Inji Kashayam

For the past 2 weeks, I was suffering from heavy cold and cough. I was reluctant to go to the doctor since it was just cold. The last time when I had cold and slight fever, the doctor to whom I went made me take tests for eliminating Hep-B. By the time I went to take the tests all my fever was gone. So I am sure you can understand my reluctance.

Instead of taking tablets this time, I decided to try out Inji Kashaayam. My grandmother used to make it everytime we fell sick. During the younger days I certainly could not appreciate the effectiveness of this kashaayam but this time I certainly realized its value. When I asked my grandmother for the recipe she told me all the ingredients and how I should make it. In spite of that I took some pointers from here. So here we go with the recipe:

Ingredients

Sukku or Dried Ginger - 1 - 1.5 inch piece
Peppercorns - 1 tbsp
Dhaniya or Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Jaggery - 1/2 tbsp
Water - 1 cup

Preparation

Finely powder ginger, peppercorns and coriander seeds. Heat water and as soon as it starts boiling add jaggery. You can vary the amount of jaggery depending upon how sweet you want it. The lesser the amount of jaggery the better. Once the jaggery completely melts and blends with water add the powdered mixture. Let it simmer for 7-8 minutes. Strain the residue and drink it warm for best results.

With the rains, I am sure that fever is doing its rounds. So, hope you find this recipe helpful.