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AT IT Komal Taneja feels in today’s health-conscious world, honey has a Midas touch

As a young girl, her father prohibited her from entering the kitchen. She was a good student and he did not want her to be distracted. Once her children grew up, she started catering from the house. And today she is the author of 22 cookbooks and the host of numerous cookery shows. Komal Taneja is now out with her latest book, “365 Days of Dabur Honey”.

Taneja writes in the preface, “So drop sugar and let your entire family feast on the honeylicious recipes that are easy to create and fantastic for health”.

The book thus provides recipes for different kinds of people and for different times of the day. Stir up a banana honey smoothie for children at home. Please your diabetic aunt with honey grilled vegetables. And impress your date with honey crisp noodles. This book has it all.

This expert chef did not blindly lend her time and name to the Dabur honey recipe book.

She claims that she first tested the honey to ensure it was pure. Drop a glob of honey into a glass of water. If it mixes and dissolves with the water — it is adulterated. If it sinks to the bottom — it is pure. The Dabur honey sank to the bottom of the glass and with it her doubts.

In today’s health-conscious world, according to Taneja, honey has a “Midas touch”. She inaugurates each new day with a glass of warm water and a spoonful of honey. “It immediately opens your eyes. It helps in metabolism,” she elaborates.

A qualified pharmacist and science graduate, she explains the technical goodness of honey. A tablespoon of honey has more calories than a tablespoon of sugar. However, in terms of sweetness, one tablespoon of sugar is equal to one teaspoon of honey. So, honey is used in less quantities and ends up being healthier. Also, honey has a lower glycemic index than sugar. This means that it is absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream. Sugar on the other hand gives an instant high, but then the lull follows shortly as well.

The goodness of honey is also evident in its medicinal and therapeutic uses. She says, “While being a good moisturiser it also helps to heal sores and cure sore throats.”

The book provides lucid recipes. It also gives a “Chef’s Note” at the end. These provide interesting insights and tidbits. For example, honey burns at high temperatures. To ensure that it doesn’t burn when cakes are baked, brown sugar is added. The brown sugar helps to stabilise the cooking of honey at high temperatures.

Having previously authored “Recipes for the Kamasutra”, Taneja already has six other menus up her sleeve. These include books on Nepali cuisine, Chinese dishes and even a culinary tour of India.

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