Ayurvedic Anti-Diabetic Bitter Gourd Tacos Recipe
Updated: Jul 30
Anti-diabetic, liver cleansing, and Pitta cooling, these yummy tacos are food as medicine.

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Ayurvedic Anti-Diabetic Bitter Gourd Tacos Recipe
Tasty and easy to make, bitter gourd cools off Pitta dosha. It's anti-diabetic, stimulates appetite, enkindles digestive fire, supports digestion, burns ama/toxins, cleanses the liver and blood, anti-inflammatory and clears mucous build up.
“A year ago, after some lab tests, I was told I had an "abnormal" liver. I thought of my mother, who had died fairly young from liver disease. Veena's Ayurvedic recommendations, which included herbs and healthy foods, turned things around in less than six months. My liver was retested, and each lab result was in the "normal" range. This testifies to my longstanding mantra: In Veena I Trust.”
-- Don, Golden Valley, Minnesota
Bitter melon is said to have originated in Africa and has migrated far and wide.
Bitter melon is bitter, so a little preparation tip for you: cut the bitter melon in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds using a small metal spoon, simlilar to carving a pumpkin. Cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle the melon slices with salt and soak in the slices in the saline solution for about 15 minutes. Rinse in a colander and now you're ready to cook.

Pitta Reducing Bitter Melon
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon your best oil from your Saumya food program
Pinch of asafoetida or aka hing
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
8 bitter melons, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin seed powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander seed powder
In a pinch or as a preference, subsitute Trader Joe’s taco seasoning packet in place of the cumin, chili, and coriander.
1–2 tablespoons water
Blue or yellow corn or wheat tortillas (or taco shells) * refer to your food program for your best choices
Salsa based on your Saumya food program. Mango chutney can be fun with these tacos.

Instructions:
1. Heat your best oil in a pan.
2. Add a pinch of asafoetida, add the cumin seeds and garlic.
3. Sauté for about 15 seconds.
4. Add bitter melon slices.
5. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
6. Add turmeric, red chili powder, cumin seed powder, and coriander seed powder. (Or, Trader Goes Taco Seasoning)
7. Add 1–2 tablespoons of water. Stir and mix together. Cook for 5 minutes, until tender.
8. Fill up your choice of taco with this filling and top with salsa of your choice.
9. Top with lime and cilantro and whatever else appeals to you. Customize this Tacos Veena to fit your food program.
10. Take a grounding breath
Enjoy this Ayurvedic Anti-Diabetic Bitter Gourd Tacos Recipe.

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Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus of the Meditation Center and former staff member of the Minnesota Institute of Ayurveda.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee. She remains passionate for over 30 years, helping clients feel their best physically, emotionally, and spiritually with Ayurveda.
Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven into your daily life, naturally.