The weekend is here and since you must not venture out to prevent further spreading of coronavirus, how about cooking up not a storm but some immunity-boosting dishes and beverages in your kitchen? If you are ready, we have got some recipes from chefs across the city of Mumbai.
1. Jujube and Lotus Seed Soup
A popular fruit in Northern China, Jujube is rich in Vitamin C, regulates blood pressure, blood circulation, soothes anxiety, improves bone strength, gives relief from chronic constipation and helps you sleep better.
“As this fruit is high in vitamin A, C and potassium, it strengthens the immune system of the body and thus helps in the prevention of common colds and cough. It also contains flavonoids and polysaccharides, which play an important role in strengthening the immune system. One can consume Jujube as fresh fruit or boil them down in simple syrup for a unique butter. Dried jujubes can be used like raisins or dates,” tells Chef Paul Kinny, Director of Culinary, The St Regis Mumbai before sharing with us the recipe.
Ingredients: Ginger - sliced | Garlic - sliced | Thai chilli - diced | Veg stock | Tofu (small cube) | White fungus | Shimeji mushroom | Pokchoy | Lotus seed | Jujube | Wolfberries | Truffle oil | White pepper | Salt | Aromat
Method:
■ Sauté ginger, garlic and Thai chilli in truffle oil and add vegetable stock. Bring it to a boil and add Pok Choy, lotus seed, jujube and wolfberries.
■ Season with salt, aromat and add drops of truffle oil.
2. Yazu Special Ramen Bowl
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Family get together just got even better thanks to these one-dish meal ideas. The fuss-free meals are easy to make and loaded with delicious ingredients. At Yazu, Chef Karma Tempa creates comfort in a clay pot with filling and scrumptious Ramen Bowls.
“The Ramen Bowls bring along wholesome goodness as they are made with chicken stock/vegetable stock, which means all the nutrients to get you through the nasty virus and cold. Ingredients like fresh chillies, garlic, ginger, celery are rich in all essential vitamins and minerals that help in boosting our immune system. It contains equal amounts of vegetable/protein/carbs (noodles), making it a well-rounded meal perfect for boosting your immunity,” says Ranbir Nagpal, partner at Yazu - a pan-Asian supper club.
Ingredients: Chicken Stock - 2 cups | Japanese Soy Sauce: 2 tbsp | Celery: 1 tsp | Peeled Garlic: 1 tbsp | Pokchoy: 1 bunch | Egg: 1 | Boiled Ramen Noodles: 1 cup | Peruvian Asparagus Tips: 4-5 | Snow Peas: 5-6 | Chicken Mince: 1 cup | Dark Soy Sauce: 1 tbsp | Oyster Sauce: 1 tsp | Ginger: 2 tsp | Fresh Bird's Eye Chilli: 1 tsp | Onion chopped: 1 tbsp | Sesame Oil: 1 tsp | Regular Cooking Oil: 2 tbsp | Chicken Seasoning Powder: as per taste | Nori Sheet: 1 | Scallions: 1 tbsp
Method:
■ To make a ramen broth, boil chicken stock along with celery, garlic & ginger. Season it with Japanese soy sauce.
■ Strain the stock and keep it aside. If required, add chicken seasoning powder as per taste.
■ Blanch snow peas, asparagus and pok choy and keep it aside.
■ Saute minced chicken with onion, garlic, ginger, bird's eye chilli, celery and season it with oyster sauce & dark soy sauce. Flavour it with sesame oil
■ Soft boil an egg, peel and keep it aside.
■ To assemble the Ramen Bowl, shock the boiled noodles in hot water, place in the serving bowl. Pour piping hot Ramen broth on it.
■ Arrange the prepared veggies, chicken, egg, nori sheet as shown. Garnish with chopped scallions.
