Turmeric Ginger Milk

Every once in a while you know I gotta talk about food. I just get the urge to share. My argument is this: There is too gnosis in food!! ... that sounds kinda bratty but ... there ya go. That's the only excuse I'm ever going to give. Food is medicine and good food is good medicine. You'll never hear me say that tofu is good food, though. Sorry. Been there, done that, and got really really weak and sick. Never again.

Well, here's a delicious way to get your dose of turmeric which is super healthy for the immune system and digestion overall. Very relaxing in the evening. I found the recipe on some site which I can't recall now. This stuff is sublime, otherwise you'd never see me yapping about it here. So take a leap and try something unusual in your kitchen with me today.

Some might say, "Ginger tea, ok.. yeah, alright. I go with you on this. But Ginger MILK? And TURMERIC? Angel, what the hell were you smoking?"

No drugs were involved in the making of this milk. I swear. lol. It is delicious and a fantastic way to enjoy the benefits of this spice, of which there are many.

It called for two cups of milk. I halved the milk to make it a single serving but kept the measurement for the spices and it tastes divine. I can't drink 16oz of milk, sorry. Tummy just can't do it. But I can drink 8oz.

Helpful hints for price and other issues are at the end of the post.  It's not expensive to make but I do have some hints to help you out to make it dirt cheap.

Here's how you make it and what you'll need:

• One small stainless steel pot
• One metal spoon for stirring
• 8oz milk(whatever fat content you desire)
• One pinch of ground(or freshly grated) ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• One pinch of fresh ground black peppercorns

Put your milk into your pot and turn on your stove to Medium. If you have a gas stove it'll be a tad bit lower.

Add all three spices.

 

Mix with your metal spoon(now do you see why you need a metal pot without Teflon coating?) while cooking and make sure you're scraping the bottom of the pot. Cook for about three minutes until you see little bubbles formed around the edge. Don't cook until it's boiling, it'll form a skin and you don't want that. Cook until it's steaming.

If you don't scrape the bottom well this is what your pot will look like when you're done. A lot of the spice will sink and will get stuck there. It's not hard to wash off, but that is spice that you're not getting in your drink.

Don't worry if you get this bright yellow milk on your stove or counter. Read the Tips below. Easy cleanup.

Now pour your turmeric ginger milk into your mug and sip to your heart's content!

If you choose to use freshly grated ginger you'll find that some of the slivers will float and some will sink. The ones that sink are really mellow tasting by the time you get to them.

I've even started sprinkling a bit of turmeric in my older cat's mushed up food. Poor thing only has a few teeth left and we have to mash her food up for her. She seems to eat more when I put the dash of turmeric in it. I leave out the pepper, though.

Here is the little princess herself. She just got shaved yesterday that's why you can see her pink skin in some areas. She feels like suede.

Helpful hints:

1.  Do not brush your teeth for at least thirty minutes after drinking this milk. Your toothbrush will turn neon yellow and you'll freak out. I learned this one personally. I don't have any problems with teeth staining from this drink but the turmeric does linger for a while so do yourself a favor and hold off with the toothpaste. Besides, turmeric is antibacterial! You're actually doing something good for your teeth by drinking this concoction.
2. Turmeric is a pretty potent dye. It'll wipe right up off of stoves and any other non porous surface very easily but if you happen to get it on a Formica counter top you'll need to put a dot(yes, just a dot) of bleach or a spray containing bleach on the stain. No scrubbing involved. It wipes right up after you let the bleach spray sit for about ten seconds. This is, yet again, something learned from first hand experience. I hyperventilated the first time I got turmeric laden liquid on the counter. I thought our rent deposit would be gone for sure. Nope. Nothing a little bit of bleach can't take care of.
3. Don't be surprised if you have mild 'hot flashes' by the time you get to the bottom of your cup. Ginger is a warming spice and the body does react accordingly. I tried chilling the concoction and it's horrible. But you may like it. Try it and see. I just don't think this is a very good cold drink.
4. I've found that dried and powdered ginger spice tastes just as good as raw ginger; just... different. Sometimes I like chewing on the tiny bits of ginger and other times I'm not in the mood. I keep a small chunk of ginger in my crisper for this reason. A good way to keep the root fresh as long as possible is to put it in a small ziplock bag, put in a paper towel with it, close the bag and then poke a few holes in it. Every time you use the ginger replace the paper towel with a fresh dry one. It absorbs moisture.
5. Turmeric is a pricey spice in some areas and from certain brands. Buy in bulk if possible. I can buy 14oz of turmeric from my local GFS for only $9.99!  McCormick is over $4 an oz by comparison so definitely shop around for the best deal.  
6. I also buy black peppercorns in bulk. To start off, though, you can get McCormick's pre-filled peppergrinder at Walmart for under $2. Not a bad deal at all. Until you figure that you can buy just under a POUND of peppercorns for under $8 at bulk spice areas, pop off the McCormick grinder lid and refill it. Niice! Now I use the different varieties in peppercorns on just about everything I make including meats.

I think a small dollop of pureed/canned pumpkin might be interesting to stir into this. I'll try it this Fall and if it's any good I'll let you know. 

Coconut milk might be good to use in place of cow's milk. I'm allergic to coconut so I can't try it but if you do then be sure to comment and let us know. Almond milk might be workable, however I read somewhere that almond milk that's heated too long can turn bitter. Anyone know anything about that?