5 healthy ways to include fennel seeds in your diet

You must have had fennel seeds or saunf as a mouth freshener. Now, try these healthy recipes with fennel seeds.

All of us have fennel seeds as a mouth freshener. All you need to do is have the seeds as they are or dry roast them and them eat them, especially after meals. Fennel seeds don't just have mouth freshening properties. They stimulate help ease digestion and assimilation of food and thus relieve symptoms like bloating, constipation and gas. Here is how you can eat fennel seeds in some interesting, healthy recipes.

Fennel sherbet: Before using fennel seeds, dry roast them on a pan till you get a sweet aroma. You could soak these fennel seeds in a glass of water overnight, strain the water and drink it. You could also put some fennel seeds in boiling water then cool it and then drink it. You could also add a bit of sugar or honey.

Fennel tea: Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add 2 tsp powdered fennel, tsp sugar and a bit of cardamom or star anise or clove, turn off heat, cover and steep for 5 minutes. Strain and garnish with mint leaves.

Enjoy at room temperature or when it is mildly warm.

Bottle gourd and saunf sabzi

1. Wash 3 tomatoes, chop them and keep aside. Crush 2-3 garlic cloves.

2. Wash 250g lauki well and chop it.

3. Saut cumin seeds in a pan, add the tomatoes, fennel and the garlic, cover and cook till the tomatoes have softened.

4. Add all cumin powder dhania powder, red chilli powder, lauki and the green chilli, cover and cook till the lauki has softened.

Fennel mango pickle

Ingredients

3 raw mangoes

30g mustard seeds

30 g coriander seeds

10 g fenugreek seeds

15 g cumin seeds

10 g ajwain

30 g fennel seeds

15 g turmeric

30 g red chilli powder

Salt to taste

80 ml mustard oil

Method

1- Apply salt and turmeric to the raw mango wedges and keep aside for at least 24 hours.

2-Roast mustard seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, ajwain and make a coarse powder.

3-Add the powder masala into the raw mango.

4- Heat mustard oil, Add to the marinated raw mango, red chilli powder and mix it well and keep it in an airtight jar.

Fennel soup

Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and add 2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/4 cup of chopped carrots and chopped potato, thyme, and bay leaf. Then add some salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring until vegetables are soft.