style coffee home
It’s been a while since we’ve gone out to a cafe to have a cup of coffee, meet up a friend or to work from. I do miss these mini breaks in neighbourhood cafes, relaxing with a book or some music. While I love the traditional south Indian filter coffee at home in a davara-tumbler, I do crave for something cafe-style once in a while.
Rains outside your window, a good book in hand and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee…bliss. To make the most of these rainy days at home, I’m sharing some of my tips with you to elevate your ghar-ki-coffee to cafe level.
I’m sure you’ve read this before but I must say it again :) Good coffee starts with good beans. Buy a brand that sources quality beans, roasts and grinds it fresh before dispatch. For best results, the grind needs to be customised depending on the method you use for brewing - for example, a coarse grind for French press and cold brews, medium grind for pour-over and fine grind for mokapot and espresso.
A mokapot gives you a strong, flavourful espresso that can be used to make a coffee of your liking. It is one of the most affordable of all the coffee making gadgets, and gives the best value for money. Bialetti is the original mokapot brand from Italy (ok, this one’s expensive). But there are quite a few local brands available online, which are reasonably priced.
My favourite kind of coffee is a flat white, which has a double shot of espresso and an equal quantity of hot frothed milk. The result is a strong cup of coffee with milk. For frothing up milk, I use the Ikea battery operated frother.
For lighter brews and for those who like to have their coffee black, the French press is a great choice. Make sure you buy coarsely ground coffee for this method.
If you are a firm believer that instant coffee is the one for you, no judgement here :) Davidoff is one of my favourite brands, whether you’re making espresso or a frothy cappuccino. For a cappuccino, the trick is to first mix the instant coffee granules, a splash of hot water and sugar (if using) using the battery operated frother. To this add hot frothed milk and stir gently.
To check out all things coffee related, visit Somethings Brewing, a boutique coffee company operating out of my city, Bengaluru.
How to you like your coffee and what is the one coffee equipment you recommend? Do share with us in the comments.
Recipe: If there’s coffee, can cake be far behind? Try this coffee flavoured coffee cake.
Superfood Recipe from Everyday Superfoods
It’s corn season and here’s a recipe featuring chargrilled corn from my latest book, only for Sattva readers!
For the recipe in text form, click here
Buy my book Everyday Superfoods.
DIY - Magical Moong Sprouts
Having a box of sprouts in the fridge is one of the best meal-prep ideas. Soaking and sprouting the beans help overcome the ill effect of phytates or anti-nutrients present in legumes that prevent absorption of vital nutrients.
Here’s how I like to sprout moong / masoor / moth and all kinds of legumes.
Soak the beans overnight. Rinse and drain.
Spread out in a wide box with some kind of ventilation or keep the lid slightly open. Cover the box with a black coloured cloth. This helps keep the sprouts white in colour.
After 12 hours, rinse well and soak in water for 5-10 minutes. Drain all the water and keep covered.
Repeat this process every 12 hours so that the sprouts get enough hydration and they don’t stick to each other due to fungus formation.
In 3-4 days, you will get beautiful sprouts over 2 inches in length.
Sprouting depends on the temperature and humidity in the place where you live. Cooler weather places will take 1-2 days more.
To store the sprouts, rinse well and spread out on an absorbent towel for 30 minutes to dry excess moisture. Keep in a paper-towel lined container in the fridge. Don’t overstuff the sprouts in the box. Use within 4-5 days.
How to use: Add to salads, sandwiches, wraps, top over soups, add to rice dishes and curries
There are quite a few brands of sprout makers available online, in different materials from plastic to earthen. I do love this earthen 3 tier sprout making pot. Ellementary has a beautifully designed one too.
I hope this has sufficiently inspired you to get some legumes out of your kitchen cabinets and get sprouting.
Recipe: Matki Usal / sprouted moth beans curry
Recipe: Maharashtrian Misal Pav
You have 20 minutes and…
I saw this beautiful illustration by Doodledwellness on Instagram and it instantly appealed to me. We often think that we need a large stretch of time to do something worthwhile or to make a change in our day or life. But there’s a lot you can do in just 20 minutes that changes the state of your mind and steers your day towards a better direction.
Make a connection in 20 minutes
Check your phone’s address book and call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.
Have a video call with a loved one.
Meditate and connect with yourself.
Express yourself in 20 minutes
Write a poem.
Learn a paragraph of a song.
Doodle or sketch something.
Record a video of yourself singing / talking.
Relax in 20 minutes
Take a hot shower.
Light up some candles and play your favourite relaxing tunes.
Pick up your favourite book and read.
Make yourself a quick snack like crackers and cheese, serve it along with your favourite beverage.
Links and stuff
Listen to my interview with Chirag Thakkar of Roli Books on their podcast Beyond the Lines - Spotify | Apple | Google
Join me in an Instagram Live on Saturday 26 June with Blue Tokai Coffee and Anisha from Goya Journal at 6 PM, talking about my new book and lots more!
Image credits:
Rainy window: Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash
Coffee in a cafe: Photo by Wherda Arsianto on Unsplash
Coffee illustration: Carrie Pacini | Instagram / Blog
If you like what you read, please share it with your family and friends. I am grateful for your help in reaching my newsletter to a wider audience. See you in two weeks!
Books: Everyday Superfoods | The Everyday Healthy Vegetarian
Blog: https://saffrontrail.com
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Instagram: https://instagram.com/saffrontrail
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None of the product mentions are sponsored unless explicitly mentioned. Thank you :)
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