Meditation on Meditation

And a non-recipe

Ok, I guess it’s late Sunday already, but here’s the newsletter for this weekend. My brain is brilliant, but I can’t regulate it. One of the things I can’t regulate is time. I promise you’ll have one most weekends. Don’t give me grief over it… One of the things I’m doing in 2024 is making my inner dialogue kinder to myself, even if I fuck up. And I’m trying to work more with my brain than against it. I did write about Chronic Chaos in an earlier newsletter. This is the 4th one, which is not bad at all. Worth celebrating making it this far. Though, anyone who knows about the AMA I do every weekend on Instagram will agree that I’m good at showing up consistently. It’s like meditation or going for a run or doing yoga or therapy or eating healthy - showing up consistently is more important long-term. So yes, I’m here because I get joy out of the process, just like the AMA. My sister says I’m slower than a snail crawling through peanut butter. WhatcanIsay? I don’t regulate speed well either.

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AMA - Ask Me Anything on Instagram stories @kobofermentary . Answering all your fermentation (and other) questions every weekend.

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I have spent this entire weekend meditating a lot. I mean, a LOT. Lying in bed, with the meditation from YouTube playing on my earphones. I need earphones to listen to anything with words, I’m too deaf otherwise. Meditation helps me regulate. A bit like lying on the beach and listening to the sound of the waves is a type of meditation. If I nod off, even better. I’ve been given permission from my psychs to nap unapologetically. It also regulates my brain… just like a toddler. It’s like a reset. I’m also a nicer person to be around. And make better decisions.

But meditation has been the single most helpful thing in my life. I’ve been into meditation for about 10 years now. The first 5 was just trying to show up for it everyday. Or every other day. Or every week. Tough. Sometimes I forget. Sometimes I haven’t found the right track to listen to. Sometimes it’s a person talking. Sometimes, it’s a chant. Sometimes, just sounds. Sometimes there’s just too many overwhelming emotions and I can’t empty my brain. Sometimes, I fall asleep. I try. Again. To show up for it every day.

Somedays it’s great and almost makes me feel high. Somedays everything is too foggy. I can’t think, I just do it. I resign. I try again. Failing forward. That also accurately describes my general motto in life. It’s thoroughly grounding and helps me calibrate myself. Understand myself. Like self-therapy. I recommend it for everyone. It’s simple, but it’s not easy. Now, I’m addicted to it. I’m just talking about my experience here, but if you have questions, leave a comment and I’ll try my best to answer them.

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Things I’m fermenting at the moment: Mostly kombucha. I’ve been thinking of waking up my milk kefir grains, but haven’t done anything about it. My current set-up is quite lean, and only things necessary for work are being fermented apart from the kombucha. I also realised from running a fermentary for 3 years (helped heavily by my Neurodivergence diagnosis) that my work is in my brain, not in my hands. So a lot more fermentation has been going on in my brain. So these are some of the rabbit holes I’m currently in: flavours and what goes with what and plotting and linking these on a big map, some mad stuff on cacao and chocolate, how our bodies process sugar, a socio-historical review of the evolution of Indian cuisine (sent to me by my fermenter friend Pratap), eating Maharashtrian food like Misal Pav, watching Succession (which is just renewing my dislike for corporate America).

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Someone asked a question too late to go into the AMA, but they’re super nice, so here’s a non-recipe they requested for a mustard-based relish.

Here’s what my brain came up with. It’s something between a slaw, a relish, a sandwich spread and a raita.

I’d chop up finely or grate different veggies, about 2 cups worth once grated. Things that will go in easily into this are things like onion, garlic, apple, cucumber, carrot, radish, beetroot, kohlrabi, peppers, celery leaves, green onions/garlic, any type of cabbage…, etc. Salt the grated veg generously and place in a strainer over a bowl to catch any brine. Let it sit overnight to drain (save the liquid to make kanji!). At the same time, set aside about 500 gm of yogurt mixed with 1 tsp of salt to strain in a cloth over a strainer to also drain overnight (save the whey, that goes into the kanji too, instead of water).

In the morning, we put it all together. Add the drained yogurt/labneh into a mixing bowl. Add the drained, salted veggies, a tsp of miso, a couple of big globs of mustard and mix. If you have an Aam Kasundi, that’ll be best to use. But if you don’t, any ready prepared or homemade mustard will work. I’d use a smoother mustard for this. Taste and add more mustard if you like it sharper. Everything should be well salted. If you want an Indian twist (like a raita), feel free to add in a tempering of curry leaves, mustard and cumin seeds and a dried red chilli in some neutral oil. Mix again.

Pack it into a jar and store in the fridge. It will ferment and taste more complex in a couple of days. It’ll keep for a couple of weeks if you don’t finish it off before then. It’s good on the side of any meal (even if you leave out the Indian twist), on sandwiches, on eggs, as a dip, to add to a dressing for a salad, as a little relish to eat with crackers or papads, in a marinade for any protein… Let me know if you make it. Tag me on instagram @kobofermentary .

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Obligatory visual interest image to make you go “aww!”

URSA MINOR

That’s what I’ll leave you with. Have a great week! xo