Cuisine
the
JAIN
way
Cuisine - the Jain Way
“Isn’t it boring to eat same and simple meals day in and day out? Do you ever get to experience and enjoy the fare of different cuisines?”
is often the reaction when you tell someone that you have a Jain diet!! Jain cooking has long been regarded as difficult and limiting. It is commonly looked upon as restrictive and mostly within the province of lentils and legumes.
This cookbook hopes to debunk this belief and show the great potential for taste in Jain cooking. With the advent of new innovations in the culinary arts, availability of a larger variety of ingredients and combining them in different ways, we have been able to modify recipes to satisfy our tastes and our soul. This book presents a wide variety of Tithi recipes in addition to several all-time favorite Indian and International recipes such as Mexican, Italian, Chinese, etc. No longer will you feel like you are missing out on certain cuisine because it is not Jain! No longer will you be lost as to how to cook for your Jain friends and family! From the comfort of your kitchen, you can now enjoy food that not only follows the principles of Jainism, but also is nutritious, healthy and tasty.
Jain Food Philosophy
Jainism has tremendously contributed to the cause of compassion and nonviolence in the world today. Jains consider nonviolence as one of their most essential religious tenets. For Jains, practicing nonviolence begins with limiting violence in their diet. Jains do not use or consume products obtained from eggs, fish and by hurting or killing any types of animals; they are either lacto-vegetarians or vegans. Besides, noble efforts are made to avoid unnecessary injury to plants and other minuscule organisms as well. The Jain diet is free from root vegetables such as potatoes, onions, garlic, carrot, yam and turnip because such root vegetables, although are considered one organism, have countless lives (known as ananthkay in Sanskrit). Moreover, consumption of most root vegetables involves uprooting and eventually killing the entire plant. The practice of mindful eating with careful selection of ingredients and preparation of food thus reinforces the principles of nonviolence and provides spiritual benefits.
Non-Jain Items
- Root vegetables (carrot, potato, beet, onion, garlic, yam, turnip, ginger, etc..)
- Spinach
- Ginger
- Mushroom
- Egg plant
- Honey
- Figs
- Gelatin
- Potato starch
- Tapioca starch
- Tapioca
- Butter
- Cheese with animal rennet, potato starch, animal enzyme
- Bean Sprouts
- Vinegar
- Yeast
Items to be avoided during Tithi Observance Days:
- Any Fruits - Fresh and Dried
- Any Vegetables including Peppers, Lemons and Tomatoes
- Raw Bananas
- Butter
- Frozen Foods (including vegetables and coconut)
- Cashew nuts
- Dry Herbs (Methi,Mint,Curry Leaves,Oregano,Parsley,Green Tea etc)
- Bean Sprouts, Parsley,Green
- Vinegar
- Coconut Milk
- Sour Cream
- Ready Made Bread (Store brands, Pita, Pizza bread, Nan, Roti, Parathas)
- Canned Food
- Frozen Meals or Vacuum Packed Meals, Instant Mixes
- Yeast
For more extensive list on vegetarian, Jain ingredients, please visit our livingwithoutcruelty.com
This resource is created as part of EKDO RAJ TAHRO initiative, a celebration of 10 Years of Transformation!
Our Deepest Gratitude to Param Krupalu Dev and Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai for inspiring and teaching us the art of adopting and practicing a compassionate lifestyle.