KOCHI: Have you ever tried chicken prepared the ayurvedic way-in specially prepared herbs and spices? Alkiya Tanveer, an ayurveda cooking instructor at Fort Kochi, recommends it to all her students who arrive at her cooking class.
“ It is very common in Kerala to use a lot of spices including chilli and coriander leaves. I avoid this in our ayurveda way of cooking. In my classes, chicken is prepared using less oil, turmeric, green cardomam and fennel seeds alone,” says Himalaya-born Alkiya.
Alkiya hails from a family where it is tradition for mothers to teach ayurveda cooking to their daughters. “ In the Himalayas, where I hail from, ayurveda is a way of life. Our food habits and lifestyle are influenced in many ways by this ancient medicine system,” says the Ayurveda cooking instructor. So much was her passion, that she decided to start her own cooking class in Kochi. Today, she runs morning and evening session classes at a small classroom in Fort Kochi. According to her, though Kerala is the hotbed of ayurveda, its cooking methods are not given much due.
“ Now, everyone wants to cook variety food and prepare exotic dishes. Based on this demand, there are a large number of cooking classes on offer in Kochi. I am not saying that is a bad trend. On the side, however, we need to retain the rich and healthy traditional methods offered through ayurveda,” she says. Alikya’s husband who runs a textile store in Kochi also hails from Kashmir.
Most of those who arrive for Alkiya’s classes are foreigners. “ Many of them arrive here since they want to learn how to cook food which is made minimally but very healthy. Most of them are middle-aged and want to cut down on their eating habits such as fast food which they are very accustomed to. The classes are two hours long. They spend one and a half hours learning to cook and the other half, savouring it,” Alkiya adds. During the class, Alkiya teaches her students to prepare three to four dishes. “ The foreigners insist they need to learn how to make chapathi. They find it very healthy,” she adds.
Alkiya advocates eating ayurveda food sitting on the floor. “ When you prepare food using ayurveda ingredients, it is essential that you sit on the floor and eat. It has a therapeutic effect. Also, don’t slouch while you eat. It helps digestion when you sit with you back upright,” she adds.
One of Alkiya’s favourite preparations is the sponge gourd (peechinga), which is a source of several vitamins. “ Peel the skin and cut them into little pieces. Saute it in very little oil and add turmeric, cumin seeds, garlic, green chilli and salt. After some time, it becomes very frothy. Add little water, boil it for some time and then switch off the flame. This is very tasty with both rice and chapathi. Apart from taste, this is very useful in healing wounds and also good for the stomach,” she says.