<p>Winter is here. Set aside the Buddha bowl. It is time for some steaming broth. But before you slurp down that spoon of goodness, lets go over the semantics first. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Broth really is a catch-all for any flavoured cooking liquid, but broth is not soup. If you may, you can pass them off as cousins, but remember the difference. Unlike soup, broth is a clear liquid made of bone or vegetables simmered for hours. Consommé is a broth cousin; potage is thick soup and bisque is heavy cream soup. While in Britain, hold on to all these definitions. There, a broth necessarily has pieces of meat, vegetables in it.<br /><br />Elixir of strength<br /><br />Broths originated 25,000 years ago when waterproof containers were created for heating or boiling purposes. In India, broths have been an essential part of the winter menu. Says Dr Manoj Kutteri, wellness director at Atmantan, Pune, “According to Ayurveda, winter is the best season to improve bala (immunity). Immunity is connected with digestion; when digestion is strong and appetite is good, then immunity is strengthened.” <br /><br />In India, there are countless varieties of broth. Bajra (millet) and ragi (finger millet) broths are common fixes to keep the cold away. There’s chawli made of potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower and French beans. Paya, the broth made by simmering animal bones for hours, is packed with healing compounds like collagen, glutamine, glycine, and proline. <br /><br />Monarch of all broths<br /><br />Rasam, perhaps, is the monarch of all broths. If you think there’s just one <br />kind of rasam, you couldn’t be more mistaken. There’s milagu rasam (tomato <br />and tamarind), Mysore rasam, channa rasam, jeera (cumin seed) rasam, lemon rasam, ginger rasam, vengaya rasam (made of small onions), vazhaithandu rasam (made of banana stem) etc. <br /><br />There is no one common broth across India. In Rajasthan, millet becomes the best panacea for the falling temperatures. Bajrey ki rab (millet broth), which originated in Jodhpur, is a breakfast staple. Chef Vikash Prasad of Crowne Plaza, Jaipur, talks about the goodness of this broth: it is a light meal full of fibre with no fat content that drives the cold away and protects you from heat stroke in the summer. In winter, it is cooked with water and ghee; in summer, it is cooked with buttermilk. “Never cook the rab with string spices and chillies. Never use last year’s millet, it has to be freshly-harvested,” he says. <br /><br />If millet broth is the favourite in Rajasthan, in the hills, the lentils take over. Chef Sandeep Biswas, culinary director, Ananda in the Himalayas, talks of the Kumaoni ras bhath – made of five kinds of lentils – which originated in the Garhwal hills as a vegetarian substitute for paya shorba (bone broth). Packed with proteins and fibre, ras bhath used to be the staple winter dinner for farmers and shepherds. Always served piping hot with a side of rice or local bread, the common man’s broth later found a place in wedding menus.<br /><br />Marvelous ‘paya shorba’<br /><br />For meat-eaters, paya shorba (made of goat leg) is the best winter broth. An excellent source of nutrients for the frail, paya is great for those recovering from illnesses. Chef Rajani Ranjan of Grand Hyatt Mumbai continues the tradition with Kharode ka shorba, a lamb broth which originated in Central Asia and was introduced to South Asians by the Mughals, who called it pacha. It is famous in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. It is full of calcium and also helps make bones stronger after injury. However, Chef Rajan warns that paya broths should not be given to those suffering from liver ailments. <br /><br />Too many cooks spoil the broth – the sages warned. What they did not add was that a little broth every day can perk up your health.<br /><br />Vegetable, Brown Basmati Rice & Fennel Broth<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />Toor dal: 50 gms<br />Brown basmati rice: 20 gms<br />Fennel bulbs (julienned): 10 gms<br />Onions, leek and celery roughly cut: 5 gms each<br />Garlic whole: 5 gms<br />Cabbage (brunoise): 5 gms<br /> Carrot (brunoise): 5 gms<br />Zucchini (brunoise): 10 gms<br />Spinach: 5 gms<br />Himalayan rock salt: 2 gms<br />Pepper: 1 gm<br /><br />Method: <br /><br />Boil dal and rice. Saute onion, garlic, leek, celery in a pan. Add boiled dal and cook for five minutes. Let it cool and blend into a fine paste. Blanch the vegetables; steam spinach and fennel bulbs. Add to dal mixture. Serve hot. <br /><br /><em>(Recipe courtesy: Shubhendu Kadam, Executive Chef, Atmantan Wellness Centre, Pune)</em><br /></p>
