Ever tried cooking cholay without a dash of ginger-garlic paste or baingan ka bharta without cloves? Or has any of the kheer ever gone to the palate without a dash of cardamom?
It’s quite difficult for a hardcore Indian, with spice-tainted tastebuds to taste such food. That’s the speciality of the Indian cuisine – a dash of taste with a sprinkle of health.
The ancient Indian realized that digesting ginger or garlic or cloves plain was a task string on the tongue though good for health. And so was devised the art of grinding spices in combinations to powder the vast Indian cuisine, adding a zing of tasty health.
While ghee formed an integral part of the diet, with no Oh! I’ll put on weight consciousness, a regular addition of ginger-garlic in the food helped burn away the extra cholestrol. Fenugreek and pepper were used largely to build resistance in the body while a pinch of turmeric in most foods was the best ever fairness cream one could find then.
Turmeric not only gave a light colouring to the food but also cleansed the body from within, showing the health glowing on the skin. And mind you, this was pure turmeric sticks grown in the backyard of the homes and ground by the young girls in the house! No pesticides, no hybrid growth! All natural!
Well, the next time you have a heartburn try this – boil 1/2 teaspoon of dried ginger powder in 1 cup of water and drink it hot. You wouldn’t find a better antacid.
