HAVING the Ayurvedic lunch at Kriya Bhavan is equivalent to a cleansing ritual, then a nourishing one. It involves four courses, and 14 items of food and drinks. 

Suresh Kumar, owner of this Indian vegetarian restaurant in Petaling Jaya, took me step by step through the lunch, explaining why it has to go through a certain order.

My lunch companion chose the vegetarian buffet, picking out dishes like vegetarian mutton perattal, beetroot, French beans and dhal, ladies fingers with potato curry, bryani rice and fried rice. It all looked good, and she enjoyed it.

My first course was banana and grated coconut to cleanse the palate and food residue in my mouth so that I could taste the food in its purest form. Then, I started on the five drinks – small glasses of date juice, fresh soya milk, spinach juice, buttermilk and rice water, in that order. These were to create an appetite. Then, I ate the sweet brown puttu on my plate. 

“It’s always sweet at the beginning and sweet at the end,” said Suresh.

It was a very pleasant first course: I loved the banana with coconut, the lightly sweet date juice, the buttermilk, which is a yoghurt drink, and the sweet puttu. 

“Take your time to eat: let the brain send signals to the stomach. Eat mindfully.” 

In the second course were semi-cooked vegetables like beetroot, cauliflower, carrot and potato. Then, ladies fingers and beansprouts that were lightly salted and fried. I liked the vegetables; they made me feel hungry after eating them.

It was just as well that ghee rice with a sprinkling of moringa powder was served then. Ghee lines the stomach for digestion, absorption and movement, according to Suresh. I happily downed all of it.

The third course was rice and spinach, which was cooked with dhal, then aviyal, a dish of spicy mixed vegetables – potato, carrot and beans – cooked with coconut and yoghurt. I was slowly filling up. 

The fourth course comprised four small bowls of milk curry, dhal curry, rasam and yoghurt curry. The tart yoghurt curry with ladies fingers was good, and I liked very much the smooth and creamy milk curry with snake gourd. 

“It has to end with yoghurt as it compresses the food you have taken and allows you to eat more,” said Suresh. I couldn’t eat any more, touching only a bit of the rice that had been served.

I was given a teaspoon of honey after this, to signal the end of my very healthy Ayurvedic lunch, as well as payasam, a milky Indian dessert with vermicelli and sago. So, it had begun and ended with sweetness.

I was warned not to take coffee or tea for a few hours so as not to wipe out its good effects. I felt lighter and energised after this lunch.

In between the meals, I sipped Jeera, or cumin water, which is good for digestion and helps oxygenate your blood, said Suresh.

I still had a bit of room for a yummy mango kulfi, preferring it over the pistachio one, which was much too milky.

My elaborate Ayurvedic lunch was just RM15 while my friend’s meal cost RM11.50. Kulfi was RM6.60. 

I would definitely come back for dinner, having spotted appams on the menu. Kriya Bhavan also serves thosai, idli, chappati, paratha (aloo, paneer, butter or plain) and fried noodles at dinner time.

Kriya Bhavan is located at 34-1 Jalan 14/22, Seksyen 14, 46100 Petaling Jaya, and can be reached at 012-617 1952. – April 6, 2019. 

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.