When I traveled to Turkey, it took me only 20-minutes to convey to the tuk-tuk driver that I was looking for an eatery that served vegetarian food. The success was not due to my ability to speak Turkish or Arabic.
In my garbled talk in English and a mixture of Hindi and Urdu, I blurted the password that made the communication successful. Dal!
A bowl of warm dal with butter and salt was my first meal in two days.
Food means different things to different people. For my grandma, food was medicine. She said,
“A good cook needs no medicine.”
What she meant was, a vigilant mother cooked for the health of the family. If a child is having sore throat, she would cook up foods with ginger and pepper. The food would not only support the recovery of the child, but it would also provide immunity for the whole family. In this instance, food is both a medicine and a meal.
Growing up, I saw turmeric used for numerous purposes around the home.
We used it to drive away ants and other insects. We used it as beauty aid. Our kumkum, the red dot between our eyebrows, was made with turmeric.
Follow the video to make kumkum at home.
We ate turmeric when we were sick. We ate turmeric when we celebrated. Our thanksgiving, Pongal, festival was incomplete without live turmeric plant. We offered turmeric in worship. We gave turmeric to ladies when they visited the home. I cannot recall a time when turmeric was not a part of my life.
Turmeric is a safe and effective spice for most people. It is easy to use this spice everyday by adding turmeric to your diet. Here are some ways to add turmeric to your diet:
Turmeric is a powerful herb with many health benefits. Adding it to your diet is a great way to improve your overall health.
Our friend M—— told us his tale of how he came to love Indian food. Growing up in a traditional Western household, he ate a lot of meat and potatoes. At that time, he thought it was tasty.
Then, he went to college in the East coast. As a student, he soon realized that he faced three challenges. First, to find cheap food. Second, he needed to find source of food that would fill him. He had a healthy appetite! Third, ideally, he wanted to find a place that did not place limit on the number of servings. His quest lead him to the Indian restaurants in the downtown.
Since 2009, when I started Dine for Charity, I have highlighted the need for and importance of vegetarian diet. I have also taught vegetarian cooking classes. In my classes, I have always found that the versatility of the vegetables and the flavors of spices have been received with much positive joy. Many students have continued to use the recipes long after the class has been completed. Many have requested me to compile the recipes into cookbooks.
I am starting a new chapter in this journey with the launch of new series of cookbooks under Return to Source. You can find more details about the project here.
