What is Ayurveda

Posted on April 11th, 2011

What is Ayurveda

Ayurveda is a word from the Sanskrit language of ancient Indian meaning ‘The science of life’.  Ayurveda is an ancient science of healing which is traced back to the vedic culture in India of more than 5,000 years.  It is an all-encompassing healing system which encourages the maintenance of good health and prevention of diseases by creating the right balance in one’s body, mind, and soul.  This balance is achieved by diet, the use of herbs and spices  with food, lifestyle and thought of mind.

In Ayurveda, food forms is the best medicinal treatment, as  ‘we are what we eat’.  Everything we consume has an impact on the our body chemistry and causes a biological reaction in the body.

Food, including herbs and spices are classified into six types of tastes: sweet, sour, salty,pungent, bitter and astringent; each taste carries out a specific function in the body.

Foods with a ‘sweet taste’ are nutritious for the body and help build body tissue; they are a sources of carbohydrates, fats and proteins which include honey, milk, breads and meat.

The ‘sour taste’ is derived from foods with organic acids such as citrus fruits, pickles and tomatoes, which stimulate appetite and also improve digestion.

The ‘salty flavour’ is obtained from sources such as salt, salted meats, anchovies and sauces; salty food serves as a mild laxative and sedatives, and promotes digestion.

Pungent foods include onions, garlic and pepper.  They stimulate digestion and clear congestion (hence the good bowel motions after hot spicy food) .

Bitter foods include leafy greens, coriander, and fenugreek and are anti-inflammatory and detoxifying for the body.

Food with astringent properties include apples, pomegranates and green tea. These are diuretics and detoxify the body as well as improving circulation.

To eat healthily and have a balanced diet it is essential to have an element of all of these ‘six tastes’ in every meal.  Thus various herbs and spices are important ingredients to achieve a meal that is both appetising as well as easily digestible.

Ayurvedic philosophy also looks at the five primary elements in the cosmos (space, air, fire/heat, water  and earth) and relates those to our energy which would determine our mind body constitution.  The three  principle energies are; Vata, Piita, and Kapha.   In essence all human beings possess a predominant mind-body constitution which determine their determines their physical and physiological characteristics as well as personalities.  For example, Pitta-dominant persons are said to have warm bodies, with medium-sized body frames and a short temper.

Thus if you were trying to improve your diet or self manage an illness and were trying to decipher the best remedy or course of dietary action you would need to take into account a combination of factors, the tastes of food, salty, sour, etc… the nature of the illness (is it a dry cough of phlegmy) as well as the innate mind-body constitution of the person ie are they vata dominant or Kapha dominant; all these factors would need to be taken into account to offer the most effective form of treatment.

Ayurvedic philosophy is a lot to take in, so my take is to literally start at the beginning and take it step by step.  I would suggest to start by having some level of understanding of food and what it does (so look at the medicinal values of food).  Then begin to build on how the food works with your constitution, after all we are all different and fall somewhere in and amongst the categories above.  Based on the three categories not all food groups will suitable to everyone.

You will find a lot of information relating to medicinal values of food on our blog both here on this site and The Cooking Academy website blog which is www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/blog.  alternatively if you would like to discuss any specific ailments or conditions call the Academy on 01923 720697.

 Kumud Gandhi – Food devotee, writer & broadcaster, Founder of The Cooking Academy & The Saffron House   For further information go to www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or contact Kumud Gandhi at kumud@thecookingacademy.co.uk or her personal blog www.kumudgandhi.co

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Blueberries – The weapon of FAT destruction

Posted on April 11th, 2011

Eat Blueberries - they're very good for you

Blueberries are already a triple super food, lauded for it many health benefits, however brace yourself because they are also said to be the slimmers aid. 

A recent study in the US has found that blueberries can breakdown existing fat cells in the body and most importantly prevent new ones form forming. 

