Flu
Fighters
Mention
flu or cold and mothers across India will dole out their kadha & khichdi.
Try out some wholesome recipes using ingredients with curative powers to boost
immunity
This one is
not going to be your usual gastronomy column, teaching you anything fancy. When
you are down with flu, or even just a cold, fancy is the last thing on your
mind. You need food for the soul. Food to comfort your distressed mind and
body, to open up the sinuses, calm the inflammation, nourish, protect and give
a boost to the immune system. Except that whatever we have read about
flavonoids and tomato ketchup, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C, all goes for a toss
when we are feeling down — as I was all of last week. And cooking with obvious
thought to medicine is simply impossible. Well, rest your mind and let your
body tell you what you really want.
Everyone’s favourite comfort “flu food” is different. It can be as simple as soupy noodles. Or bread dipped in a hot glass of milk or a light meal of dal-chawal, not to mention liquidy khichdi that has to be the all-time favourite cure doled out by mothers across India. Obviously, our upbringing, childhood memories and culture all play a part in determining the comfort food we cling to in times of distress. In my home, sometimes a bowl of hot moong dal (use the split green dal with husk) with spinach, nicely tempered with asafoetida, cumin seeds and slivers of ginger would cure many an ill.
All Things Hot
Ginger, in ayurveda, is known to be a warming spice. So, along with garlic, its use in regional cuisines goes up as the days grow colder, including during the monsoon and autumn — typically times when the moisture in the air and fluctuating temperatures seem to play havoc with our health. A traditional hot drink to keep you hydrated and ease out the phlegm is what we call the kadha in north India. Boil ginger in hot water, add as many spices to this as you can find (I use fennel, cardamom, black peppercorn, cinnamon and cloves) and let the water boil and reduce. Strain. Sweeten with honey and keep sipping this as a cure for coughs and cold. You can even add slivers of almonds to this. It’s a great alternative to tea and I can vouch for its effectiveness.
The philosophy of food in India sees food as medicine. You are literally what you eat and many of our spices reputedly have curative powers. That is why nihari, the beef stew of old Delhi, cooked overnight, simmering in spices, was conceived as not just a winter breakfast but cure for colds attributed to the cooling waters of the “nahar” or waterway that ran through Shahjahanabad.
I asked chef Nishant Choubey of Dusit Devarana Hotel, New Delhi, to come up with two simple but wholesome recipes using ingredients believed to have curative powers to fight infection and boost immunity. And he suggests some wonderful soups and broths that can be your alternative to chicken soup, if you like. The first recipe by Choubey is of a warm spinach and garlic soup (spinach with its Vitamin B6 and garlic will both boost your health): roast the garlic and add to pureed spinach. Thin down the consistency with stock or water. Sprinkle some star anise powder if you have it at home or just black pepper and grated cheese.
The bean, rice and chilli broth uses any form of beans (rajma, black bean, kidney bean…). Soak these overnight, boil and then puree half. Add these along with cooked rice, some fresh chilli, lemongrass, lime leaves or a squeeze of lime to some stock. Serve piping hot. You can add chopped sausage to the broth.
A Thai Trip
My favourite comfort food, however, is Thai. Call it some past life connection or just the draw of this wonderfully fresh, aromatic, balanced and at many times hot cuisine, but if I am ill, Thai curry, green or red, is sure to lift up my spirits. The warm curry with its silken, coconutty texture soothes the throat, while its inherent flavours and spiciness opens up clogged passages! At least that is my belief. The best thing is that with good quality pastes easily available at stores, it is fairly easy to do at home.
The way Thai curry is done in Thailand with fresh coconut is, of course, different from how we do it here. Not only is the flavour of Thai coconut milk different but in the strictly authentic recipe this is first allowed to split so that oil floats on top. Most of us in India do not really like this. We make our curry with coconut powder or milk from tetrapacks and like it to be creamy and smooth. Over the years, with some help from chefs like Veena Arora of the Spice Route at the Imperial, I have found a recipe that works well for me.
For red chicken curry, sauté some paste in a little vegetable oil, when the oil separates, add chicken breast cubes. Saute and add some water or stock so that the paste does not char. When the chicken is almost done, add cherry tomatoes, pineapple cubes and fresh basil and Kaffir lime leaves. Now add coconut milk reconstituted from coconut powder to the curry. Lightly simmer. Serve hot with rice. This is my favourite flu food. What is yours?
