A Game of Balance and Ayurvedic Pizza

Bringing the chapati playground to a next level. A Journey to Balance.

Hello my dear Ayurvedic companion,

As you open this letter, take a moment to tune in to your Self. How are you feeling today? How about your digestive fire?

Today I am inviting you to visit your Sattvic Playground to try out something new. Have you had time to visit the Chapati Playground yet? If not, then this is your invitation.

The last few days I had fun creating Ayurvedic pizzas. How can we call pizza Ayurvedic, you might ask? The Ayurvedic secret lies in the balance. If we follow the Ayurvedic principles of balance, then we have the power to ‘Ayurvedize’ almost everything. Even pizza. Let me introduce you to it - the 60/40 Balance Bowl principle.

Let’s take a glance at our plate through the lens of qualities food carries. In Ayurvedic cooking, we view foods as either Augmenting or Extractive. Augmenting foods are those that carry grounding and nourishing energy, while extractive foods are cleansing in nature. We need augmenting foods to build tissue and replenish what is lost, and extractive foods to ‘get things moving’ and aid with digestion. The balanced ratio we follow is 60/40, and it may vary slightly depending on your individual imbalances. The healer within you always knows what you need, we just need to pause and listen.

Use this list as a toolbox, from which you can take out some tools to play with.

By nourishing yourself with the right balance of augmenting and extractive foods, you become your own healer, inviting balance and harmony into your life. So, let’s use these principles and play a game. A game of balance. Let’s look at my pizza recipe through the augmenting-extractive lens.

Let’s go through the recipe step-by-step.

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Step 1: Crust (augmenting)

This is an invitation to re-visit the chapati playground, since the crust in this pizza follows the simple chapati formula.

1 cup of spelt flour

pinch of salt

1-2 tbsp ghee

hot water

Mix the flour, ghee and salt with your hand (or a fork), and slowly start adding the hot water, mixing until the dough becomes nice soft consistency and not too sticky. Play with it, using your hands to connect with the elements of water and earth, as well as fire (heat coming from the water). Use your senses - take a pause to smell the sweet and grounding aroma of the dough.

Make the dough and let it sit while you start preparing your pesto and toppings. Then, roll into a ‘chapati’ form and bake in the oven for 5-9 minutes before you begin the assembly.

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Step 2: Pesto (extractive)

a handful (each) of basil, coriander and parsley

1/2 lime (or lemon)

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp pine nuts (slightly toasted)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

pinch of salt

Gently toast some pine nuts on a dry pan (to activate the prana). Finely chop your herbs and place everything together in a blender. Blend on full intensity so that all the little ‘pieces’ fuse together.

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Step 3: Fennel & broccoli topping (augmenting + extractive)

1 fennel root

1 broccoli stem

spices: thyme, oregano, rosemary (great if fresh, but dry does the trick too) 1/2 tsp each

extra virgin olive oil for cooking

Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add the spices and wait until their aroma wakes up. Chop the broccoli into small chunks and fennel into thin strips. You can also experiment with the shapes - see what your creative voice guides you to do. Add the broccoli and fennel into the pan, coat with spices and let it fry for a few minutes. Then, add just a little bit of water and cover with a lid, leaving on low-heat for 10-15 minutes.

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Step 4: Assembly

First bake your crust for about 5 minutes at 180C. Then, layer your pesto, add the fennel and broccoli topping, and finally add some fresh goat cheese and sprinkle with pine nuts. Send it to the oven for about 7-9 more minutes for the flavours to dance around and fuse together. Right before serving, sprinkle some rose petals for a loving addition of color and aroma.

Ayurvedic pizza construction

The result is a plate full of prana that leaves you feeling light and balanced, both in the body and in the mind. A step towards Sattva.

Ayurvedic Pizza

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Playing this game of balance is for sure stepping out of the comfort zone - it is an invitation to be playful, trust your senses and break beyond the rigidity of rules. Notice if you are bringing any nervous energy into the process (missing ingredient…?). Be kind with yourself and allow things to unfold in a unique way. Through your open heart, transform any nervous energy into compassion and love. We play the game of balance with intuition, not with rules.

Take a moment to pause and reflect - what is your relationship with balance?

A big part of my Ayurvedic journey has been about re-building my relationship with balance. For a while, I used to maintain balance in life through strict discipline and rules. Eventually, these rules created by the mind became a rigid framework, stepping out of which would feel uncomfortable and fearful.

Ayurveda is teaching me every day that life is constantly changing, and the beauty of life is to allow ourselves to flow with these changes. Balance looks different as we flow through life. Moving from strict rules to soft guidelines has been so liberating and expansive. It is a step toward a better dialogue with your inner healer, your intuition and the guiding voice.

Just like that, treat this pizza recipe as a guideline, not strict rules. Enjoy the unique flow of your ‘game’ of balance, in the kitchen and in life.

Bless you!