Turmeric (the powdered kind) has always held a special spot in my spice cabinet and recently fresh turmeric root also has been getting some serious veneration in my kitchen. Containing ostentatious amounts of anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and immune building compounds, the spice recently graced the pages of the prestigious Wall Street Journal. Dubbed ‘snow day superfood’ by the journal, turmeric makes a great addition to your spice cabinet (if it is not already in there) for the upcoming winter season. Whether you are almost sick, already sick or far from sick drinking a cup (or two) of a beverage laced with the spice is an excellent idea. If you are sick, it will make you well and if you are well, it will make you thrive.
Delicious and warming, turmeric milk is an age-old Ayurvedic and home remedy to cure the chills. It is usually sweetened with sugar or honey, but I wanted to try making a savory version incorporating both powdered and fresh turmeric root and other warming spices such as ginger, cumin and black pepper. You can have it in a cup and call it a beverage or have it in a bowl call it a soup. Your wish.
Here is what you will need.
- A cup of unsweetened almond or coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric
- ½ inch slice of fresh turmeric root cut into small pieces
- ½ inch slice of fresh ginger root cut into small pieces
- Black peppercorns
- Roasted cumin powder (Just toast a few cumin seeds in a pan and grind into a fine powder)
- Salt to taste (I used Himalayan casino online salt)
- Steamed vegetables (optional)
- A dab of coconut oil or pastured butter (optional)
Here is how you will make it.
- Warm a cup of almond, hemp or coconut milk on the stove-top.
- Add half a teaspoon of turmeric to the milk and stir till the turmeric is completely dissolved. At this point the milk in the saucepan will look bright yellow. Bring the milk to a gentle boil and turn off the stove.
- Crush 4 peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and add to the milk. Black pepper is said to increase the bio-availability of turmeric. Skip this step if you are making the turmeric milk for a child or for a person with a severe cough.
- Pour the milk (with turmeric) into a cup or a bowl and add the fresh and powdered spices. Add salt to taste
- Add steamed vegetables, herbs, and a pat of coconut oil or pastured butter if you want to turn the beverage into something more substantial.
Drink this hard-core turmeric beverage to rock the Winter of 2014! The flu or any other virus will have nothing on you.
Sources:
Wall Street Journal; Snow Day Superfood
Planta Medicine; Influence of Piperine on the Pharmacokinetics of Curcumin in Animals and Human Volunteers
