By Ruchira Hoon
Haldi doodh – everyone’s talking about it. Golden Mylk, they say. Turmeric Latte, they call it. It’s being served at hipster cafes in London, health food spots in San Francisco not to mention juice bars in New York. Which is why the humble household remedy of haldi doodh has arrived.
What’s so special about haldi doodh you might ask? Made with good old fashioned cows milk, a pinch of fresh pepper, some sugar and either fresh or dried turmeric, it’s a drink that our grandmother’s insisted we drink if we’d come down with a cold. The antiseptic and astringent properties of turmeric, she’d say, is a sure-fire way to ward off those chills. Or if a headache ensued, then she’d tell us that the anti-inflammatory powers mixed together pepper and turmeric is a perfect remedy for both headaches and joint aches.
Turmeric Latte, on the other hand, is a hipster version of the ubiquitous haldi doodh. It’s made with freshly pressed raw turmeric juice, foamed milk which can be either a nut milk or soya and then sweetened with stevia or organic honey and perhaps spiced with a bit of ginger or cinnamon. With a whopping 56 per cent increase in the demand of this drink, it’s no surprise that this is what’s on everyone’s mind.
Here’s the thing though, without the pepper, there’s truly no point of drinking turmeric milk by itself. The healing and nutritive benefits of the two combined is 2000 times more potent just one alone. But, hey, the West can conveniently forget that bit right?
So while this hot drink has made it to the top of the charts, we recommend five other innately Indian drinks that are totally waiting for their due.
Sambharam: As a delicious digestive, this drink from Kerala is normally drunk during the meal so that it aids in the process. Curry leaves, ginger and green chillies is what makes this drink tick.
Kesar Badam Doodh: Mostly drunk at bed time, it’s a drink comes with an old wives tale. That of virility, that of comfort, that of progeny. Milk releases serotonin and the almonds is supposed to give you strength.
Thandai: There’s nothing like the Thandai to beat the heat. Poppy seeds, melon seeds and almonds is what makes this drink worthy of international stature.
Kanji: This pro-biotic drink is made by fermenting carrots with lots of mustard. Not only does it give your system a good old fashioned cleanse, but it’s also just plain delicious.
For more Indian drinks, click here on BetterButter.