The health benefits of spices and herbs are well documented and eating a balti, which has 25 times more iron than a pint of Guinness, is a delicious, cheap and simple way to give your immune system a little 'kick.'
You can adapt any balti curry recipe to ramp up it's health potency and naturally curries compare favorably to other foods for health properties. But which spices exactly to include? Well you probably use many cold and flu combative spices naturally in your curry making, but the trick is to increase the quantity to get a powerful dose of natural medicine.
Top of the list and featured regularly in balti recipes are cloves and cinnamon- both potent antibacterial spices and also having antiviral, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties — perfect for the winter months.
Tumeric also boosts some serious super food credentials including being antiviral and antibacterial; in a study done in 2009, rats there were given curcumin rich turmeric were better able to fight off the flu than those who did not receive any turmeric. This was published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Fresh Ginger must also put in an appearance. Make a ginger rich curry sauce to help sweat out toxins and clear a blocked nose.
Cardamom has some amazing anti-inflammatory properties that limit pain and swelling, especially in mucus membranes, the mouth, and throat.
Most curry lovers need no excuse to eat garlic and here's a reason to add an extra clove for for your cold; In 2007 garlic was reported to help prevent the common cold as well as fight symptoms, according to a study published by the BBC.
Oh, and if you like it hot then don't hold back! According to Dr Ron Eccles from the Common Cold Research Centre in Cardiff said: “
Our top cold preventing balti is a Lamb Balti (rich in iron) served with a natural yogurt to top up the healthy bacteria in our body and fight that cold, make it goats milk yogurt to increase the probiotic levels even further.
Tailor your balti recipe to include plenty of GARLIC, GINGER, CHILLI, TUMERIC, CINNAMON, CLOVES AND CARDAMOM- all great complimentary spices to lamb.
Check out our Lamb Balti Spice Blend
Check out our recipe page for a Lamb Balti to try.