Vegan Golden Milk, Turmeric Milk

This Vegan Golden Milk, or Turmeric Milk, is milk mixed with a number of cold-fighting spices and a great Indian Ayurvedic remedy that's stood the tests of time and science. The star of this drink is turmeric, that golden spice that gives a lot of Indian food its fabulous color. Today, I have for you a vegan golden milk, called haldi ka doodh in India, that's just as effective and tasty.

The vibrant color of turmeric is not the real reason this spice is prized in an Indian kitchen. Instead, our grandmothers and their grandmothers have long known what scientists around the world have only recently started to verify-- that curcumin, a component of turmeric, is, among many other good things:

-Antioxidant

-Anti-inflammatory

-Helps fight infection

-Fights cancer

-Reduces cholesterol

-Alleviates arthritis pain

-Soothes stomach disorders

-Gives you glowing skin

In India, in the absence of an antiseptic cream on hand, anyone knows to grab a pinch of turmeric and place it on a bleeding wound to nip in the bud any possibility of infection. It can be a bit messy-- because turmeric does stain-- but you can't beat it for effectivness.

Turmeric is an essential component in almost any Indian spicy dish, and especially curries. I add it to almost anything Indian I cook, because -- as I've said in these posts before-- I strongly believe in food as medicine. But there are some things anyone new to cooking with turmeric would do well to keep in mind. For one, use it in small quantities: no recipe -- unless made in bulk quantities-- needs more than ½ tsp of it.

Turmeric is bitter in taste, and added at the wrong time it can ruin a dish with a raw, unpleasant flavor. So be sure to toast your turmeric-- as you should any raw spice-- in some oil before you add it to your dish. By this I don't mean you should toast it separately. Just stir it in after you've sauteed the onions and garlic and ginger for a curry, so the turmeric mixes in with the oil. But don't add it toward the end of cooking. Get it?

Today's recipe, though, is an exception, because we aren't adding any oils here. For the vegan golden milk, you'd typically add the turmeric and spices like black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom to some milk, simmer until it comes to a boil, allow it to stand, and then drink piping hot. Trust me, it's delicious.

In my vegan kitchen, I substitute the milk with some organic vanilla soymilk.

Here goes the recipe for my vegan golden milk. It's simple enough, but I love you enough to share it with you in case you ever have the sniffles.

Vegan Turmeric Milk

Turmeric Milk

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Course: Beverage

Cuisine: Indian

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups vanilla soymilk
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 4 cloves
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 1 1- inch stick of cinnamon
• 10 black peppercorns
• Sugar to taste (or use any sweetener you prefer)

Instructions

• Crush the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, preferably, until they are very coarsely powdered.
• Put the soymilk in a small saucepan, add the turmeric and powdered spices, stir, and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Watch the pot closely because it will overflow, just as milk would, and then you'd have a messy cleanup job on top of a cold. How awful!
• Once the soymilk begins to boil, quickly turn off the heat and cover. Let it stand for a minute or two at the most.
• Strain into a cup, add sugar, and drink hot.
• Get well!
• For other cold-fighters, check out my
• Blast-off-that-cold Soup
• and my
• Broccoli-Potato Soup