"The meal has an /*antioxidant*/ value of 23,000 ORAC units, so that's Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. So that would be equivalent to eating 23 bunches of grapes," said Gurpareet Bains, chef and author of "Indian Superfood."
Eating 23 bunches of grapes would be very uncomfortable, Bains created a meal that offers a load of antioxidant goodness from a variety of foods and spices. These antioxidants fight the effect of oxidative stress that enters the body.
Generally, the more you eat the better, so get ready for the Turkey Curry with Blueberries.
Bains infused loads of spices, along with yogurt and a goji berry pilaf as well. One of his ideas is to use cinnamon - two tablespoons worth.
"We also need to fry the cinnamon in a little bit of oil to reduce that really sharp, grainy taste if you like," Bains said.
And as with many phytochemicals, heat increases the bioavailability of the food, or in this case the spice, so that's a good tip.
Another unusual ingredient to work with is the goji berry.
"I'm going to cook them in the rice with cumin seeds, carrots, and grains of beautiful basmati rice, a very aromatic rice, then you pick up the flavor of the goji berry, which isn't too sweet, but it has a kind of tea flavor, so I guess it's an Eastern ingredient and using spices with it just brings out its natural flavor," Bains said.
