The turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, dry ginger, black pepper and whole coriander seeds which have been ground together to make this immunity boosting powder have been farmed under strict adherence to traditional farming practices where each ingredient is respected and allowed to grow as it should.
The blending of these spices have also been done with as much reverence as they deserve. Slow roasting over firewood to gently coax out their inherent properties, unhurried pounding to break it down without damaging the nutrients and mixing it all carefully with great attention to detail is what also goes into making this aromatic powder.
Dry ginger and whole black pepper are spices and shoots which are so typically Indian. ‘Sukku kaapi’ is a dry ginger & warm water concoction that the people of Kerala swear by. The Indian diet primarily consisted of black pepper to add that spiciness to the food. The chillies came much later from the ‘new world’ and are not a part of ancient Indian cooking.
A case in point is when looking at food offerings (prashaad) in places of worship...the food would be devoid of onion, garlic or tomato and would contain copious amounts of pepper, cumin, curry leaves, rice, lentils and ghee.
The feedback for this immunity boosting powder has been positive and extremely encouraging. While we do tend to highlight the respiratory distresses that this powder helps ease, it must be mentioned that the addition of whole spices also have anti inflammatory and digestive properties making it ideal for the gut. All food absorption and assimilation happens at the digestive tract so only if that were in a condition to absorb what is necessary will it then help the immune system.
We caught up with Chef Thomas (in the middle of what looked like a really busy day for him and his crew) for an interview - Not just did he take the time out to answer all our questions but he also shared tremendous insights from his travel & food experiences with genuine fervor and enthusiasm. Here's wishing for this food genius and his equally passionate team heaps and bundles of power and success in all their future endeavors!
Chef Thomas Zaccharias was named Chef of the Year at Conde Nast Traveller India magazine’s Top Restaurant Awards in 2018 and executive chef at one of India's best restaurants - The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai.
Amita Mishra writes :
“Indians have had a special bond with food since times immemorial. Right from the art of making it to preserving food, there are various techniques which are unique to each household that makes our food healthy, unique and something to learn from. Apart from that Indian food is known for its diversity. The food pattern keeps changing as per the season and the local produce. These traditional foods and our age old recipes contain nutrients that are lacking in a lot of urban and middle income communities these days.
