In the latest episode of 'Culinary Chronicles', Chef Ruchi is going to explore the world of herbs with Freshpik, Jio World Drive. The huge range of potted herbs and hydroponics produce makes your dishes aromatic and divine! Come see the kitchen herbs with us as we also share a few useful tips on how to store and use them.
Freshpik is an experiential gourmet store with offerings like tantalising sweet treats, irresistible gourmet ingredients from around the world, healthy choices for the conscious foodies, internationally renowned delicacies, and much more.
Freshpik is an experiential gourmet store with offerings like tantalising sweet treats, irresistible gourmet ingredients from around the world, healthy choices for the conscious foodies, internationally renowned delicacies, and much more.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 Hi guys, this is Ruchi Bharani and welcome to another episode of 'Kalari Chronicles'.
00:10 As we all know, herbs play an essential part in countless recipes.
00:15 So today I am at Fresh Pick at Jio World Drive, Mumbai where I am going to buy a few herb
00:20 plants, address the most common problems and share valuable tips to overcome them.
00:26 So let's check them out.
00:27 One of the biggest problems we face is where to buy them.
00:36 Well, I am here at Fresh Pick where we can explore a variety of herb plants.
00:42 This store is literally a paradise for vegetarians.
00:48 I am in the herb section here and before we begin, we all have heard why freshly harvested
00:53 goods are better than store-bought.
00:56 That is because they not only boast unparalleled freshness but also possess vibrant flavours
01:02 that can take our dish to the next level.
01:05 And to explain more about them, I have an expert here who is going to guide me through
01:09 this.
01:10 Hello Chef, good to see you again.
01:12 Nice to meet you again.
01:13 So tell me Rohit, why freshly harvested herbs are better than the store-bought ones?
01:19 So to experience the herbs true flavour, one needs to consume it right after harvesting.
01:23 The plant's herbaceousness and brightness comes right after harvesting.
01:26 As compared to the dried counterparts which are more pungent and sharper in flavour.
01:30 That makes a lot of sense.
01:31 So tell me what kind of herbs do we have here?
01:34 So we have Tulsi, we have Basil, Parsley, Rosemary, Lemongrass, Thyme, Oregano, Wheatgrass,
01:41 Sage and multiple assorted mints as well.
01:43 Wow, that's really fascinating.
01:46 So I have always been curious about what is the right time to harvest and any special
01:50 techniques that we should keep in mind.
01:52 So when harvesting Chef, it's very important to cut right above the node here.
01:55 Let me show it to you.
01:56 Can you please hold it for me?
01:58 Sure.
01:59 So whenever you're trimming, you just have to hold this and cut it in a criss-cross manner
02:02 just on the top, just like this.
02:04 This is where the real growth will occur and more leaves will grow and it will flourish.
02:07 So we usually just take a pair of scissors and just chop it off and you know this is
02:11 a good information that you've been sharing.
02:13 Thank you.
02:14 It's also very important to have a very sharp knife.
02:15 You don't want to damage the plants on that.
02:17 So the sharper knife, easier the cut would be and you don't have to rub it on.
02:20 Okay.
02:21 So tell me what is the best way to water the plants?
02:24 So for herbs Chef, we need to water them at least every alternate days.
02:27 125 ml of water or half a cup of water is more than enough for every plant.
02:31 Okay.
02:32 And in case if there's more summer or if not humid, you know, you can just mist them on
02:36 the leaves.
02:37 Oh okay.
02:38 So when I'm using these herbs in my recipes, do I pick the stem or just the individual
02:43 leaves?
02:44 So Chef, every herb would be treated differently depending on their size and depending on how
02:47 delicate they are.
02:48 So herbs like basil and coriander or parsley would need a proper trim from leaves.
02:54 Okay.
02:55 Stronger herbs like rosemary or thyme can be trimmed from the stem and can be, you know,
02:59 used further.
03:00 Can you walk me through them one by one and tell me what are their benefits?
03:03 Certainly Chef.
03:04 So this is our Holi Tulsi, a very household plant.
03:08 As we all know it can be used for making tea, it can be used for making Kada.
03:11 It is very good for digestion and a very good upset stomach.
03:14 So these are parsley.
03:15 Parsley can be in two forms.
03:16 It can be either curled parsley or flat parsley and depending on that the uses are there.
03:19 It can be used for marination, it can be used for making sauces and you know, it is very
03:23 good for immune system.
03:25 So this is rosemary.
03:26 It's a Mediterranean herb, very widely used for roasting vegetables.
03:29 It can be used for flavoring soups as well.
03:31 It has also got a very good health benefit.
03:32 You know, it's anti-inflammatory and you know, it helps in bacterial infection as well.
03:36 So this is lemongrass, very widely used to make tea as well and it helps to control cholesterol
03:42 and obesity.
03:43 So this is oregano, also known as pizza herb of the world.
03:46 As we all know it is used for pizzas and pasta and it is very rich in antioxidants and regulates
03:51 diabetes as well.
03:52 So this here is thyme which has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
03:56 It is very widely used for you know, tossing vegetables in casseroles, in flavoring soups
04:01 and etc.
