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Hingvastak Chicken & Garden Root Soup with Fennel, Rutabaga, and Cabbage

Serves:

8-10

Prep Time:

20 minutes

Cook Time:

50-60 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast or thighs, cubed
1–2 tbsp ghee
2 medium rutabaga, peeled and cubed
2–3 small carrots, sliced
1 fennel bulb, sliced (save greens for garnish)
¼ head cabbage, chopped
1 apple, chopped#
1 tsp Hingvastak churna (or to taste)
8-10 cups Apple & Hingvastak Bone Broth with Summer Savory and Oregano (or chicken or vegetable broth)
PHS (Pink Himalayan Salt) to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (added before serving)

If you’d like to try Hingvastak in your own kitchen, I use Banyan Botanicals’ organic blend — a beautiful, high-quality formula I trust for both my cooking and my practice. You can find it here through my affiliate link. Every purchase supports my work in sharing Ayurveda. 💛

Directions

In a large pot, warm the ghee over medium heat. Add fennel and sauté until soft and aromatic.
Stir in rutabaga and carrots; cook a few minutes to release their natural sweetness.
Add the apple, cabbage, and chicken. Sprinkle in Hingvastak and salt, stirring to coat everything evenly.
Pour in your broth (see note above) and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors meld, about 30–40 minutes.
Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice. Garnish with fennel greens and a crack of black pepper.
Serve warm with sesame sourdough and ghee — a simple, nourishing ritual for body and soul.

Doshas Pacifies

Vata, Pitta

Best in:

Fall, Winter, Late-Winter

Gunas:

Grounding, Moistening, Oily, Warm

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Recipe Analysis from an Ayurvedic & Western perspective

This soup embodies what it means to eat seasonally and intentionally — grounding roots, warming spices, and digestive herbs all coming together in a gently spiced, aromatic broth. The base — made with Hingvastak churna, an Ayurvedic blend of eight digestive spices — stimulates agni and clears ama (toxins), while apple adds a subtle sweetness and cleansing quality that harmonizes the flavors.

Chicken provides strength and nourishment for the tissues (especially mamsa dhatu), while rutabaga and carrots root the body in stability and warmth. Fennel soothes digestion and balances the subtle tension in the nervous system, and cabbage supports gentle detoxification and colon health. A final touch of lemon juice brightens the entire bowl, awakening the senses and enhancing nutrient absorption.

From a Western perspective, this soup is rich in vitamins A and C, minerals, fiber, and natural antioxidants — a restorative blend of gut-healing and immune-supportive ingredients. It’s a perfect example of how Ayurvedic wisdom and modern nutrition meet in the kitchen: wholesome, flavorful, and balancing for body and mind.

Enjoy it with a slice of sesame sourdough brushed with ghee and, if possible, outside in the crisp autumn air — nature’s dining room always adds a little extra prana.