Do you know the magic ingredient to be added to Turmeric milk ?
Down with cold, cough or a sore throat ??? Have a cup of warm turmeric milk and you will get going 🙂 This is how an average Indian has been brought up since his or her childhood. Turmeric is an ancient Indian spice and Turmeric milk or haldi ka doodh has been a typical home remedy in almost all Indian households for generations now.
Be it an infection, fever or a deep wound, this golden drink has been given to us by our grandmoms and moms for time immemorial as a medicine or as a supplement to the modern medicines and antibiotics….and I am sure, we would continue doing the same for our future generations as well.
Turmeric or more importantly, its active component curcumin, has tremendous, clinically proven, medicinal benefits. It is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent with no side effects. If you wish to know its properties in more detail, then please visit this link: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric#section9
So our civilization from ancient times has always known that turmeric milk is a golden drink for our health in many ways but do we know the right method of preparing this golden concoction? Do we know the magic ingredient needed along with turmeric to make this drink effective?
Curcumin, the active ingredient of turmeric, unfortunately is not easily bioavailable; which means it is poorly absorbed in our bloodstream. To overcome this bioavailabilty issue, black pepper is used as a supplement in curcumin supplements. Black pepper contains a natural substance by the name Piperine, which enhances the curcumin absorption by almost 2000%. Hence it is advised that pepper be added to turmeric preparations…so now you know that Pepper (black or white) is that magic ingredient 🙂
Recipe:
Milk – 2 cups
Turmeric powder – 3/4th to 1 teaspoon
A dash of black pepper ( I use freshly ground pepper)
A pinch of saffron
1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cardamom powder
Sugar or jaggery powder to taste – around 2 tsp
Tip: It is recommended that we use an inch-long turmeric stick for the above recipe and crush it coarsely using a mortar-pestle rather than using its ground powder. The grinding process which generates heat destroys the medicinal properties of turmeric.
Warm the milk on a gas stove and then add all the other ingredients. Allow it to boil on a low flame for 3-5 minutes. Strain it and enjoy the drink warm.