Ayurvedic detox tea

I don’t know about you but I did over eat a lot these last two weeks. The kitchen was bustling with activity, rich curries, baked goods, exotic desserts, I  have lost count of what we ate lol ! Teen walked up to me early this morning and exclaimed, “can we just go back to our normal simple food". This was the kid who was planning to bake a pizza for dinner, she is a die hard pizza fan ( which teen is not) but I am glad she knows how to listen to her body and she knows when she needs to slow down and cleanse her system. I remember having this tea as a child, when I really needed to give my stomach a much needed break, it worked. I love the aftertaste, so refreshing, the ginger in it is a great palate cleanser. I have a lot of recipes that can help you cleanse your system, I will share a few here on this post.

Before writing up this post, I did not know what to call this drink, I knew it was an Ayurvedic preparation/decoction. When I tried and ‘goggled', I saw variations of this everywhere, am surprised it is so popular. I thought I was the only genius who knew the secret recipe to eternal youth ;) It’s called tea, am still surprised as it has no tea leaves, but I guess that is the name.

Detox for me is not a fancy diet that you follow for a month every few years, it is listening to your body, knowing what it wants to be fed. We are born with natural instincts and all we need to do is listen to it. To me detox is giving my digestive system a vacation, after heavy meals and eating lighter and cleaner.  This is a great tea/decoction for this time of the year and we have our thermos filled. Spend sometime to reflect inward and try and detox what is inside, not just the body but also your emotions, thinking, associations, it is a very rewarding process. I literally guard what I want to internalize, I do not allow negative energy to suck me. It took me a few years to detox that, unfortunately there was no chai for that, just deliberation. This is my two cents worth.


1/2 tsp cumin (jeera) seed
1/2 tsp coriander (dhaniya)
1/2 tsp fennel (Sauf) seed
1 inch granted ginger
1 tbsp honey or jaggery ( gur)
1/4 tsp turmeric
garnish with fresh chamomile flowers if in season - optional

3-4 cups water.

Cumin and fennel are great digestive aids. Coriander really helps a bloated stomach and ginger a grate palate cleanser. Fennel also adds great aroma to the decoction.

2 ways to make this.

First 

Mildly roast the spices, it should NOT change color. We are just removing any moisture that could be there, let it cool and make a dry powder of the spices.


Second  : use as is

Bring water to boil, add the powder or spices as is and grated ginger. Shot the heat and close lid for 10 minutes, strain and serve warm or hot. Add honey if you love some sweetness, can be served with or without honey. My mom always added jaggery to this instead of honey.


Variations

Black pepper variation 

1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp coriander
3-4 leaves of tulsi ( holy basil)
1 inch ginger
2 black pepper corn
2 tbsp honey
3-4 cups water

This sone is a bit spicy so honey is a must, dilute if too spicy

Ajwain/Carom Variation 

1/2 tsp ajwain/carom seed
1/2 tsp coriander
1 inch ginger
1 tbsp honey
3-4 cups water

Tulsi lime variation

4-5 fresh tulsi ( holy basil) leaves
1/4 tsp cardimom powder
2-3 strands saffron
1/2 tsp fennel
1 tsp lime juice


All the above are to be served warm , here are some chilled detox drinks.

Apple saffron chai 
Spiced buttermilk 

I hope you try a few of these, let me know how it turned out. :)
Note :this recipe has been passed to me by my family, please consult your doctor if you have any questions. I am NOT a certified doctor or nutritionist, hence this is NOT a remedy or cure or a proscription.

On my google journey, I saw this recipe on millions of site, I cannot link each one and moreover I have been having this before I learnt to google, thanks to my mother.


Before I let you go, wishing you guys a fantastic 2015.