Blueberries are already massive in anti-oxidants, great for the immune system, they’re found to help prevent heart disease and type-2 diabetes; they also contain high levels of polyphenols.  Recent tests have revealed that polyphenols can cut the number of ‘fat cells’ in the body by almost three quarters if you were to eat large quantities of blueberries, whilst a smaller quantity would cut the fat cells by one quarter. 

Blueberries have already overtaken the sales of Raspberries in the UK, only second to strawberries, that are seen as more hardy and robust.   Interesting blueberries  and purple fruit are already linked with to potentially warding off dementia which is said to mop up toxic protein said to cause dementia .  

Kumud Gandhi – Food devotee, writer & broadcaster, Founder of The Cooking Academy & The Saffron House   For further information go to www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or contact Kumud Gandhi at kumud@thecookingacademy.co.uk or her personal blog www.kumudgandhi.co

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The so-called halo effect

Posted on April 11th, 2011

I think most people believe that buying organics will result in better tasting food! Fair comment?

Well according to a recent study – this could all be in the mind.  Scientists have apparently found that merely labelling something organic tricks the brain into thinking it tastes better or is more healthy.  In tests carried out by Cornell University in New York found that when participant were told that a product was organic they systemically rated it to be better in taste, better for you, and percieved the food to have less calories.  However all the food being tested was infact organic, so even non organic food had been marked as being better in taste even though it was in fact non organic.  

So, is there some truth in this.   I personally don’t think that organic food always tastes better, but I do believe that being free from harmful pesticides and growth hormones and free of inconsistent soya feed is better for me than the food that is junked up and beefed up to grow a particular way.  I don’t want to get a micro quantity of chemicals every time I eat a salad, I want it to be free from chemical intervention and full of natural minerals from the soil.  I also accept that by going organic I might get a slightly wonky cucumber – but that’s OK, I’ll celebrate it quirkiness and individualism.  

Man does not own the earth, but it tries very hard to control it ……   I do wonder if all these modern diseases are symptomatic of food processing & production and modern farming techniques.  I do see some very big correlations that is quite alarming.  

I’d love to know what you think ?

Kumud Gandhi – Food devotee, writer & broadcaster, Founder of The Cooking Academy & The Saffron House   For further information go to www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or contact Kumud Gandhi at kumud@thecookingacademy.co.uk or her personal blog www.kumudgandhi.co

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Cookery classes for teenagers

Posted on April 9th, 2011

Cookery classes for Teenagers

This week we have had a lot of teenagers through the academy where we have been focussing on cookeryclasses for teenagers, getting young people to start cooking from an early age and giving them the confidence in the kitchen to get started.  You’ll be surprised, that’s all it takes, and like their fearless attraction for computers young people take to cooking like a duck to water. 

You’ll wonder why they don’t learn at home, but it’s quite simple, mum and dad telling them sounds like a chore.  At fourteen its hard enough to hold a conversation let alone get in some bonding time, which is what cooking can be once you get over the intial hurdle.  Kids do feel like its another instructions when it comes from a parent. 

Of course the other key factor is that cooking is a chore for a lot of parents, its a question of getting it done as quickly, painlessly, and effortlessly as possible.  Extending the agony by having a child making mistakes and making the kitchen a mess is beyond the pale!!!!  Sorry if I sound cynical -I see it in a lot of homes when I’m asked to help the family to learn to cook, or when I talk to kids about their experience cooking at home.   It’s the reason why they don’t bother. 

Finally, we assume that parents can cook and don’t rely on ready meals, take outs and restaurants themselves. It is no longer a skill that is learned at home by passive observation.  It is this single facor that has led to cookery needing to be taught outside the home, especially if we are to break the cycle and get home cooking back on the menu and a way of life.  

I really admire the teenagers that come to our cookery classes to learn to cook.   It takes courage to ask, it takes positive attitude to take the time out and it takes self awareness to realise its necessary.  These kids are mature and its worth every penny of the money their parents spend to send them, Its an investment in their future health, better than private health insurance, and cheaper!   