04:02 So this is wheatgrass.
04:03 It controls blood pressure.
04:04 It is very good for hair growth as well.
04:06 Generally people do make beverages out of it for early morning as a detox beverage.
04:11 So this is basil.
04:12 It has now become a household herb, very widely used and it has, it can you know, boost
04:17 immunity, good for dental health as well and it can be used for making beverages like mojito,
04:22 it can be used in soups, it can be used for making basil pesto sauce, very widely used
04:26 on pastas and pizzas as well.
04:28 Wow, that's a lot.
04:29 So tell me, are people buying more plants than what they used to before?
04:33 Oh yes, the off-tech has become very high now.
04:35 A lot of people are choosing these live plants and taking it to their homes.
04:39 Obviously the holy basil, the basils and the rosemary have become a very household thing
04:42 now.
04:43 So out of these, can you please tell me which plants do you recommend for people who have
04:48 busy lifestyles and which require minimal care?
04:51 Thyme is the toughest herb which can tolerate a lot but also basil to be honest, you know
04:55 if you water them at least twice a week, they can still survive.
04:59 That's excellent.
05:00 So tell me what are the other forms that you sell these herbs in?
05:03 So apart from the regular pots which we have, we have all these herbs available in packet
05:06 form as well which can be picked up in smaller quantities.
05:08 A thing like wheatgrass will be available in powdered form, oregano, thyme, rosemary
05:12 can be available in dried forms as well in the packets.
05:14 Oh okay, great.
05:15 Thank you Rohit for all the information and now I'm going to pick up a few and plant
05:20 them at my home.
05:21 You're most welcome, chef.
05:22 This will stay for a long time, right?
05:25 Yes.
05:26 Yeah.
05:27 Thank you.
05:40 Our house plants and herbs are here and now I'm going to tell you how to take care of
05:45 them and how to use them.
05:49 So I have a pot of lemongrass here which is a fragrant citrusy grass like herb.
05:55 All the parts of lemongrass are edible.
05:58 The stem is used in South Asian recipes just to flavor like broths, curries, salad dressings
06:03 etc.
06:04 Especially in Thai and Vietnamese cuisines.
06:08 So this is the stem.
06:10 So up till this point it's kind of hard.
06:12 So you can use this part in making your curries and broths.
06:16 You can even use this part while making our desi masala chai but we generally use the
06:21 leaves for it.
06:22 So you can cut it from this point.
06:24 So just chop them up from this part.
06:30 Wash these leaves thoroughly.
06:32 You can also use the softer stem in making your masala chai.
06:37 Next we have our wheat grass pot over here.
06:41 Wheat grass is known as a superfood because it has anti-inflammatory properties, regular
06:47 consumption of wheat grass juice helps in lowering diabetes levels, cholesterol and
06:53 also helps in reducing weight.
06:55 Wheat grass has a very strong taste so it's not palatable.
06:58 So what you can do is add some honey, blend it into a juice and have it empty stomach
07:04 for maximum benefits.
07:05 We're all familiar with the flavor of dried oregano.
07:09 Same way fresh oregano has a very bold and strong flavor and it can be used in tomato
07:15 based recipes and also to make sauces, Italian recipes, even in pestos etc.
07:22 Moving on to fresh rosemary.
07:24 This is a very woodsy aromatic herb and goes very well when it's saut├йed in butter or
07:30 olive oil with some root vegetables.
07:32 It also flavors your garlic bread and your pizzas and all very well.
07:37 So try this herb.
07:40 Thyme is a very versatile herb.
07:42 It does not have a very strong flavor or a peculiar taste of its own but goes well as
07:47 a mixed herb ingredient.
07:49 It's used to add a depth of flavor to your broth, soups, pasta dishes etc.
07:54 Also used in mocktails and cocktails to add a refreshing flavor.
07:58 Coming to the most commonly used herb that is basil.
08:02 Now it's become like a household herb though it originates from Italy but it's used all
08:07 around the world now.
08:09 It's known for its intense flavor and aroma.
08:12 It's majorly used in pesto sauce of course we all know that.
08:15 For pastas, pizzas, even burgers you can just use this herb in any of the recipes that you
08:22 like.
08:23 I have some general tips for you which goes for all the houseplants and the herbs.
08:27 So the first one is how to store it.
08:29 You can wash them, pat dry them and store it in a damp cloth in a ziplock or an airtight
08:35 container.
08:36 In any recipe if you are replacing the fresh herbs to dried herbs, say for example you
08:41 are using 1 tbsp of fresh herbs then you should use 1 tsp of dried herbs because after the
08:47 herbs are dried they tend to intensify in flavor.
08:50 As far as the houseplants are concerned make sure that you water them every alternate days
08:55 around half a cup of water is good enough.
08:58 Also keep them in a bright and dry sunlight area.
09:01 This was a general informative video about fresh herbs.
09:04 If you have any more queries do write them in the comment section below.
09:08 This is Ruchi Bharani signing off.
09:10 you soon. Bye-bye!