The Tea on Wellness

Indian Made Easy: Cooking with Love and Ayurveda

• Vidya

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Curious about Indian cooking but think it is too complicated. Learn simple, joyful ways to bring real Indian flavor and Ayurvedic wellness into your Orange County kitchen.

Why This Episode Matters
Indian cooking has a reputation for being complex, time consuming, or full of hard to find ingredients. The truth is that real Indian home cooking is simple, intuitive, and built on love and everyday wellbeing. Most people just need someone to show them how to begin without feeling overwhelmed.

In this episode of The Tea on Wellness, I take you into the kitchen that shaped Tea and Turmeric. It is the same place where my grandmother Amma Amma taught me to cook with intuition, to trust the spices, and to bring attention and care into the pot. These lessons became the heart of our Indian Made Easy Kit and the foundation for our cooking classes here in Laguna Beach.

If you have wanted to cook Indian food but never knew where to start, this episode shows you how to make it joyful, nourishing, and deeply connected to Ayurvedic wisdom.

Indian Cooking Made Simple
Indian flavor comes from balance. A little heat from ginger. Warmth from turmeric. Digestive support from cumin. When you know the purpose of each spice, the process becomes natural rather than intimidating.

In this episode, I walk through our handmade blends from the Indian Made Easy Kit, including Veggie Mix and GG Mix, and explain how each blend supports both flavor and wellness. We also explore how Ayurveda uses food to calm the mind, support digestion, and build daily vitality in gentle and accessible ways.

You will also hear the story behind Amma Amma’s dal, a comforting red lentil and split mung dish taught in our Laguna Beach cooking classes and loved by families across Orange County.

What You Will Learn

  • how Amma Amma’s kitchen shaped my Ayurvedic approach to cooking
  • the story behind Tea and Turmeric’s Indian Made Easy Kit
  • simple ways to bring Ayurveda into your daily meals without overwhelm
  • a step by step guide to making comforting dal with red lentils and split mung
  • the wellness power of turmeric, cumin, ginger, and everyday spices
  • where to join local cooking classes and sip Pink Masala Chai in Laguna Beach

Takeaway
Indian cooking becomes easy the moment you relax into it. When you cook with intention, curiosity, and love, the spices guide you. A simple pot of dal can hold more healing than any complicated recipe.

Call to Action
Ready to cook with love and tradition? Explore the Indian Made Easy Kit or join a live Ayurvedic cooking class at Tea & Turmeric, your Laguna Beach destination for authentic Indian flavor and holistic wellness.

Local Spotlight
Tea & Turmeric — Laguna Beach’s Wellness Sanctuary 1175 S Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA Open 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM | Closed Wednesdays

Stay Connected

Come visit us in Laguna Beach or explore our teas and spices anytime at teaandturmeric.com.

We share recipes, brewing tips, and behind-the-scenes moments on Instagram at @teanturmeric.

Got a question or a story about how tea is helping you? Email me and the team at hello@teaandturmeric.com

If this episode brought you a little calm or clarity, tapping follow and leaving a quick review helps more people in Orange County and beyond find the show. Thank you for supporting our little wellness community.

Welcome to The Tea on Wellness

Hi everyone, this is Vidya, and welcome back to *The Tea on Wellness.*
Here at Tea & Turmeric in Laguna Beach, we believe that food is medicine and that cooking with love can transform not just your meal, but your entire mood.

If you’ve ever stood in the spice aisle wondering where to start with Indian food, this episode is for you.

The Story Behind Laguna Beach’s Indian Made Easy Kit

I grew up in a small Eastern Canadian town where Indian ingredients were almost impossible to find. No cardamom, no turmeric, not even lentils.

Every time my grandparents came back from India, it felt like Christmas. They always brought two suitcases. One for us kids, filled with bangles, pretty clothes, and small gifts. And the other for my grandma, my Amma Amma, packed with homemade masalas that she and her village friends ground by hand, sharing laughter and stories.

When she opened that suitcase, the kitchen came alive. The warm, earthy scent of toasted coriander, cumin, and cardamom filled the air. The gentle sizzle of her pan, the clink of her bangles as she stirred, the golden glow of turmeric in her masala dabba. It smelled like home. Like love.

How Cooking with Love Became Our Family’s Wellness Ritual

When I was little, I’d pull up a chair beside her and just watch her cook. She glowed in that kitchen. She wasn’t just cooking, she was creating, nourishing, loving.

She used to say, “Vidya amma, never cook when you’re angry. That energy goes directly into the food. You’re feeding your family your anger.”

I remember asking her one day, “Amma amma, why does your food taste so good? Even better than Mom’s?” She smiled, eyes twinkling, and said, “Close your eyes and taste.”

