How to Improve Your Gut Health With Black Gold

Do you ever think the typical ingredients we use in the kitchen nowadays are due to the conscious and continuous modern food revolution, which makes us forget the native touch in food? I have always wondered why the food I ate in childhood was more tasty than now, even though it is the same recipe and practices we follow. My Aunt always used to say, “ A family wealth starts from the kitchen,” and stressed the importance of using homemade spices.

There are certain common practices in every household, knowingly or unknowingly, that we are doing in day-to-day life that are not healthy, or there is a better version of the usage of ingredients without compromising the taste or even the tastier version. This article is about one such ingredient.

Black Gold- The Ancient Gift

Black gold is available in almost all Indian houses among all classes of people. Do you wonder what it is? It is nothing but black pepper—Piper nigrum. 

Black pepper has a special place in ancient history and greatly impacted the political history of the Roman Empire during Julius Caesar's reign. After learning about pepper, Vasco da Gama came to India and wanted to develop the trade route to Europe. This trip of Vasco da Gama threw the limelight on India's wealth and natural resources, and it was the beginning of European colonization.

 In our household, Instead of black pepper we use chilies as a common spice nowadays. Chilies came to India from South America and Portugal as a replacement for pepper. You wonder why Western and European countries prefer black pepper when they already have chilies. Pepper not only gives taste to food but also has several other health benefits. Pepper is also known for its.

• It has antioxidant properties and reduces the risk of chronic disorders.
• Though it is a hot spice, it does not irritate the gut.
• It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for coughs and colds since ancient times.
• It has a greater impact on fat cells and metabolism, which aids in weight loss.

In any food, replace chilies with black pepper for seasoning or spice. Several authentic native foods have pepper, which tastes better than the recipes made of chilies.

Reference: Black pepper and health claims: a comprehensive treatise

5 minutes rasam recipe

In the southern part of India, in every household, there is a soup made daily called “Rasam,” Meaning “essence or extract,”  which originated in Madurai by a chef named Karunas in the 16th century as a cure for his son's loss of appetite. To date, Rasam in Indian households serves as the last meal after a heavy feast for digestion. Rasam rice is the comfort food for sick people as it aids digestion, and my mom used to give mashed hot steamed rice with this rasam, which felt like god-fed food to me on those sick, nauseated days.

So what is this Rasam? It is a blend of several spices, mainly pepper and tamarind extract. You can also use tomatoes instead of tamarind. On a personal note, it would be very helpful for you to know this Rasam recipe. Below, I am sharing a simpler version with no oil method in just four steps. Though many recipes are available on the internet, this is a one-pot rasam recipe and a much quicker version. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon-sized tamarind extract or 5- 6 tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of Black pepper powder or crushed pepper
• 2 Tablespoon of cumin powder or crushed cumin
• 5-6 mashed garlic cloves
• One hand full of fresh coriander 
• 4-6 hurry leaves
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of hing or asafetida powder
• 500 ml of water
• 1 tablespoon salt

Steps

• Soak the tamarind in water, extract the pulp, or squeeze and mash the 5-6 tomatoes nicely with hand. Strictly do not use any mixer grinder or blender.
• Add 500 ml of water.
• Mash the garlic cloves and add all the above ingredients.
• Bring it to a boil. Serve with hot rice and enjoy.

Conclusion.

You may ask me why I have shared this recipe specifically, though there are more recipes with Black pepper.  Do you have the habit of having dessert or sweets after every meal to feel a sense of satisfaction and completeness? Oh dear! You are only adding additional calories. This recipe is easy to make, and you can take it as an end meal that provides great satisfaction and helps digestion. In this way, you can add black pepper to your diet, which is good for your gut health.

 In today's modern era, we are destroying our gut so badly, which is the second brain in our human system. So my gut feeling strongly suggests this simpler and easy-to-make recipe not only benefits you by aiding digestion but also serves the purpose of end-meal satisfaction and calmness in your taste buds and stomach. This recipe is a small contribution from my end that paves the way for you to include pepper in your daily diet. 

Try it and let me know your opinions. You will definitely thank me later, as I specially curated this recipe, keeping in mind that it should take very little time in your daily cooking. Specifically, this recipe will not get spoiled until night, even if you cook early in the day. 

You can store it in a refrigerator for up to three days, reheat it, and use it whenever required.

Buying tip

• Always try to buy black peppercorns and grind them in your grinder. As pepper powder may have adulterations

 Below, I have attached the product and blender I use regularly. I am posting the Amazon link. It may be helpful to you.

• Black pepper
• Bullet Mixer