For more information on our cookery classes for Teeenagers or for adults, Indian cookery classes, Thai cookeryclasses please contact cara@thecookingacademy.co.uk or telephone 01923 720 697

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Cumin – The spice Trail

Posted on April 3rd, 2011

Cumin seeds – The spice trail by Kumud Gandhi

In Asian cuisine cumin seeds are used in many different food preparations either, as a whole seed or in a ground form.  Although we call them cumin seeds they are actually the fruit of the cumin plant.  Cumin seeds are a very staple ingredient in many spice blends and recipes.  My preference is to roast the seeds slightly to bring out the aroma and infuse its natural oil before using. 

Medicinal Values of cumin

Cumin is used for illnesses of the digestive tract, to treat coughs and chest colds, and to relieve pain.  Three pain-relieving compounds have been found in cumin, along with seven that are anti-inflammatory and four that combat swelling. Cumin invigorates the entire digestive system and alleviates flatulence and bloating.

As a child I recall my mother giving me a teaspoon of ground cumin and jaggery to aid what I had descibed as tummy ache, but what was probably wind or indigestion.

Cumin is rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium, Vitamins A and B. Its seeds contain 3-5% thiamine in volatile oil and the smell and taste, in cumin seeds, is present because of thiamine. Its seeds help to increase milk production of nursing mothers, Cumin paste of the seeds is applied to muscles, which are stiff and painful.

Home Remedies for the treatment of various disorders

  • To control dysentery and diarrhea – mix half a teaspoon of ground cumin powder to yoghurt.
  • Boil ground cumin powder in water for 10 minutes, add some jaggery or palm sugar and drink this as a tonic for 14 days, preferably in the morning and evening, to energize and invigorate the body if you are listless and run down.
  • For digestion or flatulence  – take a teaspoon of ground roasted cumin powder with some jaggery to settle the stomach if you have indigestion. 
  • Cumin seed is an excellent repeller and preventer of insects in a warm climate. Tie up the cumin seeds in a muslin cloth and place in cup-boards, near books etc..
  • In jaundice – soak a tbsp of cumin seeds in a glass of warm water overnight. Sweeten this infusion with jaggery in the morning and drink it to increase urine output and to reduce fever.
  • For scorpion bite effects - Paste of cumin, ghee and salt will eliminate scorpion bite effects. Before going to bed, take a teaspoonful of cumin to have the worms expelled and continue for 2-3 days.
  • Pregnant ladies should not use jeera in excess, as it could potentially be hazardous to the unborn child.
  • In white discharge - Fry and powder cumin seeds and take a tsp twice a day with honey.
  • In colds and fevers – Water boiled in cumin and ginger is used as a beverage to clear the infection. To make the drink, place 2 tsp cumin seeds, half inch of grated ginger into a heatproof cup or glass, add 200 ml of boiling water. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before straining and drink immediately.
  • For insomnia – to induce sleep, mix a teaspoon of roasted cumin with a little mashed banana and consume before bedtime.
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Healthy Breakfasts – My home made Granola

Posted on April 1st, 2011

 I’m afraid I can’t take the credit for this recipe, though I have made some subtle changes to it to reflect the foods that I enjoy, and respect for their superfood nutrient value.  The recipe started life as a granola bar with lots of added sugar so I have replaced the sugar and golden syrup with Agave syrup, a Mexican cactus like plant which produces a very sweet sap like honey.   I hope you enjoy my granola recipe, it’s packed full of highly nutritious ingredients which is the perfect way to start the day or snack on during the day.   We’ve started to teach this in our Nutrition cookery classes here at The Cooking Academy.

Kumuds homemade supercharged granola recipe

100g butter

4 tbsp agave syrup

350g Oats

50g sunflower seeds

50g pumpkin seeds

100g chopped dried apricots

75g roughly chopped walnuts

75 roughly chopped almonds

75g dried cranberries

100g golden linseed

50g sultanas or raisins

 Preparation:

Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Melt the butter and agave syrup in a pan over a low heat.  once the butter has melted and the syrup is mixed together, combine with the dry ingredients.  Spread out onto a baking tray , and bake for 20 minutes at 160c.  Stir once half way through.  Allow and cool before storing.