Everyone’s favourite comfort “flu food” is different. It can be as simple as soupy noodles. Or bread dipped in a hot glass of milk or a light meal of dal-chawal, not to mention liquidy khichdi that has to be the all-time favourite cure doled out by mothers across India. Obviously, our upbringing, childhood memories and culture all play a part in determining the comfort food we cling to in times of distress. In my home, sometimes a bowl of hot moong dal (use the split green dal with husk) with spinach, nicely tempered with asafoetida, cumin seeds and slivers of ginger would cure many an ill.
All Things Hot
Ginger, in ayurveda, is known to be a warming spice. So, along with garlic, its use in regional cuisines goes up as the days grow colder, including during the monsoon and autumn — typically times when the moisture in the air and fluctuating temperatures seem to play havoc with our health. A traditional hot drink to keep you hydrated and ease out the phlegm is what we call the kadha in north India. Boil ginger in hot water, add as many spices to this as you can find (I use fennel, cardamom, black peppercorn, cinnamon and cloves) and let the water boil and reduce. Strain. Sweeten with honey and keep sipping this as a cure for coughs and cold. You can even add slivers of almonds to this. It’s a great alternative to tea and I can vouch for its effectiveness.
The philosophy of food in India sees food as medicine. You are literally what you eat and many of our spices reputedly have curative powers. That is why nihari, the beef stew of old Delhi, cooked overnight, simmering in spices, was conceived as not just a winter breakfast but cure for colds attributed to the cooling waters of the “nahar” or waterway that ran through Shahjahanabad.
I asked chef Nishant Choubey of Dusit Devarana Hotel, New Delhi, to come up with two simple but wholesome recipes using ingredients believed to have curative powers to fight infection and boost immunity. And he suggests some wonderful soups and broths that can be your alternative to chicken soup, if you like. The first recipe by Choubey is of a warm spinach and garlic soup (spinach with its Vitamin B6 and garlic will both boost your health): roast the garlic and add to pureed spinach. Thin down the consistency with stock or water. Sprinkle some star anise powder if you have it at home or just black pepper and grated cheese.
The bean, rice and chilli broth uses any form of beans (rajma, black bean, kidney bean…). Soak these overnight, boil and then puree half. Add these along with cooked rice, some fresh chilli, lemongrass, lime leaves or a squeeze of lime to some stock. Serve piping hot. You can add chopped sausage to the broth.
A Thai Trip
My favourite comfort food, however, is Thai. Call it some past life connection or just the draw of this wonderfully fresh, aromatic, balanced and at many times hot cuisine, but if I am ill, Thai curry, green or red, is sure to lift up my spirits. The warm curry with its silken, coconutty texture soothes the throat, while its inherent flavours and spiciness opens up clogged passages! At least that is my belief. The best thing is that with good quality pastes easily available at stores, it is fairly easy to do at home.
The way Thai curry is done in Thailand with fresh coconut is, of course, different from how we do it here. Not only is the flavour of Thai coconut milk different but in the strictly authentic recipe this is first allowed to split so that oil floats on top. Most of us in India do not really like this. We make our curry with coconut powder or milk from tetrapacks and like it to be creamy and smooth. Over the years, with some help from chefs like Veena Arora of the Spice Route at the Imperial, I have found a recipe that works well for me.
For red chicken curry, sauté some paste in a little vegetable oil, when the oil separates, add chicken breast cubes. Saute and add some water or stock so that the paste does not char. When the chicken is almost done, add cherry tomatoes, pineapple cubes and fresh basil and Kaffir lime leaves. Now add coconut milk reconstituted from coconut powder to the curry. Lightly simmer. Serve hot with rice. This is my favourite flu food. What is yours?
Foods to Fight Infection
Make sure you are having enough proteins.
Lean meats like turkey and chicken
and eggs with yolks are known to help recuperate and build strength
Stay hydrated.
Rest and drink plenty of water.
Sipping warm water with lemon helps.
Keep those cups of green tea going.
You can also stock up on coconut
water, orange juice and so on.
Plus the soups, dals and broths
Vitamin B6 is widely available in
foods such as beans, potatoes, spinach, and grains.
Milk and fish contain Vitamin B12, a
powerful immune booster
Minerals such as zinc boost the
immune system and are found in nuts, meat, and poultry Some studies suggest
that flavonoids (that give colour to flowers and fruits) and found in citrus
fruit boost immunity.
Antioxidants (besides water) are
present in the red flesh of watermelon below the rind Orange, lemon and other
Vitamin C rich fruits and veggies may just shorten the cold ::
Anoothi
Vishal SET121007
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