Ayurvedic Ginger Coffee

Last night I could suddenly smell winter, a whiff of cold fresh air made it’s way through the musty, humid air. I took a happy deep breath and knew summer is over now und a phase of beautiful weather and celebrations lays ahead. There’ll be the festival of lights, Diwali and my husband and his family will celebrate Durga Puja, the bengali festival of Maa Durgas victory over the evil forces. And the wedding season will start with it’s noisy processions and dressed up grooms riding on skinny horses into their future. But with the change of season a new irritant is arriving – cough, cold and fever have now high season. The body often doesn’t manage this change from hot to humid and back to cold. Last winter I got a really bad cold and as I was still fully breastfeeding I could not really take anything against it. A home remedy which really helped me that time was the south-indian ginger coffee, also called chukku kaapi.

It’s a spicy, sweet brew made from dried ginger, black pepper and coffee which clears the sinuses, reduces head and bodypain and gives you a slight energy kick. You could also add other spices and herbs like cardamom, coriander seeds, tulsi, cumin or cloves but the basic recipe is already good. Tradionally it gets sweetended with palm sugar, but you can also use honey. The powder can be prepared in advance and stores well in an airtight container.