building a
Six-Taste Bowl

Six-Taste Bowls fulfill the six tastes of Ayurveda and leave you nourished on a cellular level. Keep precooked grains, legumes, and sweet potatoes on hand and you’re only minutes away from a healthy, satisfying lunch.

Building a Six-Taste Bowl

six-taste bowl components

The Six-Taste Bowl recipes in this chapter include the same basic components to build in all six tastes: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Mix and match ingredients to create your own bowls!

hearty base (sweet)

Healthy grains: quinoa, barley, brown rice

Starchy vegetables: sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, carrot, beet

 

colorful veggies (bitter)

Leafy greens: spinach, arugula, collard, kale

Cruciferous vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts

Zucchini, snow peas, bell pepper, cucumber

 

plant protein (astringent)

Legumes: lentils, black beans, chickpeas, adzuki beans, edamame

Nuts and seeds: almonds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, tahini

 

healthy fats (sweet)

Avocado, coconut, nut cheeses, almonds, cashews

Plant-based oils: olive, sesame, coconut, avocado, grapeseed

 

spices & aromatics (pungent)

Cumin, turmeric, ginger, asafetida, black pepper

Allium vegetables: garlic, onion, leek, scallion, shallot

 

garnishes (salty, sour, astringent)

Sea salt, coconut aminos, sea vegetables, celery

Lemon, lime, apple cider or coconut vinegar

Cilantro, dill, sprouts, microgreens, sesame seeds, chia seeds

feed your dosha

You can customize any bowl for your Dosha by including more of the tastes that pacify it and less of the tastes that increase it— just make sure all six tastes are still present in your bowl.

 

Vata

Include more sweet, sour, and salty tastes. Decrease bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes.

Pitta

Include more sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes. Decrease sour, salty, and pungent tastes.

Kapha

Include more bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes. Decrease sweet, sour, and salty tastes.