The Doctor’s Kitchen. Dr Rupy Aujla

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СКАЧАТЬ I use fresh ginger as much as possible for its pungent taste and powerful volatile compounds. It’s a staple base for lots of my recipes and sometimes I’ll boil some up with honey to treat a sore throat. There are many innovative ways to use ginger in drinks, tonics, sauces and curries. My recipes will show you how easy it is to get this marvellous spice into your system.

      There are well recognised polyphenol compounds in ginger and it’s been suggested in the research that we class it as a functional food because of its effects on the body. I use it in my Medicinal Broth (see here), I pop ginger skin into tea, I grate it into Asian-style dressings (see here) and it’s cheap and available to everyone. Get it into your kitchen.

      Sumac

      This vibrant burgundy-coloured spice has the most wonderful, warm citrus flavour. It’s used in Iranian and Turkish cuisines in tagines and stews or simply to garnish plates with a sour note. It also happens to be one of the most antioxidant-rich ingredients on the planet.^164,165 It’s been used in traditional medicine to treat everything from diabetes¹⁶⁶ to cardiac disease, but unfortunately the extent of research we currently have to support these claims is mainly performed in a petri dish or on animals.¹⁶⁷ The research is one to watch.¹⁶⁸

      Made from drying a species of the plant genus Rhus, sumac is generally underutilised in cooking, but I use it all the time for its incredible flavour profile and vibrancy. A sprinkle will transform everything from poached eggs to natural yoghurt. Try it out in some of my Middle Eastern-inspired dishes (see Persian Chicken Thighs here, and Spicy Baked Eggs here).

      Cumin

      Cumin is a functional spice that contains myriad compounds thought to be anti-bacterial and blood-sugar regulating (among many other claims of traditional medicine).¹⁶⁹ Unfortunately, again, there are not many human clinical trials examining the exact effect of this spice and when there are, they’re not conducted well.¹⁷⁰ What we do know is that it contains a really high antioxidant capacity as well as particular compounds that have been implicated in reducing inflammation and fighting cancer.^169,171,172

      I couldn’t cook without cumin (or ‘jeera’, as it’s known in my kitchen). Used as ground seeds or whole seeds, it has an assertive taste that is distinctly Indian in my mind, but is very easily incorporated into a variety of dishes. Use it to transform your roast dinners, spice up your omelette or add an exotic hint to any meal. And, if you use it frequently, buy a bag of it from your local Indian store, not a thimble-sized jar!

      Cinnamon

      Another aromatic, antioxidant-packed, flavour bomb. The compounds in cinnamon have been investigated in order to explain why this spice has anti-inflammatory effects and improves metabolic syndrome.¹⁷³ Study after study reports potential mechanisms of action, and the biology, for someone interested in why spices have medicinal benefits, is groundbreaking. Reading some of the texts is like going back into pharmacology lectures at medical school. It’s a fascinating field of research that I hope will unravel more information, but for now, experiment with cinnamon in my spices, dressings and pastes (see here) to elevate simple dishes.

      Its versatility permeates through savoury and sweet dishes, drinks and dressings, modern European cuisine to rural Indian meals. It’s no wonder cinnamon used to be more valuable than gold in Egyptian times. Invest in a large, high-quality tub of it – you cannot have a kitchen without this spice.

      Basil, rosemary, thyme

      The incredible health properties of herbs and spices are not exclusive to those shipped in from the Far East or Africa. We have some amazing flavour enhancers that are easy to grow here in the UK in a pot in the kitchen, and that have as much functional benefit as the most expensive and beautiful saffron from Iran.

      Basil, rosemary and thyme may seem unassuming, but the library of chemicals held within their leaves is inspiring. At the average ‘doses’ that we tend to use in cooking, they contain exceptionally important dietary sources of chemicals that reduce oxidative stress and attenuate inflammation.¹⁷⁴ The theories of heightened inflammation and its role in lifestyle-related disease, such as blood pressure, stroke and diabetes, is very fashionable in medical conferences these days.¹⁷⁵ Any inclusion of foods that can reduce our inflammatory burden is welcome, and these delicious, cheap, widely available herbs are worth every stalk.¹⁷⁶

      Adding roughly chopped basil to Italian recipes adds an extra depth of flavour. Thyme, perhaps one of the first herbs to be recognised for its medicinal qualities, is in everything, from my fresh barbecue rubs (see here) to my twist on shakshuka (see here). Pestos, marinades, green curry pastes, aioli … the options are limitless and, as a doctor, I cannot recommend highly enough that you include these herbs in your daily diet.

      Any inclusion of foods that can reduce our inflammatory burden are welcome, and these delicious, cheap, widely available herbs are worth every stalk.

      Seeing past the herb garden

      We really need to start investigating spice compounds further. We know that they are safe for consumption because we’ve essentially been testing them by including them in our diets for years,¹⁷⁷ and exciting early research suggests a potential role for their use in treating different conditions.²² Don’t get too fixated on the exact amounts of antioxidants or measurements of compounds in an individual spice. First, not all the evidence looks at specific ‘dosing’ of ingredients, and second, they have varying effects in our body. The best advice is to consume a complement of different herbs and spices daily. Their synergistic effects have been shown to heighten their physiological properties,¹⁷³ as well as adding a delicious complexity to food.

      These are some of my favourite spices, but it’s by no means an exhaustive list. I’ve also written a section on spice combinations in the recipes section (see here) to help you get creative. Label your own spice blends – it’ll impress your friends and help get kids into the kitchen!

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