Coriander Cumin milk (tea) / Kottambari Jeerige Kashaya

This is a traditional healthy alternative to coffee or tea. This is also referred as Jeerige kashaya, Jeera milk. This tea/ kashaya tastes heavenly if prepared with jaggery than sugar! This is a tasty and perfect blend of the spices Coriander, Cumin & fenugreek. The taste can be further enriched with the addition of cardamom & pepper or Wheat & Ragi (finger millet) in small quantities. Many people at our place usually start their morning with a cup of this tea/ kashaya. This is better to substitute this tea for coffee or regular tea in case of hyper acidity or body heat. Each ingredient in the powder is highly beneficial if added in diet.

Cumin: Rich source of vitamins, minerals, iron, fibre and many more. It helps in improving digestion and it works as immunity booster. It is a well-known remedy for gastritis & hyper acidity. It helps curing common cold, cough & respiratory disorders. It works as body coolant. Best for lactating mothers as it improves lactation.
Coriander: It is again a great source of vitamins and minerals. Coriander helps to improve skin & hair health. Coriander water is a best home remedy for conjunctivitis, eye irritation & itchiness. We used to soak a tsp of washed coriander seeds in water overnight and used as eye drops in case of eye health issues.
Fenugreek: This is another fragrant spice commonly used in Indian kitchens. It has greatest health benefits when used in right quantity. 1 tablespoon of fenugreek provides good amount of calories, including protein, minerals and fiber. It helps in treating mouth ulcers, regulation of blood sugar &cholesterol. Click for my post on Home remedies for mouth ulcers & Fenugreek tambuli.

This particular post has two stages. One is making the powder. Second step is making of the drink. Now, let’s see how to make kashaya hudi or this healthy tea powder.

Stage 1: How to make Kashaya powder!
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 1.5 cups of powder (40-50 glasses of kashaya/ tea)
Ingredients:
Cumin seeds / Jeera – 1 cup
Coriander seeds/ Kottambari – ½ cup
Fenugreek/ Methi – 2 tbsp
Black Pepper – 2 tbsp (optional)
Cardamom – 6 (optional)

Method:
  • Heat a wok/ frying pan on low flame.
  • Add fenugreek seeds and dry roast until starts spluttering.
  • Add coriander and sauté for a while.
  • Add cumin seeds when corianders start leaving nice aroma. Roast them sautéing continuously. Care should be taken and not to burn the seeds.
  • Switch off the heat when everything roasted properly! This can be identified by the nice fried aroma and the color turns to golden brown. This is important in getting the right flavour.
  • Add peeled cardamom and peppers (if using them) and sauté once. Set aside and allow cooling.
  • Once cooled, take everything in a dry grinding mixer jar and powder finely.
  • When the powder is at room temperature, store it in air tight container. This stays good to use for 6 months or more as the ingredients are dry roasted.

Stage 2: How to make Kashaya or Cumin, coriander Milk!
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
Milk – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Kashaya powder – 1 tsp
Jaggery/ Sugar – 1 tsp (as per taste)

Method:
  • Bring a glass of water to boil.
  • Add the kashaya powder, jaggery/ sugar to it. Boil well.
  • Add milk, switch of the heat on boiling.
  • Strain with a tea strainer. Your health drink is ready to have. Serve hot.

kashaya

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