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Going gaga over garlic

Forget its strong odour; garlic has much to offer

Pearls of health: Garlic is full of nutrients and vitamins

"Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good!" These were the words of American author Alice May Brock. Incidentally, the word garlic comes from Old English — garlic meaning "spear leek". Dating back over 6,000 years, it is now being discovered all over again. Old-timers might still hail it for curing a cold, growing hair or even warding off evil spells. But look a little closer, chefs and nutritionists are beginning to talk of garlic's nutritional value all over again. Despite its strong odour, hardly any Indian dish is complete without garlic.

Promotes metabolism

In 1942, allicin was found in garlic with many valuable properties, but the most powerful one is its ability to resist or kill bacteria. Then garlic was found to contain a substance called scordine, which is effective for increasing stamina, for helping the body recover from fatigue and for promoting metabolism. Additionally, garlic contains a great deal of other nutrients that are essential for the human body — proteins, fatty substances, minerals and amino acids.

Like anything else, too much of garlic is also not recommended. Physicians and nutritionists agree that it is important to eat several cloves of garlic every day, but one should not eat too much, say as many as ten cloves. For people who are concerned about the odour of garlic, it may be useful to remember that some experts recommend eating parsley, fresh mint or drinking milk to eliminate any unpleasant smell; furthermore, heating garlic can also reduce its odour.

When picking garlic, it should be big, plump and firm. It should have tight silky skin with its paper-like covering intact, not spongy, soft or shrivelled. Also remember that a single bulb of garlic usually contains between 10 and 20 individual cloves. The cloves are covered with a fine pinkish/purple skin, and the head of cloves is then covered with white papery outer skin.

When preparing garlic for cooking, remove any green sprouts from the centre of the garlic clove, as the sprouts add an unpleasant bitterness.

Unbroken garlic bulbs stay fine for up to three to four months. Individual cloves remain okay up to ten days. Store in a cool, dark and dry location. Dampness is the enemy of garlic, so store away from the sink. To preserve garlic cloves after they have been peeled, place them in a jar, cover with a good foil, seal the jar and store in the refrigerator.

They will stay fresh for months. If the cloves sprout, the garlic is still usable. Garlic will turn green (develop chlorophyll) if exposed to sunlight. Don't worry, your garlic is still safe to eat unless you see other signs of spoilage. Now for a recipe.

Chicken ka lahsuniya tikka

Time taken to prepare: 12-15

minutes
Time for marination: one
hour.
Time for cooking: 5-6
minutes
One portion
Ingredients
Chicken breast: two
Lemon: 1
Chopped garlic: 1 tbsp
White pepper powder: half tsp
Green chilli, chopped: 1
Salt: quarter tsp
Green cardamom powder: one sixth tsp
Roasted jeera powder: half tbsp
Yoghurt: quarter cup
Oil: one tbsp
Chaat masala: quarter tsp
Lettuce: 1 leaf
Tomato: 1
Onion: 1
Cucumber: half
Mint chutney: 2 tbsp

Method: Trim the fat and cut the chicken breasts into six even pieces. Prepare the marinade by mixing yoghurt, chopped garlic, chopped green chilli, juice of half lemon, white pepper powder, salt, cardamom powder, roasted jeera powder, and leave them aside for at least one hour.

Skewer the chicken chunks with even gaps between the pieces to ensure all the sides get cooked.

Cook in a medium heated tandoor till half done. Remove from tandoor when half done and apply oil brushing/basting. Place in tandoor again and cook till it turns a golden colour. Arrange a plate with lettuce leaf, tomato flower, onion rings, lemon wedge and cucumber slices. Place the chicken in the centre.

Give it a sprinkle of chat masala. Serve hot with mint chutney.

What can go wrong? Chicken is overcooked! Keep checking at regular intervals.

Not enough flavour? That can happen due to short marination time. Marinate it for at least one hour.

RAKESH KUMAR

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