If, like me, you are one of the 306,000 folk who follow Dr Rupy Aujla on instagram (@doctors_kitchen) you’ll be pleased to know that he has just published another cookbook.
Dr Rupy Aujla
This London-based doctor, specialising in General Practice and Emergency Medicine is also on a mission to reverse the tidal wave of preventable lifestyle disease one plate of delicious food at a time. He is completing a Masters in Nutritional Medicine and is the Founder of Europe’s first Culinary Medicine programme for medical schools and doctors.
COOKS by Dr Rupy is a collection of over 100 indulgent, delicious and easy recipes that put flavour and nutrition first. Each recipe is researched and developed to give maximum health benefits while being super simple and – take it from me – really enticing! Drawing on his Indian heritage, he blends the joy of cooking with the science of food as medicine. 
Published by Ebury Press at £22, COOKS includes recipes for brunches, soups & broths, and delicious dinners from curries, traybakes and casseroles to healthy feasts and desserts. There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan dishes as well as gluten and nut-free options. Recipes you will want to cook on repeat include Lebanese-style Chicken Tacos, Miso Mushroom Donburi, Aubergine, Pea and Tamarind Curry and Spicy Halloumi Bake. What’s more, these recipes have been tested in over 1000 different home kitchens from across the world by his extensive global community assessing simplicity, flavour, timing, and accuracy
Dr Rupy says: “I want food to be flavourful, every single day. It’s that intersection of flavour and functional benefits that I want to infuse into any recipe I create. When I speak to patients, I work hard to get them excited about food, and I apply that to the recipes you find in this book; I want that marriage of flavour and functionality. If food doesn’t taste good and it’s not easy to prepare, no matter how strong your willpower, you won’t keep eating it. And the aim of the game is to get people eating well every day, for life.”
To whet your appetite, here are a couple of recipes from COOKS
DR RUPY’S SIPPING BROTH. (V/VG/DF/GF)
Makes 6 cups. Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 35 minutes
“This is a bit of a shared family recipe. A gingery, spicy cup of broth that I always make whenever I feel slightly under the weather; it will certainly perk you up! It has a rich collection of plant chemicals known for their anti-microbial properties, such as garlic, onion, ginger and cinnamon. Personally, I swear by it for coughs and colds. Simple to put together and intensely warming.”
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan with 1.5 litres water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the broth into a clean saucepan.
Season the broth to taste with salt. Ladle into mugs and sip hot, chilled or at room temperature throughout the day.
SPICY HALLOUMI BAKE (V, GT)
Serves 4 Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes
“This is spicy, wholesome, warm and inviting, all in a dish. The beautiful spices of ras el hanout work super-well in this simple traybake and you can easily substitute different vegetables for the squash and greens. A moreish dish packed with flavour that everyone will enjoy.”
1⁄2 butternut squash (300g), scrubbed and unpeeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm cubes
Substitutions: Kale: spinach, Swiss chard or spring greens Kidney beans: borlotti or cannellini beans“This is spicy, wholesome, warm and inviting, all in a dish. The beautiful spices of ras el hanout work super-well in this simple traybake and you can easily substitute different vegetables for the squash and greens. A moreish dish packed with flavour that everyone will enjoy.”
Preheat the oven to 200oC fan. Put the squash, courgette, red pepper and the spices into a large roasting tin. Pour over the 3 tablespoons oil and season, then toss well to coat. Roast for 25 minutes, turning the vegetables halfway through the cooking time.
Remove the roasting tin from the oven and increase the temperature to 220oC fan. Scrape up any crusty bits from the bottom of the roasting tin for extra flavour, then fold in the spinach. Tip in the passata and kidney beans and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Layer the halloumi on top, drizzle with the extra tablespoon oil and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes until the halloumi is melted and charred in areas.
