5 BENEFITS TO COOKING WITH PLANTS & SPICES
THERE IS EVERGREEN SUSTENANCE FOUND IN
THE BOUNTY AND BEAUTY OF PLANTS AND SPICE.
CELEBRATING THEM BOTH TOGETHER IS THE PERFECT THANK YOU
Growing up in Pakistan, I took them both for granted.
Spices were abundant in the markets, the kitchen and every dish that came out on to the dining table. Most people think Pakistani food is all about cooking with meat, and though to some extent that this true - we know how to cook well with meat and spices, but the truth is the cost of meat and the abundant bounty of seasonal vegetables and plants makes a plant-based diet quite common in Pakistan. Cooking it simply, layering spices gently through technique and patience is the way to get the best out of both - the plants and the spices.
For centuries people can been cooking with spices and plants not just to add flavour but to benefit the mind, body and spirit. The healing of both can benefit us so much. For me, plants mean a nurturing meal, something quick that I can cook at home even just for myself, and adding spices to them means the smells take me home and nurture my spirit but also their therapeutic oils help concentration and calmness.
As life becomes busier and more unsustainable in terms of costs and environmental factors, reaching out to plants is natural. Learning to layer them with therapeutic spices is an easier was of offering your body sustenance.
So as the seasons turn from Winter to Spring find more reasons to nurture yourself and celebrate bounty by cooking them together. Here are some reason why:
ENHANCE ENJOYMENT:
By just adding one or two spices to say a lentil or a green vegetable you add the ability to enjoy what you’re eating - but you also slow down how to enjoy your food - eating and chewing slower so as to really taking the experience of flavour. This helps digestion and absorption plus means you actually spend time slowing down your nervous system - truly making food an enjoyable experience, not just something you have to do.
2. PROMOTE HEALING:
We all know that plant-based diets absorb well and heal our gut, but so does spice. Each spice has spice contains plant-derived chemical compounds that can have health benefits. In my culture we have been using spices such as turmeric for their anti-inflammatory properties and aniseed and carom seeds for their anti-flatulent properties.
Helping digestion, and even treating colds - spices are worth adding to plants, for a doubly potent benefit to our bodies.
3. BOOST CREATVITY:
My mother always used to feed me certain combinations of spices and vegetables when I had an art or writing exam saying that it would boost creativity. I never believed her then but I now know that there is some truth in what she used to say! We know that essentials fats and antioxidants make our brain work better, as to complex carbohydrates - which is why there is creative magic in combinations such as dark leafy greens cooked with coconut oil, cumin and ginger or sweet potatoes with smoked paprika and rosemary - the essential oils in all these spices and herbs and the essential fats and complex carbohydrates help in fuelling your mind, and as a result enhancing concentration and creativity.
4. NURTURING YOUR SOUL:
There is something so nurturing when you walk into a home that smells of spice - where the food presented is filled with flavour and freshness. Spiced plant-based food is an offering of love and celebration of bounty and simplicity. Create a nurturing ritual for your friends, family and yourself by cooking with both.
4. WET WONDERLUST:
If you’re looking to travel without ever leaving your kitchen bringing in spices into your plant-based cookery is one way - and plant-based because its’ mostly less time consuming, more vibrant and nourishing in many ways.
If you’d love to learn more about cooking with spices and learning to layer them through plant-based cookery then do consider joining my online plant-based Pakistani course SABZI which re-opens on 1st April and goes Evergreen - but for 5 days only I’ll be offering a one off offer price of £65 - After that it’ll remain open to join but revery to it’s usually price of £120.
To learn more check out the link below:
EVERGREEN SABZI
Sabzi is Urdu for vegetable and that’s at the root of all this course is about.
Plant-based food doesn’t have to be bland or boring - it can be rich and delicious with layers of texture and flavour.
JOIN SABZI
An online plant-based Pakistani cookery course that you can complete in your own time.