<p>Winter is here. Set aside the Buddha bowl. It is time for some steaming broth. But before you slurp down that spoon of goodness, lets go over the semantics first. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Broth really is a catch-all for any flavoured cooking liquid, but broth is not soup. If you may, you can pass them off as cousins, but remember the difference. Unlike soup, broth is a clear liquid made of bone or vegetables simmered for hours. Consommé is a broth cousin; potage is thick soup and bisque is heavy cream soup. While in Britain, hold on to all these definitions. There, a broth necessarily has pieces of meat, vegetables in it.<br /><br />Elixir of strength<br /><br />Broths originated 25,000 years ago when waterproof containers were created for heating or boiling purposes. In India, broths have been an essential part of the winter menu. Says Dr Manoj Kutteri, wellness director at Atmantan, Pune, “According to Ayurveda, winter is the best season to improve bala (immunity). Immunity is connected with digestion; when digestion is strong and appetite is good, then immunity is strengthened.” <br /><br />In India, there are countless varieties of broth. Bajra (millet) and ragi (finger millet) broths are common fixes to keep the cold away. There’s chawli made of potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower and French beans. Paya, the broth made by simmering animal bones for hours, is packed with healing compounds like collagen, glutamine, glycine, and proline. <br /><br />Monarch of all broths<br /><br />Rasam, perhaps, is the monarch of all broths. If you think there’s just one <br />kind of rasam, you couldn’t be more mistaken. There’s milagu rasam (tomato <br />and tamarind), Mysore rasam, channa rasam, jeera (cumin seed) rasam, lemon rasam, ginger rasam, vengaya rasam (made of small onions), vazhaithandu rasam (made of banana stem) etc. <br /><br />There is no one common broth across India. In Rajasthan, millet becomes the best panacea for the falling temperatures. Bajrey ki rab (millet broth), which originated in Jodhpur, is a breakfast staple. Chef Vikash Prasad of Crowne Plaza, Jaipur, talks about the goodness of this broth: it is a light meal full of fibre with no fat content that drives the cold away and protects you from heat stroke in the summer. In winter, it is cooked with water and ghee; in summer, it is cooked with buttermilk. “Never cook the rab with string spices and chillies. Never use last year’s millet, it has to be freshly-harvested,” he says. <br /><br />If millet broth is the favourite in Rajasthan, in the hills, the lentils take over. Chef Sandeep Biswas, culinary director, Ananda in the Himalayas, talks of the Kumaoni ras bhath – made of five kinds of lentils – which originated in the Garhwal hills as a vegetarian substitute for paya shorba (bone broth). Packed with proteins and fibre, ras bhath used to be the staple winter dinner for farmers and shepherds. Always served piping hot with a side of rice or local bread, the common man’s broth later found a place in wedding menus.<br /><br />Marvelous ‘paya shorba’<br /><br />For meat-eaters, paya shorba (made of goat leg) is the best winter broth. An excellent source of nutrients for the frail, paya is great for those recovering from illnesses. Chef Rajani Ranjan of Grand Hyatt Mumbai continues the tradition with Kharode ka shorba, a lamb broth which originated in Central Asia and was introduced to South Asians by the Mughals, who called it pacha. It is famous in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. It is full of calcium and also helps make bones stronger after injury. However, Chef Rajan warns that paya broths should not be given to those suffering from liver ailments. <br /><br />Too many cooks spoil the broth – the sages warned. What they did not add was that a little broth every day can perk up your health.<br /><br />Vegetable, Brown Basmati Rice & Fennel Broth<br /><br />Ingredients:<br /><br />Toor dal: 50 gms<br />Brown basmati rice: 20 gms<br />Fennel bulbs (julienned): 10 gms<br />Onions, leek and celery roughly cut: 5 gms each<br />Garlic whole: 5 gms<br />Cabbage (brunoise): 5 gms<br /> Carrot (brunoise): 5 gms<br />Zucchini (brunoise): 10 gms<br />Spinach: 5 gms<br />Himalayan rock salt: 2 gms<br />Pepper: 1 gm<br /><br />Method: <br /><br />Boil dal and rice. Saute onion, garlic, leek, celery in a pan. Add boiled dal and cook for five minutes. Let it cool and blend into a fine paste. Blanch the vegetables; steam spinach and fennel bulbs. Add to dal mixture. Serve hot. <br /><br /><em>(Recipe courtesy: Shubhendu Kadam, Executive Chef, Atmantan Wellness Centre, Pune)</em><br /></p>
