Winner of the 2011 English Curry Awards, Gurpareet Bains, first came to the international spotlight in 2009, when he created the ‘world’s healthiest meal’ – a simple Chicken Curry with Blueberries and Goji Berry Pilau – which contained the antioxidant-equivalent of 23 bunches of grapes. And now the celebrity chef and author of Indian Superspices, has produced a range of lab-inspired recipes to help with those everyday ailments using the heat and medicinal qualities of spice to alleviate the symptoms of colds and flu.Although there is a worldwide love of Indian spice in the kitchen, it has also long been used in an ancient system of medical care known as Ayurveda, where each of the vast array of spices used in Indian cooking has its own remedial properties.
And since then the chef and nutritionist has gone on to gain celebrity fans including super healthy Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Dame Vivienne Westwood. On his journey, Gurpareet reveals the amazing secrets of a spice that has been scientifically proven by the US Food and Drug Administration in the treatment of asthma, diabetes, psoriasis and viral infections, as well as the inhibition of cancer cell growth and improvement of the immune system. Turmeric comprimises the base of most dishes but can be used as an antiseptic to gargle when you have a sore throat. And for a dry cough, Ayurveda recommends cardamom, ginger, black pepper and cinnamon. In the Central Food Technological Research Institute, India, they also found that "The positive effect on the pancreatic digestive enzymes exerted by many spices, including cumin, could be a factor in their well-recognised digestive stimulant action". So for a kick-start to the day add a spoonful of cumin-infused yogurt to your poached eggs. As these go down the hatch, you can feel the multi-tasking spices stabilising your stomach leaving you feeling great and ready-to-go.And a Lamb Jalfrezi sure is one delectable and invigorating way to blast away the stubborn symptoms with its large doses of anti-inflammatory and antiviral spices.
Add a side dish of velvet-textured Saag finished off with chunks of indulgent paneer where ginger, chilli and garlic get to work on boosting the immune system with their antibacterial properties. For dessert, warming ginger in cool ice-cream makes for an alluring combination. But, who ever needed a excuse to eat ice-cream?
