Today we’re going to be talking about what we can learn from India about food and cooking; about dining and nutrition – from the grandmothers and from the culture. It’s really fascinating to see how they go about cooking and the relationship they have with food.
Number one- food is seasonal and local. Cooling foods are used in summer, and warming foods in winter. Indian foods come from a particular region – they’re what grows locally, and they’re based on what the body needs. There are digestive considerations, immune system considerations to take into account and there are energy benefits in eating certain foods.
In summer, the Indians eat things like buttermilk, cucumber, mint, and melons. Those are good at hydrating the body, and they’re cooling. In their monsoon season; their rainy season, they use a lot of ginger, turmeric, deep fried snacks, and tea to keep their digestion strong and to fight the dampness. In winter, they have a lot of ghee, sesame oil, and nuts for warmth, energy, and joint support. They eat what grows in their local environment because that’s what matches their body biologically.
Number two – they eat whole foods over processed foods. They prefer whole foods, and use them a lot. A traditional Indian kitchen would have whole grains like millet, rice, wheat, and barley, and it would have pulses like lentils, beans, and chickpeas. Indians use nuts and seeds in their cooking, as well as fresh vegetables, and lots of spices, not just for flavor but also for healing – intentional healing.
Their meals are fiber rich to focus on their gut health. They balance their carbs, their proteins, and their good fats. Their meals are naturally anti-inflammatory because of the turmeric, cumin, ginger, garlic, and all of those spices. Their food is made from scratch with real ingredients, so very few of them have packaged snacks. They don’t usually go to the grocery store and buy a whole lot of snacks; they just make real whole food at home a lot of the time.
Number three – they use ghee regularly in their cooking. Ghee is clarified butter. It’s used by grandmas in India and they’re not afraid of it. It helps you to absorb your vitamins – vitamins A, D, E, and K. It supports your brain development. It lubricates your joints, and it nourishes your digestion like a gut lining. It’s a very important fat to use, and it’s a great one for cooking with.
Number four – spices equal everyday medicine. I mentioned this earlier – they really do see their spices as medicine. They know the purpose of each, and that’s why they add them to their food, obviously, other than because they add flavor. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory, and it supports your immune system. Cumin is good for your digestion, and it revs your metabolism. Ginger is great for your circulation, and it’s also an anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea.
Fenugreek is good for keeping your blood sugar balanced, and it’s good for your digestion. Cardamom calms the stomach, and cloves and cinnamon warm the body, and they’re good anti-inflammatory. They’re good for your blood sugar as well. So, instead of using supplements, they use food as their medicine.
Number five – their plates have balance built into them. The classic Indian plate, the thali, teaches you that you need to have a diversity of nutrients in one meal – many different nutrients. You need to be aware of the portion size, and you need to have a variety of colors and textures.
A thali will typically include a grain like rice or flatbread like naan bread. There’ll be lentils or other kinds of protein, some vegetables – usually more than one vegetable, yogurt or buttermilk for probiotics, pickles or chutney – also fermented probiotics. The food’s spiced to aid digestion. Then there’ll be something a little sweet for balance and for you to enjoy. This all naturally supports your gut health and your immune system.
Number six – how you eat your meals matters. Indian children are taught not to rush their meals. They don’t eat standing, or gulp it down when they’re in a hurry or stressed. They eat with their hands if possible, which is very interesting because it encourages mindful eating. You’re aware that you’re eating, and you’re not distracted, so your body can be ready to digest well and know that you’re satisfied. It helps you have awareness of the portion size; how much you’re eating.
In the West, we often just focus on eating with good manners, and we know how to use a knife and fork and all those things, but I’ve never really thought much about the fact that eating with your hands helps with other things, such as being mindful of what you’re eating. Sitting together with others, having conversations, and being in the community is also very important. Another thing is respecting your digestion – slowing down, chewing well, and pausing in between bites – really focusing on your body’s health while you’re eating.
Number seven – the largest meal isn’t dinner. Many Indian grandmas say “Eat your biggest meal when the sun is high.”, so lunch is the main meal. This is when your digestion is strongest and your metabolism is going. You’re going back to hard work after lunch.
