The leaves of basil are the most important part of this holy plant. Basil is hugely used in various food items across the world. The beautiful flavour of basil is found in Mediterranean, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine. In India also, since ancient times, it has been used in many interesting ways. These basil induced food items are tasty and healthy both apart from imparting an enticing fragrance.
It’s easy to grow basil at home and all you need to do is pluck some fresh leaves and use them in your food.
Here are some simple yet great ways to use basil in your recipes:
In Warm Soups:
Winter is here and I believe you are going to enjoy the hot bowls of soup in your evening or right before dinner. Chop your favourite winter veggies and while giving the final whip, sprinkle the freshly cut basil leaves. Tomato and Basil soup, roasted tomato soup with basil, or pea-mint-basil soup. These basil-infused soups would warm up your boy and heal your sore throat along with boosting your immunity.
In Cups of Tea:
A dash of fresh basil leaves in your tea will make it tastier for sure. Plus, it will heal your digestive system, cure the cold and cough, and make your skin glow. As your tea brews add the Basil leaves and let it brew for a minute and then keep it covered for 2-3 minutes. Strain and enjoy your cup of tea.
In Bowls of Salad:
If you are a health-conscious person and are bored with the mundane fruits and veggies, then, add some nice flavour to your bowls of salads. Pick up some fresh basil leaves, chop them, sprinkle, and give a mix. The taste would be better surely.
In Homemade Pizza:
Pizza is a special food that we all love to keep for the fun times- right? The lazy weekends, festive seasons, or the special events call for a lovely pizza. Next time when your favourite pizza comes out of the oven, don’t forget to sprinkle some freshly chopped basil leaves. The taste would be even more refreshing. You will understand the basil influence in the taste more if you opt for the plain Margherita pizza.
In Glass of Cocktails:
Cocktails are ever-enjoyable. Basil lime coolers, honey basil lemonade, watermelon basil spritzer, cucumber basil slush, or basil lime rum fizz- there can be many types of refreshing and soothing cocktails for your summer pool parties.
In Pesto Sauce:
For your breakfast or dinner table, you can make pesto and use it in various food items. Pesto is made from fresh basil leaves, pine nuts or walnuts, garlic cloves, and parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, along with olive oil. Now, this pesto sauce can be used in pasta, spaghetti, poached eggs, toasts, etc. You can also use it in your dips to enjoy fritters and you can also use it to marinate your meat and enjoy a flavoursome dish.
In Post-meal Sweet Treats:
Do you know there is something called basil ice-cream? For such amazingly refreshing ice-cream, milk is generally boiled with fresh basil leaves in the beginning. Basil vanilla ice-cream is quite popular and if you cannot make it yourself, then, you can always buy it from an ice-cream parlour and get swayed in the yummy land.
