Spiced Poached Pears

A warm, grounding Ayurvedic recipe for cool mornings, light evenings, and tender digestion.

Whenever possible, use organic ingredients.

In Ayurveda, cooked fruit is considered one of the gentlest ways to nourish the body when agni — digestive fire — is naturally quieter. Morning and evening are ideal times for something warm, soft, and spiced. Pears, with their cooling and hydrating nature, soothe Pitta and moisten Vata’s dryness, and when cooked with warming spices, they become deeply balancing for all doshas.

This recipe layers warmth, softness, subtle sweetness, and ghee — supporting rasa (plasma/essence), stabilizing the nervous system, and grounding the body.

THE AYURVEDIC FOUNDATIONS  

• Pears offer cooling, hydrating, and lung-supportive qualities; cooking them makes them easier to digest and suitable for Vata season.

• Ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves awaken agni without overwhelming Pitta and counter the natural coolness of pears.

• Ghee nourishes ojas, lubricates dryness, and carries spices deep into the tissues.

• Saffron (optional) supports the mind and rasa dhatu and adds a subtle warmth.

• Poaching + reducing into a glaze creates a form of pre-digested nourishment that supports weak or delicate digestion.

This dish is ideal during fall and winter, early spring, postpartum, during travel recovery, or anytime digestion feels delicate.

INGREDIENTS

(Organic whenever accessible)

For Poaching

• 2–3 ripe pears

• ½ cup water or organic apple juice

• 1–2 tbsp jaggery or coconut sugar

• 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely slivered

• 2 whole cloves

• 1 small cinnamon stick

• 2–3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed

• Optional: 1–2 tbsp golden raisins

• Optional: a few strands saffron

• Optional: 1–2 tsp rose water or a drop of vanilla extract

For Ghee-Sauté (Optional)

• 1–2 tbsp ghee

For Ghee-Sauté (Optional)

• 1–2 tbsp ghee

For Pear–Ghee Glaze

• ½ poached pear, mashed or puréed

• A few spoonfuls of the poaching syrup

• 1 tsp ghee

PART ONE:
POACH THE PEARS

(Supports gentle digestion; perfect for Vata + Pitta pacification.)

1. Prepare the pears

Peel pears and slice them into halves. Remove the core with a spoon.

Halving keeps the fruit intact, offering more moisture and grounding quality.

2. Build your spice base

In a pot, combine water or apple juice with ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, raisins, and saffron. Bring to a low simmer.

This builds warmth and supports agni without overstimulation.

3. Poach gently

Add pear halves, cut side down.

Cover and cook on low for 30–40 minutes, or until tender and the liquid becomes a fragrant, lightly thickened syrup.

4. Finish

Stir in jaggery or coconut sugar while warm.

Add rose water or vanilla, if using.

Sweetness supports rasa, while rose water offers a sattvic, cooling quality.

PART TWO:
GHEE-SAUTÉED PEARS (Optional)

(Adds grounding, nourishment for ojas + lubrication for Vata.)

1. You may sauté the halves as they are or slice them into thick wedges.

2. Warm ghee in a pan over medium-low heat.

3. Sauté pears until lightly caramelized and golden.
   This step enhances warmth, stability, and richness — excellent for colder seasons or depleted states.

PART THREE:
PEAR–GHEE GLAZE

(A reduced, concentrated nourishment that strengthens rasa and deepens flavor.)

1. Mash ½ of one poached pear with the back of a spoon.

2. Warm 1 tsp ghee in a small pan.

3. Add the pear purée and several spoonfuls of the poaching syrup.

4. Simmer gently until it becomes a glossy, spoonable glaze.

Reduction makes the medicine more concentrated and easier for the tissues to absorb.

TO SERVE

Arrange the pear halves in a bowl — poached or lightly caramelized.

Spoon the pear–ghee glaze over the top.

Pair with:

• warm spiced milk

• your preferred spice blend

• a dollop of coconut yogurt

• alternative-milk ice cream for dessert

This dish is grounding, nourishing, and soft on the digestive system — perfect for mornings, light dinners, postpartum care, or times of emotional or physical depletion.