We have all heard of the phrase ‘Taking coals to Newcastle’ but how about ‘Taking chapattis to a Gujarati cooking group in Bolton?’. This week I dared to do just that… and my chappatis weren’t even that round!

Me and the Bolton Hindu Group

I was at Bolton Hindu Centre showing a Gujarati group how to make Indian and Ayurvedic food.

And I wasn’t doing it for a bet!

The Asian style diet can be quite healthy; using fresh vegetables, grains pulses and spices. So it’s a great place to start from. I offered a few enhancements from my experience working at the Dru Yoga Centre in Wales and my training in Ayurvedic cooking.

So we made a pilau rice type dish—but using quinoa instead of white rice. This added a lot more protein vitamins and minerals to the dish.

I also introduced healthier oils for cooking and dressings. Plus lots of colourful vegetables with my healthy 6-taste spice mix which contains all the ayurvedic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, astringent and pungent.. The Gujarati diet is already fantastically tasty, colourful and healthy. I offered a few refinements that I think would make it even more amazing.

My Multi-Coloured Salad with Spice Mix

Everyone told me that Gujarati people don’t like salad that much.  But they did! Especially my multicoloured salad platter with my omega 3 oils and my six spice mix’.

Everyone Wanted More!

Quotes from the group:

“The chapattis that Keith made were a bit like a map of Australia! Also they looked a bit dry, but his talk on Ayurveda was not. At least that part was well rounded.”

“It was a good reminder that the spices we use everyday are not just for taste. They have important health benefits too.”

“Up until now I didn’t think that white people could make Asian food properly! But Keith’s moong dal was an exception. It was nearly as good as my mother’s cooking.”

“We never knew that our food was Ayurvedic. But Keith explained how the spices and tastes in our food. Are all based on the principles of Ayurveda.”