So I did.

“What do you taste?” she asked.

I said, “Salty. Spicy.”

Then it hit me. I opened my eyes and said, “Oh. I taste your love.”

That moment, and her suitcase full of spices, is exactly what inspired our Indian Made Easy Kit.

Inside the Indian Made Easy Kit: Spice Blends Handcrafted in Laguna Beach

Here’s the thing about Indian cooking — it can feel daunting. Every family has their own version of the same dish, and most recipes aren’t even written down. My grandma never wrote anything down.

That’s why we created the Indian Made Easy Kit — to help you take away the overwhelm and make it easy to cook real, authentic Indian food, even if you’ve never tried it before.

The kit has four special handmade blends:

The Veggie Mix is my go-to for vegetables and lentils.
The Protein Mix works beautifully with chicken, lamb, or fish.
The Antha Mix, which means “everything,” is perfect for a finishing sprinkle.
And the GG Mix, ginger garlic, is the base I use in almost every dish.

These blends are deeply personal to me. Before Amma Amma passed away, she gave me her recipes for her masala blends — a tradition in so many Indian homes where grandmothers pass their secrets to their granddaughters.

I make every batch myself, by hand, for the store. It takes a full day, but that’s how much we care about what we bring to you. Each jar holds that same love and attention Amma Amma showed me in her kitchen.

Ayurvedic Cooking in Orange County: Flavor with Function

And it’s not just about flavor. In Ayurveda, India’s ancient system of medicine, food is your first healer.

Turmeric helps calm inflammation and supports digestion.
Ginger fires up your digestive fire and helps your body absorb nutrients.
Every spice has a purpose. They’re not just seasonings — they’re wellness.

Our Indian Made Easy Kit even comes with a recipe booklet. We talked to Indian restaurant owners across Orange County to learn what dishes people love most. That’s why it includes both restaurant favorites and our own family recipes — the ones that tell our story.

We also included what we call “Indian-ish” recipes for beginners and “Indian-est” recipes for when you’re ready for something truly authentic.

Join Our Indian Cooking Classes in Laguna Beach

If you’re in Laguna Beach, come join one of our cooking classes.

Sit back, sip our best-selling **Pink Masala Chai**, and watch the recipes come to life. You’ll enjoy the full meal at the end and experience firsthand how joyful Indian cooking can be.

People often ask me, “What’s the easiest Indian dish I can make tonight?”
I always say, “Dal. Pappu.” It’s the most comforting, nourishing everyday dish in almost every Indian home.

The Original Dal Recipe from Amma Amma’s Kitchen

Here’s Amma Amma’s recipe for pappu, her creamy dal with red lentils and split mung beans.

Half a cup of each lentil, two cups of water, two teaspoons of Veggie Mix, half a teaspoon of Antha Mix, salt to taste, and one or two tablespoons of ghee.

Put everything except salt and ghee into a pot. Cover and cook for twenty to twenty-five minutes, until the lentils are soft and mushy. If it looks too thick, add a little water. Mash gently, add salt, and stir in the ghee.

That’s it. Comfort food. The food of the gods. In some traditions, dal is even a baby’s first solid food during a special ceremony.

How Tea & Turmeric Builds Wellness Through Community

If Indian cooking has ever felt out of reach, I hope you’ll try this recipe or come visit us at Tea & Turmeric.

Whether you join a class, sip chai in the shop, or take home an Indian Made Easy Kit, you’ll see just how simple and joyful it can be.

When you cook with love, you’re not just making food. You’re carrying on a tradition, connecting to a bigger story, and filling your kitchen with love.

Betsy’s Story: The OG of Indian Made Easy

Before I wrap up, I want to share one of my favorite moments from our cooking classes.

Betsy, who we lovingly call the OG of Indian Made Easy, was the very first person to buy our kit and join our very first class. She’s become such a dear friend to us over the years.

After one class, she looked at me and said, “Vidya, you’re like the Julia Child of Indian cooking.”

I still smile every time I think about that. Betsy helped set the tone for everything that came after — our classes, our community, and the joy of making Indian food accessible here in Orange County.

Visit Us in Laguna Beach or Online

You can find the Indian Made Easy Kit in-store or online at [teaandturmeric.com](https://teaandturmeric.com).

If you’re local, come visit us at 1175 South Coast Highway, Suite 104, Laguna Beach. We’re open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and closed on Wednesdays.

We’d love to see you in person, sip chai together, and help you discover your favorite blend.

Steep Well, Eat Well, Live Well

Thank you for joining me today on *The Tea on Wellness*.
Until next time, steep well, eat well, and live well.