Turmeric Milk
It’s
that time of the year again when the Chicago winter reminds me of my grandma’s
kitchen in Calcutta. Of course Calcutta is not even one-tenth as cold or windy
as Chicago. But it sure comes with the same bouts of cough & cold, and
that’s when I’m reminded of one of my grandma’s home remedies, doodh-haldi,
literally turmeric-milk.
Now
a disclaimer :) I’m still a student of Ayurveda, and I’m still playing with the
basics. But what I do know, are some Ayurvedic treatment that can be done with
simple home spices and food; and almost every Indian household has practiced
them for generations. And turmeric turns out to be an excellent healer.
As I was growing up, during winter at least someone in the household would suffer from a bout of bad cold and sore throat. Regardless of who was actually sick, everyone had to drink turmeric milk. It would not only start curing you if you had it, but also potentially prevent you from having it.
Though I was a little skeptical about the idea of turmeric powder in milk, every time we took the first sip of this amazing drink, it instantly warmed and soothed our throat at the same time.
Sometimes, my grandma would add a little saffron to the milk, which made the milk more appealing to the eye apart from enhancing the taste, but she almost never added any sweetener to it unless we really bugged her to. But frankly, a dash of honey would not only enhance the flavor, but increase its healing power.
As I was growing up, during winter at least someone in the household would suffer from a bout of bad cold and sore throat. Regardless of who was actually sick, everyone had to drink turmeric milk. It would not only start curing you if you had it, but also potentially prevent you from having it.
Though I was a little skeptical about the idea of turmeric powder in milk, every time we took the first sip of this amazing drink, it instantly warmed and soothed our throat at the same time.
Sometimes, my grandma would add a little saffron to the milk, which made the milk more appealing to the eye apart from enhancing the taste, but she almost never added any sweetener to it unless we really bugged her to. But frankly, a dash of honey would not only enhance the flavor, but increase its healing power.
And
the best part about this recipe is that it is caffeine free and can be made
dairy free if you use almond, rice or soy milk!
Turmeric
milk recipe
Serves
2
Ingredients
:
3
cups fresh whole milk
1/2
tsp turmeric powder
2-3
whole black peppercorns (optional)
2-3
whole cardamom pods, cracked
¼
tspn powdered ginger
Pinch
of saffron, (optional)
Sweetener
like honey, jaggery or regular sugar can be added to sweeten the milk.
How
to ?
Heat
the milk along with the spices for 2-3 minutes. Add the sweetener to taste. Let
it cool until its warm enough to drink. Strain and serve.
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