Cooking with garlic brings a distinct flavour to the food. Use of garlic increases quite a bit during these winter months. Garlic helps keep the body warm and reduces the risk of infections. But do you know the correct way to use garlic in cooking? Some people grind garlic and mix it with spices, while others fry chopped garlic in oil. But the benefits of garlic are obtained only when you use it in the right way.
All the benefits of garlic come from allicin. Allicin is a compound that brings multiple benefits to the body. But this compound is not easily formed. Allicin is created when the enzyme alliinase and the protein alliin in garlic combine. But for this, alliinase and alliin need to come into contact with air. That means adding whole garlic to cooking doesn't provide much benefit.
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Garlic should always be crushed or ground before adding to cooking. Not only that, garlic should be cut or ground and left for 10 minutes. Then it should be added to the cooking. This keeps the nutritional value of garlic intact. This method is being taught on social media by Saurabh Shetty, a gastroenterologist trained at AIIMS and Harvard University. Dr. Shetty says that allicin will be completely formed in those 10 minutes. And this garlic should not be added to smoking hot oil. It should be added to hot oil or a hot pan. This maintains the flavour and nutritional value of garlic.
You can also eat raw garlic; it can be eaten crushed or chopped. Eating garlic during this season can help protect you from colds and coughs. You can avoid high cholesterol and heart problems. Even toxins accumulated in the liver will be expelled. But whenever you eat garlic, crush or grind it before adding to cooking.