Eat – regularly to maintain a great body eco system – but most all enjoy with some onken natural set yoghurt.

Kumud Gandhi - Writer & broadcaster, founder of The Cooking Academy.  For more information please contact Cara Brummitt at The Cooking Academy.  www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or Tel on 01923 77 888 0

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Fennel – The spice trail continues ….

Posted on April 1st, 2011

Fennel is perhaps one of the most versatile herbs you can grow. Once established in the garden, it will provide a graceful backdrop for shorter herbs, will thrive vigorously even in poor soil, and will attract the swallowtail butterfly caterpillar, which feeds on the leaves.

Fennel is a popular ingredient in many cosmetic preparations, including anti-wrinkle cream, perfume, and soap.

If you are creative in cooking you’ll like the licorice like flavour of fennel, which makes a tasty addition to spice blends, sauces, roasts, grilled fish, sausage, Chinese marinades, curries, and cheese.  I use fennel in a number of dishes to create a flavoursome addition and fragrance.  In our Indian cookery classes, it is a very popular spice blend and quite a surprise addition to your spice cupboard.

All parts of the plant are edible, and the celery like stalks of Sweet fennel can be eaten as a vegetable, raw or cooked. Florence fennel has a bulbous base that can be roasted, or shredded into a coleslaw or salad.

For me, it is fennels medicinal values that encourages my use of it in cooking, as well the sweetness of flavour; it is a carminative therefore a brilliant digestive aid, used to help break down acid and to digest proteins, especially red meat. 

Fennel is also recommended to break kidney stones, to relieve gout, as an antidote for mushroom poisoning, a detoxifier of the liver, to cure colic in infants, and to relieve congestion of the lungs. In Europe today, fennel water is often given to infants to relieve colic, and the herb is found in many cough preparations.

The Greek battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. was named after the foliage that grew in the field in which it was fought. Fennel, known as marathon to the ancient Greeks, was named from the word maraino, which meant “to grow thin.”

The 17th-century herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper, maintained that every part of the fennel plant was suitable to help make “people lean that are too fat.” In medieval times, fennel was believed to be an appetite suppressant, and the seeds were kept on hand to help people endure long periods of time between meals, or on days of religious feasting. Fennel is still regarded as an effective carminative (an aid in digestion), and a weight loss herb reputed to help in the digestion of fat. The Latin word for fennel, foeniculum, meaning “little hay” is thought to describe its sweet aroma, although it may be a reference to the fact that it was fed to goats to stimulate their milk production.  This principle is also used in India for nursing mothers, dill is commonly interchanged with fennel to increase the mothers milk supply to her child.

Dioscorides and Hippocrates believed fennel would stimulate milk production in nursing mothers. Dioscorides found fennel to contain diuretic properties, and recommended it for urinary tract disorders. The Greeks thought fennel to be useful in treating disorders of the eye, since they believed serpents ate fennel to regain their sight after shedding their skins. Fennel was one of the four “warming seeds” and declared by the Anglo-Saxons to be one of the nine sacred herbs that would cure the nine causes of medieval diseases.

Kumud Gandhi - Writer & Broadcaster, founder of The Cooking Academy.  For more information please contact Cara Brummitt at The Cooking Academy.  www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or Tel on 01923 77 888 0

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Canapes at The Saffron House

Posted on March 27th, 2011

Minced Chicken served with raw Mango and fresh coconut dressing

Corporate Catering with Fusion Foods

 One of the delightful looking canapes in our all year round collection and very popular with guests.  This canapes is also served on baby gems leaves when they are in season – at their best !

This recipe was created by Kumud Gandhi in 2007 an is available on the canapes menu at www.thesaffronhouse.co.uk  For further information about catering for your events and corporate catering please contact The Saffron House on 01923 778880 or cara@thesaffronhouse.co.uk

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The Spice Trail – Cinnamon

Posted on March 27th, 2011
 

Cinnamon - the wonder spice - The Trail by Kumud Gandhi

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants that inhibit blood clotting and bacterial growth (including the bad-breath variety). Studies suggest that it may help stabilize blood sugar, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes,  Furthermore it may help reduce bad cholesterol. Try half a teaspoon a day in yogurt or oatmeal.”

