Golden Milk (or haldi doodhd) is based on an ancient Ayurvedic recipe used to nourish and balance the mind and body. The key ingredient is turmeric, a yellow earthy spice traditionally used in Asian cuisine. Its active component is Curcumin, which has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries for its strong antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties and comes with a whole host of health benefits. Each household has their own version of golden milk, many drink it as a soothing milk before going to sleep or a calming milk for coughs. My Mum makes it with milk, ground almonds, cardamom, saffron and pistachios, and my dad likes to add ginger.
The recipe below is one I like to make on occasion. I usually find milk heavy to digest, so I also add a little spring water to the mix. You can omit some ingredients according to your taste, or make other variations, with the addition of nutmeg, star anise, ginger and/or ashwagandha.
Golden Milk Ingredients
1 cup of unsweetened plant based milk. I use Almond milk.
½ cup of spring water
A few crushed cardamom pods
½ inch of turmeric root or 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
A few crushed peppercorns
A few strands of saffron (optional)
½ a stick of vanilla
1 inch cinnamon stick (optional)
Brown cane sugar or agave syrup to taste (optional)
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a pan and turn on the heat. Let all the ingredients gently simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Add suger or agave syrup to taste if you want a sweetener. Strain in to a cup and enjoy.