Traditional Golden Milk Recipe |Turmeric Milk

This traditional Golden Milk Recipe is an easy and quick one in which turmeric paste is added to the milk and is then gets ready in a jiffy.

It is the perfect immunity booster and making it will be a breeze if you have turmeric paste ready in your refrigerator. 

I am sure many of you must have heard about it or are consuming it too. And I hope that you are adding the two important ingredients which aid the absorption of turmeric into your body. Are you?

 

Golden Milk Recipe is truly modern-day nectar and is nature’s tonic to mankind for healthy and disease-free living.

For our ancestors, our kitchen was no less than a mini-medical store where they wonderfully used spices like turmeric, cinnamon, rock salt, bay leaf, etc for treating many ailments.

Golden milk aka turmeric milk aka Haldi ka Doodh is there for ages in our culture. Our grannies and great grannies have always been advocating its benefits. We know that turmeric is a wonderful antiseptic but they knew that it is much more than that. Be it cold or cough or you get hurt with a wound, the first thing they would give us was a glass full of turmeric milk. Not only this, they even used to put a paste of turmeric on our wounds. This was the only antiseptic cream in the good olden days. 

You can also make THANDAI POWDER or MILK MASALA POWDER and keep it in your pantry and have either of these on an alternate basis, as consuming only one type of milk can be boring at times.

 

Benefits

Golden milk is an excellent detoxifier and immunity booster which works miraculously by removing toxins and disease from the body.

We have had turmeric milk many times in the past but that was need-based, like on having a cold or when there was a wound. But recently, we have started taking it on a regular basis. My husband loves it and has it daily in the morning. Apart from the taste he likes, it’s after-effects. He says that he really feels light and energetic throughout the day. I too, take it but  I like to have it in water, that is turmeric tea.

The tea made from Golden paste is actually very good in taste. I have recently started having it and I can have it anytime. In fact, it has replaced my morning tea. I find it much better than green tea or any other herbal tea.

 

An Excellent Immunity Booster

The world is suffering from a pandemic Covid19! Social distancing is advocated to keep this disease at bay. Yes, we should follow all the norms which are advised by health practitioners in this regard. 

But, in addition to all that we should work to improve our immunity levels.  Lower the immunity levels, higher the risk of catching disease! We all know this. And turmeric milk is an excellent way to boost immunity. 

Even if you don’t find its taste very appealing, then you can have it water. The idea is to consume turmeric along with the herbs so that our body absorbs it fully. So, go for it. 

 

How To Make

• Golden milk, in simple words, means adding turmeric to milk. But there is a way to add it. Mixing turmeric and milk doesn’t become Golden Milk. You need to add a few more ingredients to it and doing so, on a daily basis is very time-consuming and hectic too.
• Therefore, I prefer making this Golden milk with a paste that remains good in the refrigerator for up to 15 days. If this paste is there then just add milk or water to it and your Golden milk or tea is ready.
• Golden milk or tea is made from the Golden paste which mainly comprises of 2 wonder herbs, namely, turmeric and black pepper along with some fat (oil or ghee). Surprised? As to why pepper is added? 
• If you remember, our grannies used to heat ghee, saute turmeric powder in it, and then added milk into it. They never added turmeric to milk just like sugar. This is because there is a way to consume things if you want to avail its benefits.
• Both turmeric and black pepper are known for their miraculous medicinal properties.

 

 

FAQs

Q) Why make Turmeric Paste? Why not add Turmeric Powder directly to the Milk?

• Now, what is Turmeric paste? How is it made? What all goes into it? Golden paste is not just turmeric and water, but much more to it.
• Golden Paste involves cooking turmeric with water on low heat to get a uniform consistency of the paste. This helps to increase the solubility of turmeric in water and enhances absorption. Since the heat is low and the time involved in cooking is limited, heat losses are minimized.
• When heated, the turmeric gets cooked and thus can be added directly to milk/water.
• Also, it is difficult to prepare it daily in little quantity. Therefore, make it in bulk and can store this paste in the refrigerator and when required, just add it in milk or water and that” it.

 

Q) Why Black Pepper must be added?

This is because turmeric contains a compound called curcumin, which does all the healing. It is this curcumin that gives turmeric not only a bright colour but also makes it a healthy spice. But curcumin is poorly absorbed in the body.

Piperine in black pepper increases the absorption of curcumin in the body. Piperine increases the bioavailability of curcumin up to 2000%. Thus black pepper act as a catalyst in the absorption of turmeric.

Q) Why fat is added?

Similarly, since curcumin is fat-soluble therefore fat is needed to increase the absorption of curcumin and hence we add some healthy oil, like coconut oil (or Almond oil or clarified butter), to this paste. Make sure that the coconut oil you add is edible as we get coconut oil suited for hair growth also.

Thus in simple terms, heat, black pepper and oil, all three aids in the absorption of turmeric in our body.

The Golden paste can be made from turmeric powder or from raw turmeric.

Raw turmeric, of course, is better as it is in its natural form.

 

Q) In India, we add turmeric to all our food items, be it veggies or legumes,  which means we are consuming turmeric daily. Then is there any need to have this turmeric milk separately?

True that we add turmeric to our food but Golden milk made from turmeric paste is an excellent way to have an adequate quantity of turmeric on a daily basis. It ensures that we have our minimum daily dose of turmeric.

Q) How long can this paste be stored?

The Golden paste can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 15 days. Then use it either for making Golden Milk/Latte or Turmeric tea. Add a natural sweetener like honey or stevia as per your taste.

 

Q) When to have this milk?

Golden Milk can be had throughout the year irrespective of the season.

• In winters, have it in hot milk and add additional spices like cinnamon and dry ginger powder.
• Whereas, in summers, use chilled milk and churn it in the blender. Have it daily at least for 40 days to reap its full benefits.

 

Q) How to remove turmeric stains?

• While making the Golden paste, you need to be careful as it stains very easily. So, better to wear gloves while making it.
• To remove stains from the blender, apply a thick paste of baking soda and lemon/vinegar. Leave it for some time and then wash.

Other than Golden milk, you can try the following too which are full of taste and act as an immunity booster too in a subtle way

• Amla Beet Mouth freshener   
• Energy Bar
• Kala Chana Soup
• Healthy Salads

 

Must Read: Masala Milk

 

 Step By Step Recipe

A. Golden Paste

• Wash turmeric roots. Peel it. Chop roughly into small pieces.

• Put the chopped turmeric pieces along with water in the blender.

Tip: Soak chopped turmeric in water for an hour or so. This will help in grinding it easily and smoothly.

• Blend for 30 to 40 seconds till you get a fine paste.
• Cook this paste on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.

• Switch off the gas stove.
• Add black pepper, cinnamon powder, and coconut oil to it, mix nicely and then store in the refrigerator.

• Once you have the Golden paste ready, you can make Golden Milk/Latte or Tea from it.

B. Golden Milk Recipe

1. Heat milk. Add Golden paste and honey.
2. Mix nicely, serve.

(I add golden paste not by quantity but by looks. I add as much as to get bright golden-colored milk.)

 

C. Turmeric Tea

• Same as Golden milk but use water in place of milk.

 

D. Turmeric Latte

• Turmeric latte is a healthy caffeine-free coffee.
• Make Golden milk, run it into the blender for few seconds till frothy.
• Sprinkle nutmeg/cinnamon/cardamom powder and serve.