Ayurvedic Seasonal Spice Guide

Written By Rachel Niclair

Cook with the seasons, balance your dosha, and nourish your body from the inside out.

Bring the wisdom of Ayurveda into your kitchen is easy and delicious with our seasonal spice blends, teas, and hing.
Eating with the seasons supports digestion, immunity, and overall wellbeing.

This guide offers recipes, practical tips, and pairing teas to make your food medicine.

How to Use Our Blends and Hing

Summer Spice Blend

  • Purpose: Cooling, digestive, and detoxifying. Supports Pitta

  • How to use: ½ to 1 teaspoon in stir-fries, grains, or vegetables. Can be mixed with lemon juice for marinades

Winter Spice Blend

  • Purpose: Warming, nourishing, and immunity-boosting. Supports Agni in winter

  • How to use: ½ to 1 teaspoon in soups, roasted vegetables, or stews

Hing (Asafoetida)

  • Purpose: Warming digestive aid, promotes Vata and Kapha balance, aids in digestion of legumes reducing bloating or gas.

  • How to use: Fry ¼ teaspoon with legumes or dense vegetables

  • Can be used topically to reduce bloating.

Shop Spice Blends and Hing

Summer Recipes

Summer Spice Quinoa & Zucchini Bowl

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup quinoa

  • 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

  • ¼ tsp Hing

  • ½ tsp Summer Spice Blend

  • 1 zucchini, sliced

  • 1 cup baby spinach

  • ½ cup peas

  • Juice of ½ lemon

  • Fresh coriander to garnish

Method

  1. Rinse and boil quinoa until soft.

  2. Heat ghee or coconut oil

  3. Add Hing and Summer Spice blend, sauté 30 seconds.

  4. Add zucchini and peas, sautee lightly just until cooked but still vibrant.

  5. Add baby spinach and remove from heat.

  6. Toss with quinoa.

  7. Squeeze fresh lemon juice and garnish with plenty of cooling coriander, salt and pepper.

Tea Pairing:

Pitta Tea

CCF Tea

Summer Spice Coconut & Lime Mung Dal

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup yellow mung dal, soaked 1-8 hours and rinsed

  • 3 cups water

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee

  • ¼ tsp Hing

  • ½–1 tsp Summer Spice Blend

  • tbsp fresh grated ginger

  • 1 small zucchini, diced

  • 1 carrot, diced

  • ½ cup coconut milk

  • Juice of ½ lime

  • Salt to taste

  • Fresh coriander to garnish

Method

  1. Heat ghee or coconut oil, add hing, summer spice blend and fresh ginger, sauté 30 seconds

  2. Add rinsed and strained mung dhal to coat with spices

  3. Add water and simmer until mung is soft

  4. Meanwhile sauté zucchini and carrot until tender

  5. Combine cooked dal with vegetables and coconut milk, simmer 3–4 minutes

  6. Add lime juice and salt to taste, garnish with coriander

Tea Pairings

Summer Vegetable Steamed Bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cauliflower florets

  • 1 cup zucchini slices

  • ½ cup green beans

  • ½ tsp Summer Spice Blend

  • ¼ tsp Hing

  • 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil

  • Fresh coriander


Method

  1. Steam vegetables until tender

  2. Heat ghee, add hing, sauté 30 seconds

  3. Toss steamed vegetables with Summer Spice Blend

  4. Garnish with coriander and serve warm or slightly cooled


Winter Recipes

Winter Spice Lentil Stew

Ingredients

  • 1 cup red or yellow lentils, soaked and rinsed

  • 1 carrot, diced

  • 1 parsnip, diced

  • 1 cup pumpkin, diced

  • 1 tbsp ghee

  • ¼ tsp Hing

  • tbsn fresh grated ginger

  • 1 tsp Winter Spice Blend

  • 3 cups water or vegetable broth

  • Salt and pepper to taste


Method

  1. Heat ghee, add hing, sauté 30 seconds

  2. Add vegetables, cook 5 minutes

  3. Stir in Winter Spice Blend and lentils, cook 1 minute

  4. Add water or broth, simmer 20–25 minutes until lentils are tender

  5. Serve with roti or rice


Tea Pairings

Kapha Tea

Vata Tea

CCF tea with ginger

Roasted Winter Root Vegetables

Ingredients

  • 1 cup carrot, cubed

  • 1 cup parsnip, cubed

  • ½ cup pumpkin, cubed

  • 2 tsp ghee or olive oil

  • 1 tsp Winter Spice Blend

  • ¼ tsp Hing


Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C

  2. Toss vegetables with ghee, Winter Spice Blend, and hing

  3. Roast 25–30 minutes until tender and golden


Creamy Winter Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin, diced

  • 1 cup carrot, diced

  • 1 small leek, chopped

  • 1 tbsp ghee

  • ¼ tsp Hing

  • 1 tsp Winter Spice Blend

  • 3 cups vegetable stock

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Heat ghee, add hing, sauté vegetables 5–7 minutes

  2. Stir in Winter Spice Blend, cook 1 minute

  3. Add stock, simmer 20 minutes

  4. Blend until smooth, adjust seasoning


Tea Pairing

Calming Tea

More about Hing or Asafoetida…

Hing is aromatic, warming, and delicious. Even a small pinch, about ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon, can transform a dish by enhancing both its flavor and digestibility. Traditionally used in Ayurvedic cooking, it’s especially helpful when preparing legumes, lentils, and heavier root vegetables.

Hing supports the digestive fire and helps reduce bloating or discomfort after meals. It makes protein-rich foods easier to digest and brings a subtle depth to curries and dahls.

If your pitta (inner heat) is already high, it’s best to use Hing sparingly, as its warming quality can be too stimulating in excess.

Make Food Your Medicine

Daily Ayurvedic Kitchen Practices

  1. Simple meals cooked fresh are best.

  2. Adjust to the season. Light, cooling foods in summer. Grounding, nourishing foods in winter.

  3. Pair spices and teas to balance doshas

  4. Use hing with legumes, grains, and heavier meals

  5. Include herbal tea with or between meals to support digestion and relaxation

Spice Blends and Teas
Rachel Niclair https://www.ayurzen.com.au
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