 How it looks – It is a moderate sized evergreen tree with reddish brown soft bark, with warts and dark purple avoid fruits.  We would use the bark and its oil

What it does – Bark-Acrid, aromatic, astringent, aphrodisiac, febrifuge, diuretic, and carminative.

 Home Remedies for the Treatment of various Disorders

In coughs and colds – Cinnamon helps in expulsion of mucus from lungs, if 250 mg is boiled in milk and given to the patient 3-4 times at an interval of 4 to 6 hours.

 In loose motions and gripes – mix a pinch of cinnamon powder with a pinch of catechu and give 3-4 times a day for relief of disorders. To thicken the mixture and to improve digestion, 1 gm powder of cinnamon should be taken with hot water.

In headache – Rub the oil lightly onto the temples to ward off headaches.

 In vomiting – Add a few drops of the oil to water/milk and drink for nausea and vomiting to subside.

 In heavy periods – Take a glass of the decoction of the bark twice a day to control heavy menstrual bleeding.

 In cavities in teeth - A piece of cotton soaked in the oil held in between teeth helps keep infection away.

 In wheezing – Boil pieces of cinnamon, liquorice and palm candy in 3 cups of water and reduce to a cup. Take an ounce of this decoction thrice a day.

 In shooting pain in abdomen – Take a paste of pieces of cinnamon bark with saunph seeds to avoid indigestion and relieve abdominal pain.

So there you have it – as well as a wonderful taste ina number of sweet and savoury dishes Cinnamon also has fantastic healing properties.  Not bad for something that looks like decorative bark chips hey!

Kumud Gandhi – Founder of The Cooking Academy, Indian cookery classes, writer and broadcaster.

For further information contact Kumud on kumud@thecookingacademy.co.uk

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My favourite cookery class – teaching teenagers

Posted on March 17th, 2011

.Most parents usually think I’m mad when I confess that I really enjoy teaching teenagers cookery classes this group.  Don’t get me wrong I love sharing my passion for food with everyone who is genuinely interested, but where else do you get that real sense of influencing someone life in such a positive way!

Today I was teaching at Watford Grammar school for boys, 13-14 year olds;  as usual,  the class started slow, but just ten minutes into the session, the boys were fully engaged. (well, minus the odd one who feels it’s not cool to be interested)  Its always the same, I start by talking about nutrients and diet and they look at you quite vacantly.  Then as you start to relate it to their activities, their performance and possible outcomes, they start to sit up and lean forward and the questions start, one by one   The interest in the subject comes by way of the ‘Whats in it for me’ scenario.  If only all subjects could have that effect.  I hadn’t quite appreciated how vain 13 to 14 year old boys can be, but when they hear how positively diet can effect their fitness (they translate fit to mean desirable to the opposite sex) and most of all the positive effect on their physical appearance, they’re interested!

Actually its very reassuring to see just how many kids are aware of their diet and want to do something about it.  In some cases they’re sadly controlled by their parents shopping choices; they lack the communication skills to be able to request what they want; some of them actually want to do the cooking and do!

My experiences in schools reinforces my belief for the need to bring a version of Home Economics back to the curriculum.  The changes in family structure and diminishing parental cookery skills in the home means that  kids don’t grow up surrounded by these experiences anymore, so this function needs to be taught somewhere.  It is a fundamental life skill.  We eat more often than we use algebra!   It seems so obviously that were blind to it.

Lobby where you can, the next generation need this skill if we are to enjoy a better quality of well being.

By Kumud Gandhi

Kumud Gandhi – Writer & Broadcaster, founder of The Cooking Academy.  For more information please contact Cara Brummitt at The Cooking Academy.  www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or Tel on 01923 77 888 0

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