The best way to add flavour to food without adding extra salt is through herbs. Fresh herbs are an easy and low-fat way of making a dish more aromatic and flavourful. Culinary herbs also have their own set of health benefits, that is the reason some of the herbs like basil are used for medicinal purposes. Most of the herbs are rich in antioxidants that make it a healthy ingredient in cooking without any side effects. As fresh herbs are loaded with antioxidants, they protect body cells against aging and are also anti-inflammatory. Using herbs reduces the use of salt in the dish hence reducing the sodium intake which reduces the risk of heart disease. These ‘low-fat flavours’ also support weight loss as they make food flavourful and satisfying without adding extra calories to it.
And it's always recommended to use herbs from your kitchen garden as they are fresh, chemical-free and inexpensive. Growing herbs in the kitchen garden also brings colour to your home but usually in cities the houses lack proper space for a kitchen garden. But there is another way of growing herbs in your home even without soil. Yes, there are few herbs that can be grown without soil. These cooking ingredients don't require much space and any other complications to grow but fulfill all the flavours required in your kitchen.
Here is the list of five herbs that can grow on your kitchen platform or window without soil:
1. Lemon Grass
This aromatic herb is very easy to grow. You just have to collect a few lemon strands either from the market or any friend's garden along with roots and store them in a glass full of water. Keep it in sunlight for some time then leave it aside. New roots and leaves will start sprouting from the plant within fifteen days. Lemon grass is used in tea as well as in a variety of curries.
2. Rosemary
Collect at least six-inch rosemary cutting from any garden or market and pluck the leaves from the lower part of the cutting. Place it in a container filled with water and within ten days you will notice new roots emerge from the cuttings and after twenty to twenty-five days new branches and leaves will start growing. Don’t forget to change the water once a week. This aromatic and flavourful herb is common in Italian dishes like pizza and pasta.
3. Mint
This versatile herb is very common in Indian kitchen, from garnishing smoothies to chutney, this flavourful herb does everything. In order to grow mint in water, gather four mint cuttings and remove leaves from the bottom part of the cuttings. Take two containers (one big and one small) and make a few holes on the top of the small container and place the bottom portion of the cuttings in these holes. After this fill the other container with water and place the small container into it. Make sure you keep it in the area where the plant gets ample sunlight and don’t forget to change the water at least once a week. New leaves will sprout just within a few days along with new roots.
4. Basil
This Italian herb also grows just like mint in two containers of different sizes. Place three to four basil cuttings in a smaller container and keep it inside the large container filled with water. New leaves and roots will grow within ten days and don’t forget to place the jar in the area with proper sunlight and change the water once a week.
5. Coriander
This herb does not need any introduction, as it goes well with every savoury dish in India. Just collect four stems (five to six inch) of coriander and remove the leaves from the bottom portion and place it in jar filled with water. Place it in the south facing window and within fifteen to twenty days you will notice new leaves and roots.
Grow these culinary herbs in your home without any complications and use them freshly to make your dishes more flavourful and healthier. Growing them indoors also adds beauty to your house as these herbs do not require any soil or extra space to grow.
