Fresh Cilantro Sauce

Name: Fresh Cilantro Sauce
Total time: 30 minutes

Prep Time:

30 minutes

Serves:

4-6

This fresh cilantro sauce is a vibrant Ayurvedic herb sauce that adds freshness and digestive support to many meals. Cilantro is known in Ayurveda for its cooling qualities, helping calm excess heat while supporting balanced digestion. Blended with simple ingredients, this bright sauce can be drizzled over grains, vegetables, or legumes to add flavor and nourishment. In Ayurvedic cooking, sauces and chutneys are often used to stimulate digestion and bring balance to a meal.

Fresh Cilantro Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups chopped, fresh cilantro
2 dates, pitted and chopped
4 teaspoons grated, fresh ginger
3-4 tablespoons (or more if needed) extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon or lime
2 teaspoons maple syrup or jaggery
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Delicious over roasted or steamed vegetables or pasta.

Adapted from Thomas Yarema, M.D., Eat, Taste, Heal: An Ayurvedic Guidebook and Cookbook for Modern Living

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Ready to Soothe a Sensitive Gut?

Cilantro is one of nature’s best cooling digestive aids. If you are ready to move beyond quick sauces and truly rebalance your digestion, download my free Gentle Gut-Care Bundle for everyday practices that work.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What can I substitute if I am sensitive to cilantro or want a variation?

Fresh mint leaves, flat-leaf parsley, or a combination of both make great alternatives. Fresh mint carries a potent cooling quality that soothes Pitta heat, while parsley provides a light, astringent quality that supports healthy fluid balance.

Why is fresh cilantro sauce considered an effective antidote to overly spicy meals?

Cilantro carries a sweet and bitter taste (rasa) with a distinct cooling energetic effect (sheeta virya). Serving a spoonful of raw cilantro sauce alongside warm, spiced meals helps protect the stomach lining, calms excess acidity, and flushes heat from the liver.

Should cilantro sauce be blended with hot water or room-temperature liquid?

Always blend cilantro sauce with cool or room-temperature liquid and avoid heating or cooking the sauce. Exposing fresh cilantro to high cooking temperatures destroys its vibrant life force (prana), dulls its bright color, and diminishes its cooling qualities.

How can Fresh Cilantro Sauce be modified for Vata, Pitta, and Kapha?

This fresh sauce is a premier remedy for cooling Pitta heat. Vata types can enjoy it blended with extra olive oil, a pinch of unrefined sea salt, and a dash of roasted cumin for grounding warmth. Kapha types can add fresh ginger, a pinch of black pepper, and lime juice to stimulate a sluggish digestive fire.

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