Immune-boosting recipes to help fight COVID -19 by SONA’S Chef Abhijeet Singh Rathore

With COVID cases in Canada and the USA surging, Abhijeet Singh Rathore a chef at SONA, New York, has come up with some recipes which would be helpful in the fight against COVID and boosting the body’s immune system.

Apart from SONA, Abhijeet has also worked with Michelin star chef Vineet Bhatia in his restaurant in Bahrain. He moved to Dubai in 2016 and joined Junoon restaurant; there he also worked in Masti cocktail and cuisine.

Chef Abhijeet Singh Rathore, who belongs to an Indian traditional family, has learned the countless uses of spices from his ancestors in cooking up meals which can be flavoursome as well as healthy. He advises that using spices and herbs in an appropriate amount could be helpful for infections like cold and sore throat, also good for digestion.

Chef says, as claimed by Ayurveda, it is best to eat according to the body energy type, which provides most nutrition. If you are thinking about how to increase the immune system by Ayurveda, one needs to include ayurvedic immunity boosters like coriander, turmeric, black pepper, and cumin in daily life.

Here is one of Chef Abhijeet Singh Rathore‘s best chicken soup recipes that is very effective for colds, and is rich in protein and other nutrients.

Chicken Black Pepper Soup

Description

Course Soup

Cuisine Malabar

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3/4 tsp garlic paste

Six shallots sliced

One spring curry leaves chopped

2 tsp whole peppercorn crushed

200 gm chicken breast with a bone cut into tiny pieces

500 ml water

3 tbsp black pepper powder

salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Splutter cumin seeds.

Saute the garlic paste for a minute. Add the shallots and curry leaves and saute for around 5 minutes till the shallots are soft.

Add the remaining ingredients, give a nice stir and close the lid.

Pressure cook for two whistles on high flame. Switch off and allow the pressure to go by itself.

Adjust seasoning, add more pepper if required. Serve warm!

This recipe is quite simple and can be easily cooked by anyone without much effort.

People are very fond of drinking tea, and tea is certainly habit-forming a good way to cleanse your palate before meals, also are efficacious for soothing a throat infection. Here, the chef recommends a very healthy lemon-ginger green tea recipe that only takes a few minutes to prepare.

Lemon-Ginger Green Tea

Ingredients

1 tbsp green tea of your choice.

1 cup simmering water

2 tsp lemon-ginger simple syrup

Instructions

Gather the ingredients.

Steep the tea for three minutes.

Strain and add lemon-ginger simple syrup.

Serve hot.

Q&A Up Close with Chef Abhijeet Singh Rathore

Going further, we asked SONA, New York Chef Abhijeet Singh Rathore a few questions regarding his precautions towards COVID-19 and his methods for fighting this coronavirus.

What’s your plan to stay healthy and fit during this COVID boom.

I believe in good protein-rich food with the blend of some nice spices and doing regular exercises that would definitively help the immune system. Hence a good diet and exercise play a vital role in health and to stay fit.

According to you, what are the most recommended Indian spices that work on immunity?

Many Indian spices work on immunity if consumed appropriately; in my opinion, some are turmeric, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and fenugreek seeds.

Don’t you think Indian cuisine is mainly focused on spices?

No, this is a total misconception about Indian cuisine that it is made up of spices and curries only though Indian food is much more than that, and it has a diverse cuisine.

What kind of hot beverage would you recommend drinking for a cold?

Well, I would suggest only hot drinks such as green tea, spiced mint tea, hot apple punch, soups, and, yeah, lots of warm water throughout the day.

You would like to share any other suggestions with people suffering from COVID-19?

I want to advise them to follow the protocols. And be aware, maintain hygiene, do regular exercise, eat healthily, and stay home safe.

Chef Abhijeet Singh Rathore has provided a clear healthy approach to COVID-19, with good diet advice, recipes and explaining that some food and drink ingredients that can help boost immunity. His strong knowledge of Indian food and spices has developed from his experiences within the culinary world. According to Chef Abhijeet Singh Rathore, a healthy diet full of nutrients can easily cope with COVID-19.

Other articles from totimes.ca – otttimes.ca – mtltimes.ca