Kashayams are magical medicinal drinks conjured with a few simple kitchen ingredients. Think of a singular drink that takes less than 5 minutes to cook and that can cure nausea, drive away cold, take care of that nagging lack of appetite or those digestion problems after an unnecessary binge – that’s a typical Kashayam for you.
Maamis (the south indian women brigade) in the part of the world that I live in don’t just excel at making Kashayams but also excel in feeding their children Kashayams with smart techniques for taste acquisition and negotiation that would put a ninja to shame.
Ingredients
- Ajwain (Carom Seeds) – 1/2 tsp
- Black Pepper Corns – 1/2 tsp
- Coriander Seeds – 1 tsp
- Jeera (Cumin) – 1/2 tsp
- Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
- Honey – 2 tsp (adjust to taste)
- Water – 3/4 cup
Method
- In a dry skillet on medium heat, roast the ajwain, black pepper corns, coriander seeds and jeera till you get an aroma.
- Skin the Ginger piece and crush. Add water and followed by ginger to the rest of the ingredients in the skillet.
- Let it simmer till the water is reduced to 1/2 cup.
- Strain the kashayam. Add honey and serve warm.
Other Recipe Marathoners:
- Srivalli – Onion Chapathi
- Raaga – Vegetable Foccacia
- Arundathi – Raspberry and Blueberry Muffins
- Siri – Tomato Coconut Chutney
- Divya – Cauliflower Peas Poriyal
- Swati – Mint Coriander Chutney
- Ranji – Simple Jhovan
- Bhags – Matzoh – Baked Chapathi
- Dhivya – Vegetable Chips
Kashayamm.. awk!! even now, my mama has hard time making me drink this.. 😉 (i know i know its had medicinal values.. this that.. but I can’t drink this..:( )
Siri
Which is why I said all these maamis are ninjas – I don’t drink this – Satish does. And he seems to love Kashayams of any kind!!!
i love kashayams, esp the borderline bitter ones.
when can we officially call you a maami? 😀
see i don’t lick thayir sadam off dripping elbows and i don’t have kashayams – so there’s a looooooooooooooong looooooooooooooooong way to go – 😀
It will be fun to see moms ( maamis ) going around
behind the kids to drink Kashayams.I am having this only after my marriage.Nice drink for Maamis!!!! Kids….long way to go
Never heard of this drink….thanx for sharing this healthy recipe..
I am reminded of how my grandma used to plead us to drink this and we used to hide from her..thanks for sharing
i used to drink kashayam that my grandmom used to make…it used to work like magic for anything…i dont know what she used to make it..but it tasted good….thanks for sharing this recipe:)…
hahahaa… so another proof to u not being a mami… 🙂 somebody of ur spirit can never get one… 🙂 i used to hate hate hate kashayams… coz amma used to make it as a paste… horrible looknig .. horrible tasting paste… these ninjas at my place r gonig to kill me… but yeah that were my feelings… wish they would have made this version this looks less kadwa.. 🙂
Addition of honey has won me……i think i can do with this
Wow, a magical cure all. I laughed at the maamis being like ninjas. I can just imagine.
Ha! Just what I was looking for. Thanks Lakshmi.
I can proudly say I have never in my whole taken in a Kashayam!..and I think nobody can dare impose that on me too..heheheh
hey I thought I commented!!!..anyway I was saying that I have never taken Kashayam till date..and nobody dare try to give me this!..:)
[…] Vegetable curry a la Kooto, from The Yum Blog. And if you are really game, they also bring you Kashayam – a spicy, medicinal […]
The konkani kashay is slightly different and the powder is pre-made. Even though we have made the powder at home, we now get the powder from kumta!; then we use it just like you’d make chai! I love it and we have it leisurely every weekend. Yumm!
Weekdays, I still stick to my Almond Pista Milk
:-))
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I am currently trying it out with no trust on cough drops and sort of on doctors, who just think the cure is through antibiotics.
Well one thing, is there any dosage? how many times in a day or something like that? Is there a limit to how much can you torture your throat with this than torture your throat with coughing.
[…] their memories of it were by no means as happy as mine!). The ingredients are mostly the same, but one recipe includes ajwain (carom seeds) and jeera (cumin) and recommends toasting the spices before […]
[…] of Kashayams out there but I prefer the one made with black pepper. I stumbled upon this blog on how to make Kashayam. Check it out if you are not familiar of Kashayam and how to make […]
Very good post. I have linked to your post from my blog.
http://prasi.us/?p=166
What’s the fuss.I’m chinese and i’m madly in love with it ( esp after meals )
[…] Kashaayam would have tasted […]
Kashayam or Kashaya is an very healthy drink. This article really captures Kashaya’s benefits. There are many ready mixes available in market sutch as this one http://hemsfoods.com/products/kashaya-powder/ one can try it
[…] Kashayam – Drink for Health – Recipe Marathon – Day … – May 22, 2008 · Kashayams are magical medicinal drinks conjured with a few simple kitchen ingredients. Think of a singular drink that takes less than 5 minutes to cook … […]