Star Anise, Cinnamon, Black Bean & Sausage Chilli

This dish is gorgeous and makes a perfect lunch or dinner for March. Beans are especially useful in early spring when it’s best to choose foods that are less creamy and rich.

In springtime, our bodies are sloughing off the wintertime fats in favour of lightness. Beans support the body’s efforts as they are astringent (the opposite of dampening). They can be gas-forming, particularly for Vata dosha, but adding spices such as roasted cumin, cinnamon, and star anise makes them more digestible. Another tip, if you have a vata imbalance or a sluggish digestion, is to add a drizzle of olive oil or a spoonful of coconut oil in at the end.

Blackstrap molasses has a bittersweet guna which cleanses the blood by drying out ama (toxins). Molasses is considered an “abhisyandi” in Ayurveda, meaning a substance that causes secretions which clog the minute channels of the body, so it’s to be taken in moderation, especially for someone with a Kapha imbalance.

How to make it (serves 2);

• 1/2 cup black beans (rinsed and soaked overnight)

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

• I tsp chipotle chilli flakes

• 1 tsp blackstrap molasses

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground cumin seeds

• 1 star anise

• 4 veggie sausages

• Fresh coriander to garnish

Place the black beans in a saucepan with 3 cups of water and bring to the boil.

Add all the other ingredients except the sausages.

Cook until the beans are soft.

Take out the star anise and roughly blend.

Put back in the saucepan and add the cooked and sliced veggie sausages. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with basmati rice and fresh watercress on the side.

By understanding yourself through the lens of Ayurveda, you gain the tools to work with your body’s natural intelligence, rather than against it. If you feel called to explore this path, I am here to guide and support you on your journey back to wholeness.