Disclaimer: it was extremely tempting to head this piece as ‘Covid Conquering Curry’ but good sense got the better of me. I will however direct you to a paper by Dr Philip C Calder from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton which was published in the British Medical Journal in April. The paper examines the role of nutrition in the protection and recovery of the immune system before, during, and after a coronavirus infection; it is quite long and detailed reading, but Dr Calder tells it much better than I could, or should, ever hope to summarise.

Nutrition, immunity and COVID-19 - British Medical Journal April 2020 *

One takeaway I did get (no pun intended) from the article was that certain vitamins and trace elements have been found to be beneficial in supporting the immune system, not just through Covid-19, but in other coronaviruses and respiratory infections. Even if the risk of coronavirus is lower where you live, flu and the common cold haven’t gone away. Which leads me to a curry I created one night after attending a conference on cosmic communication. OK enough with the alliteration - it was the Highlands Astronomical Society’s AGM, but at the buffet I was struck by how many food items there are that begin with the letter C, many of which are nutrient rich and contribute towards maintaining a healthy immune system.

So finally, here is my Cosmic Curry

Serves 4

Vegan (if not using yoghurt)

45 minutes preparation and cooking

Super easy, healthy, and delicious

• coriander seed 1/2 tsp

• cardamom 5 pods, keep the seeds but discard the pods

• cumin 1 tsp

• cayenne 1/2 tsp

• turmeric*, 1 tsp (or use fresh if available and add this at the same time as the garlic)

• cloves 3, do not crush but remember to remove them before serving

• coconut oil 1 tbsp

• onion 1 large, chopped

• ginger 5cm, sliced finely

• garlic 2 cloves, crushed

• *turmeric root 1, grated (if not using ground turmeric)

• carrot 1, chopped

• cauliflower 1/4 of one head, broken into florets

• charlotte potatoes 8, cut in slices, or cut in half and boil separately for ten minutes

• capsicum (red pepper) 1, deseeded and sliced

• chilli (red or green) 1/2 (1 for extra heat), deseeded and chopped

• courgette 1/2, chopped into large pieces

• cavolo nero or cale (yes, I know it’s kale) large handful, shredded

• celery 1 stalk, sliced

• corn (baby sweetcorn) 6, chopped

• cashews small handful

• chickpeas 1 small can, drained and rinsed

• coconut milk 400g can

• coriander leaves handful, chopped

• Basmati rice or naan bread to serve

• Accompany with yoghurt and a few chopped mint leaves

Gently dry roast the spices in a frying pan; grind with a pestle and mortar, then return them to the pan with the coconut oil along with the onion, garlic, ginger, and turmeric root. Heat gently until the onion becomes translucent. Place the vegetables and cashew nuts in the pan with 50ml of water. Add the coconut milk and simmer gently for about five minutes or until the vegetables are just beginning to soften, then add the chickpeas and cook for two more minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with the coriander leaves.

Serve with rice or naan bread, with the yoghurt and mint on the side.

This curry tastes even better if left until the next day.

To find out more about which foods support immune system health, Nutrition Value is an online database that lists vitamin, mineral and protein content for most raw ingredients; just type in the name of the item and click for its nutrient qualities.

* The BMJ article linked above is is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license,

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