Hello everyone,
Welcome to this week’s edition of Yesterday’s Curry. Thank you so much for reading!
For those of you that are new here, I have introduced a couple of resources to make my newsletter more inclusive. Firstly, we have a rapidly growing facebook community and if you aren’t already part of my group you can join here:
I am also welcoming submissions and ideas for future newsletters; this can be a feature, an interview, a recipe, a tradition - anything related to Goa or the wider Indian diaspora, curries or cooking with spices. Email me your submissions at hello@yesterdayscurry.com
Today I am going to share a couple of very quick and easy immune boosting recipes which have spices at the forefront. When I revived my newsletter last month, one of the main things I wanted to introduce was speedy and accessible ways to use spices in everyday cooking.
Since starting Yesterday’s Curry Spice Blends, I’ve been cooking with spices more than ever before, and am constantly testing different ways of using them. Spices are not only for providing flavour to food, but equally importantly they impart a myriad of health benefits. I’ll be dedicating entire newsletters to individual spices and their medicinal properties at a later stage, but the following recipes are two ways to dip your toe into using spice as a healing tonic if you’re feeling a bit under the weather or want to ward off illness.
The first is Golden Milk, aka Turmeric Latte. Turmeric is widely known as being incredibly good for you. Its main component, curcumin, promises to alleviate inflammation and is a powerful antioxidant. It is even more effective when paired with piperine, the compound found in black pepper which in itself acts as an expectorant(fights mucus). Ginger is a powerhouse all rounder, and has antioxidant properties as well as being great for colds and digestion. Cardamom is another anti-inflammatory which improves oral health and detoxifies the body, and cloves are antioxidants which fight free radicals in the body. Infuse all of these potent spices in a creamy concoction of milk and honey and you have a delicious drink that is also extremely good for health.
Put all of the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring up to the gentle boil.
Stir together to allow the turmeric to disperse and the honey to melt.
Simmer on a low heat for 15-20 minutes. To prevent a skin from forming, rest a circle of greaseproof or parchment paper on the surface of the milk.
Leave the mixture in the pan to cool down slightly until a drinkable temperature and then sieve into mugs. This recipe makes 2 servings.
NB: Cow’s milk can be replaced with any plant based milk.
To make the ginger taste stronger, cut it up into smaller pieces or grate it.
The next recipe was inspired by a cold remedy sent to me by my friend Mervyn; a mixture of ground cinnamon, honey and warm water. Cinnamon is often overlooked as a dessert ingredient but is in fact a mighty health booster. Anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral, cinnamon will actively fight ailments as well as taste delicious and Christmassy.
I’ve tried a number of the immune boosting shots you can now buy on the high street which tend to be heavy on the ginger and turmeric, but what I like about this one is the emphasis on the cinnamon. This gives it a real warmth when you drink it and you can feel it doing good. I drank this daily last week when I felt a cold coming on, and recovered without needing to reach for the lemsip.
Cut your ginger into small pieces, and put into a small/bullet blender with the rest of the ingredients. You may need more water if your blender is on the larger side.
Blend the ingredients until you have a thin liquid and the ginger has been well incorporated and is no longer in pieces.
Pour your mixture into shot glasses, and down it! If the mixture starts to settle on the bottom of the glass, give it a quick stir before drinking and if you still have any chunks of ginger in there, you can just sieve them out.
I hope these recipes will be helpful for anyone feeling a bit run down or who wants to improve their immunity in general. Incorporating spices into your everyday routines is a great way to boost your health, and consuming them in drink form is a nice gentle way to add them to your diet. If any of you make these recipes, don’t forget to share your images and tag me on instagram @emmadinizryan.
Until next time!
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