3. Meta boost salad
Meta boost salad contains vitamin C, A and B6. “Vitamin C keeps you at bay from catching flu. Vitamin B6 plays a vital role in supporting the biochemical reaction in your immune system and Vitamin A helps in maintaining healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucus membranes, and skin. It is also known as retinol because it produces the pigments in the retina of the eye,” informs Chef Cyrus Irani, Flax-Healthy Living. He further adds, “The ingredients used in this salad like mix greens, spinach, caramelised onions, roasted green zucchini, yellow squash, quinoa, couscous, red rice, dates, cranberry, pomegranate, parsley, mint, roasted almonds, chia seeds and zesty citrus dressing maintain immunity levels.”
Ingredients: Lettuce - 1 cup | Mix kale - 1 cup | Spinach - ½ cup | Rocket - 1 cup | Mint - 2 tbl | Caramelized onion - 1 tbl | Red rice - 2 tbl | Quinoa - 2 tbl | Couscous - 2 tbl | Roasted zucchini, red pepper and yellow squash - 1 tbl each | Dates - 1 tbl | Cranberry - 1 tbl | Pomegranate - 1 tbl | Flat parsley - 1 tbl | Roasted almonds - 1 tbl | Chia seeds - 1/2tsp
For Zesty citrus dressing: Orange juice - 200 ml | Jalapeno - 20 gms | Mint - 10gms | Lime Juice - 12 ml| Black Pepper Powder - 3gms | Salt - 3 gms | Salad oil - 100 ml
Method:
■ For the zesty citrus dressing, mix all the ingredients and blend them together.
■ Layer the bottom of a plate or bowl with the lettuce mix
■ On top of the lettuce mix, add red rice, quinoa and couscous.
■ Evenly spread the roasted veggies on the top of the salad.
■ Chop the parsley and add it along with dates, cranberry, and pomegranate.
■ Garnish it with roasted almonds and chia seeds.
■ Now drizzle 80 ml of the zesty citrus dressing on the salad.
4. Matcha Cucumber Lemonade
Ingredients: English Cucumber - 2 (chopped) | Chilled water - 2 cups | Crushed ice - 1 cup | Fresh lemon juice - 2 lemons | Honey - 3 to 4 tbsp | Matcha powder - 2 tsp
Method:
■ In a blender puree the cucumbers until just chunky.
■ In a large pitcher, combine the water, lemon juice, honey and matcha powder.
■ Add fresh lemon mixture to the cucumber puree and blend until very smooth.
■ Serve chilled over crushed ice.
(Matcha Cucumber Lemonade recipe courtesy: Foodhall India)
5. Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (Cocktail)
The drink was an experiment by Gaurish Rangnekar, Head Mixologist and Owner, Barmobile. He had a cold and therefore, he decided to mix alcohol with some ingredients in his kitchen and it worked like a magic pill for him.
“It's a very healthy cocktail and great for your immunity in a couple of ways - honey and cinnamon are very strong antioxidants, turmeric acts as an anti-inflammatory substance, whiskey is great for your blood circulation and the citric acid of the lime juice helps you fight against the common cold,” he informs and adds that this drink fights the cold by keeping you warm from inside.
Ingredients: Turmeric powder - 5 gms | Honey - 15 ml | Fresh lime juice - 5 ml | Bourbon/Scotch/Whisky - 45 ml | Cinnamon powder - 2 gms
Method :
■ In an old fashioned glass or a whiskey glass, mix the turmeric powder with honey and lime juice. Stir it well.
■ Add some cinnamon powder (optional)
■ Add whiskey and top up with 3 to 4 cubes of ice and stir again till chilled.
■ Garnish with an orange wheel of a Cinnamon stick.
6. Turmeric Milk Punch
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The soothing turmeric-infused coconut milk with a pinch of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey syrup over crushed ice can be is an easy to prepare mocktail at home which can also help you boost your immunity.
"During our upbringing, we are taught to always take care of our gut health to prevent obstruction of nutrients to the rest of my body. This way of thinking has been passed down in our family. Ayurvedic spices aid in digestion and metabolism. They also have the benefit of being natural anti-inflammatories,” says Chef Merajuddin Ansai, Executive Chef, Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai.
Ingredients: Coconut Milk – 150 ml | Turmeric – ½ tsp | Ginger powder | Cinnamon powder | Nutmeg | Honey
Method: Take all the ingredients and add it to coconut milk. Mix it well.