Dinner is lighter, helping you to slow down and get ready for bedtime. Your body doesn’t have to be working hard to digest your dinner before you can have a relaxing sleep. In India, dinner is usually earlier, and it’s very simple. This supports your blood sugar, gives better sleep and less bloating, and works well with our circadian rhythms.
The next few points are more about the actual cooking process; what we can learn from Indian cooks and chefs. This one, point eight, is common to a lot of chefs, and it’s also something we can learn from India – build your flavor in layers. Don’t just throw everything into the pot at once and then cook it – it goes in steps. Each ingredient has a moment to flavor the dish, and layers of flavor are the result.
First, they’ll heat the oil or the ghee. Then they’ll add whole spices – I’ll talk about tempering spices in a moment. After that, they’ll add onions and cook them until they’re golden. Then they’ll add something like garlic or ginger, which is their flavor base. Then comes powdered spices, and they’ll toast them gently. Next, they’ll add some tomatoes or yogurt to add acidity and bring body to the dish. After that, they’ll add vegetables and maybe lentils or meat. The layering makes the flavor deep, and makes the food delicious.
Number nine – tempering spices. You need to wake up the aroma of your spices; don’t just sprinkle them on. In Indian cooking, spices are heated in oil to release their essential flavor. This is called tempering or tadka. First, you heat a spoon of oil, then add some whole spices like mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chilies, or curry leaves, and let them cook a little bit until they crackle. Then you pour that oil over your cooked food, and perhaps cook it further if you’re in the middle of a recipe. This brings out the flavor of the whole spices.
Number ten – vegetables should not be overcooked. Lightly steaming them, sauteing them, and stir-frying them – those cooking methods are good. They maintain the nutrients, the color, and the crunch of the vegetables. Stir-frying them also makes them digestible because then they’re cooked in oil, which helps with the digestion process. They should still feel like vegetables. They shouldn’t be dead, flat, and devoid of flavor, but deliciously crispy and nutritious.
Number eleven – we should cook slowly when possible. Indian cooks use time to enhance their flavors. Onions get cooked until they’re sweet, lentils are allowed to simmer until they’re creamy, and spices will bloom slowly. Slow cooking makes for better digestion, deeper flavor, et cetera. This is why a slow cooker or a crockpot is such a valuable tool in the kitchen. If you don’t have one, I really encourage you to get one. They’re one of the cheapest cooking implements that you get, but they’re so useful.
You can put your food in one at the beginning of the day, and leave it on low all day while you’re out and about, or homeschooling or working. Then, when you come home, you have the delicious stew, meat, or whatever you’ve made all ready for you. A crockpot will help your food to cook slowly, and it can help the spices infuse in the meal. It really enhances the flavor of your food in an easy way, and that way, you don’t have to be standing over the stove the whole time it cooks. So, look into a crockpot or a slow cooker.
Number twelve, the last point, is that Indian food often uses acid. They add acid for freshness at the end of the cooking process. That could be a squeeze of lemon or orange juice, some fresh cilantro, or a spoon of yogurt to brighten the dish.
Sometimes they’ll add a sprinkle of certain spice powders, but it’s better to add these during cooking to let them develop their flavor, and so that they’re not raw. But sometimes it’s good to add a specific one at the end, and they know how to do that. Anything that you like to add at the end to brighten the food is great, even chopped herbs. Citrus, especially the zest and the juice, is very helpful in that way.
Indian cuisine is very interesting. It’s very fresh and very spicy, made with whole foods and medicinal ingredients. Indian cooks cook slowly, paying attention to the order and the process of cooking. I hope you’re feeling inspired to try some Indian recipes, and perhaps you have an Indian restaurant nearby where you can try some things.
Try a curry with some naan bread. Chana masala is a chickpea curry. You can also do a side dish, maybe a cooling yogurt side dish, like cucumber raita, which is made of yogurt and cucumber. It’s very similar to tzatziki, but with cumin instead of garlic.
So, look up some recipes that sound good to you and have a try. Even if you don’t cook actual Indian food, you can apply some of these principles in your own cooking in your own kitchen.
