Immunity boosting menus for the pandemic soul

From turmeric salad and chayawanprash icecream to gooseberry smoothies rich in Vitamin C- restaurants are pushing the envelope with their newly revamped immunity-boosting menu to promote good health in the wake of the recent pandemic.

At Ritz Carlton, Pune, the new menu no longer focuses on comfort food or foods that are just good to taste. Instead, the menu has foods that include ingredients like carrots, amla (Indian gooseberry), avocado, beetroot and green leafy vegetables rich in antioxidants and minerals. At their Three Kitchens Restaurant and Bar, two new dishes, that will help boost immunity, have been added to the breakfast menu- avocado toast with pistachio dukkah (a spice blend made with nuts and spices) and mesclun greens, a combination of baby spinach and baby lettuce. Thus, its easy to see how the new menu focuses on health as well as the balance of taste.

The drinks boast of fresh ingredients like freshly pressed orange juice, turmeric and basil leave to fight infection. Likewise, at JW Marriott, Pune, shots that form a part of the menu are made of fresh fruits and vegetables instead of artificial flavours and sweeteners. One such shot is Pure Earth that is made with carrot, beetroot and ginger juice in varying composition. Others include Bumble Zest and the Botanic are made of Turmeric, ginger juice and lemongrass. Vineet Mishra, Cluster Manager Pune believes that the business of hospitality needs to change with changing times and immunity-boosting menus are incorporated keeping in mind the new normal.

At Figs & Maple, Delhi, each guest is welcomed with an immunity shot made with beets, moringa and citrus finished with wild turmeric-infused honey. Their “Fig love bowls” is made with a choice of millets, barley, black chakhao rice and seasonal greens such as poi saag, beet leaves, choice of protein and sauce. Chef Radhika Khandelwal, the owner of Figs & Maple, says, “We’ve always focused on the nutritional value of the dishes we serve, of course keeping the flavour and flair in check. What changed due to COVID-19 was simply that people felt inclined to start consuming consciously”.

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At Hyatt Regency, Pune, Executive Chef Anirban Dasgupta, feels that boosting one’s immunity is a lifestyle choice and chefs play an important role in supporting the change by cooking dishes that are healthy. The immunity-boosting menu at the hotel pushes him to include fruits and vegetables that people would usually not prefer consuming because of their taste. For example, turmeric in its raw form is not very desirable and something that people would not want to eat when dining out. But Dasgupta has introduced a turmeric salad and a dessert- turmeric crème caramel which is both healthy and tasty. Other introductions are green detox salad and beetroot tartare.
The menu change is a reflection of people’s preference that has moved towards health-boosting foods as a result of the pandemic. “A percentage of our clientele have moved towards a healthier lifestyle”, says Dasgupta. “Thus, the menu has changed from comfort food to one focusing on health”.

Most of the restaurants in India have been focusing on local ingredients but post the pandemic there has been a shift towards consuming healthy.
Chef Abhishek Basu, Executive Chef, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu, says, “Immunity-boosting ingredients have been part of our menu for a long time but now the focus has shifted towards highlighting these more prominently”. The new menu has been curated by Basu along with the expert team of chefs from Bombay Baking Company. The menu supports the farm to fork immunity-boosting concept where the emphasis is on local ingredients. For instance, the hotel has its own organic garden on the terrace of the hotel while some ingredients like lettuce and asparagus are sourced from Trikaya farms. Even at Hyatt Regency Pune, to promote the use of local ingredients, Spinach is grown in the hotel’s backyard and supplies to 20 % of the hotel’s needs.

It’s not only the restaurants, but many food brands and companies are also jumping on the health wagon. Dairy Day Plus, an ice cream brand based in Kerala has launched 'immunity' range of ice creams with flavours such as haldi and chayawanprash. Additionally, dates and amla have also been added as icecreams to increase its health quotient. In the same vein, Food Darzee, an online food delivery app specialising in keto and low carbohydrate diet, has introduced an Immunity Building Program. Just like their healthy meals, the immunity-boosting meals, that form a part of the program, are a mix of high protein meals, health supplements, immunity drinks and special ingredients like Immuno atta (flour) that is made with amaranth, triphala, saunth, jowar etc to help build one’s immunity.

Tea also plays a great role in boosting immunity. Chai Craft, a luxury tea brand in India has tweaked its strategy taking into account the impact of COVID-19 and has added a host of wellness teas. “Our Ayurvedic Wellness teas incorporate a variety of flowers, seeds, roots, leaves and bark which have been revered for centuries by Ayurveda as well as a western folk medicine for their healing and preventive properties”, says Kaushal Kumbhat, founder of Chai Craft.

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