Yeah, I made that up just now. I have a gift for making up alternate lyrics to popular tunes on the fly. It’s a pretty useless talent, but it is amusing.

It might even make my sickly friend Janis smile.

I hope so, because, Janis, this post’s for you.

See, Janis has an untimely cold. I mean, yeah, it’s cold season, but it’s also holiday season and who wants to be feeling like death on toast warmed over when there is all that festive fun to be had?

So, I offered to tell her how to make my “Chinese/Auyervedic/Appalachian White Chick Voodoo Priestess Tea” recipe and so many of her Facebook friends wanted the recipe, too, I figured I’d just haul off and put it up on the blog.

But, before we get into the recipe, I have to post the standard disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor or practitioner of any sort. I’m a chef and a writer and a mother, and so what I am dispensing here is not medical advice, it is just a little something that has helped my kitchen staff, my family and friends boot a cold out the door just a little bit faster than it might have faded on its own. And–it makes you feel better. A lot better. Or, at least, it makes myself, my staff, my family and friends all feel better when they take it, so I hope it will work for Janis and the rest of you, should you need it.

This concoction is a concatenation of folk remedies from all over the globe. I learned about the green tea and ginger from one of the Chinese line cooks I worked with back in the day. He also told me to add a tiny bit of chili pepper if I was really feeling bad. The black pepper, cinnamon and clove comes from rasam, a South Indian lentil broth that is spiced out of this world delicious, and which kills a cold before it can even think of becoming bronchitis. I added the cardamom because one of my personal chef clients’ mother told me that it had a soothing effect on the throat when it was sore. The mint is from my own self who figured that if menthol is in Vick’s Vaporub and is good for you, then plain old mint would work, too.

The honey, lemon and whiskey is straight up from Southern Appalachian tradition.

Now, about that whiskey–it’s optional. No, really, it is. All of the other stuff is pretty necessary, but the whiskey–that’s for the nights when you can neither sleep, nor stomach another swallow of Nyquil.

So, here’s how I make the tea. I used to make it for Morganna until she grew old enough to learn it, and now, she’s taught her friends and now I’m teaching it to you.

I sure hope it helps cure what ails you.

But if it doesn’t cure you, it certainly won’t kill you and it tastes mighty fine as it goes down.

Please note–all of the amounts are approximate. Voodoo tea is generally made by feel, but use your common sense. You know that a huge handful of peppercorns in your tea is not only going to taste bad, but will probably hurt you as well. so don’t put a handful in.

Oh, and one more thing–it doesn’t matter what phase the moon is in when you make this tea, nor do you need to use water gathered at the full moon from a mountain spring while you sing thirty-two verses of some holy chant or another. You just make it and take it when you need it, and that’s good enough.

Chinese/Auyervedic/Appalachian White Chick Voodoo Priestess Tea
Ingredients:

2 good, heaping teaspoons worth of jasmine-scented green tea (If you must use teabags, Numi’s Monkey King green jasmine will work perfectly well.)
1/2 teaspoon dried spearmint, or one sprig of fresh spearmint, bruised lightly
1/2-1″ cube fresh ginger, peeled and grated finely
1″ piece of cinnamon stick
3-5 whole cloves, lightly crushed
2-4 whole green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3-5 whole black peppercorns
a pinch of Aleppo pepper flakes (optional, but it is very warming–and you CAN use hotter chili flakes if you want–but the Aleppo works more gently)
two or three good long, wide flakes of lemon zest–just use a vegetable peeler to remove it from the rind
3 1/2 cups water
juice of one lemon–about a 1/4 cup–fresh is best
honey to taste, but I suggest at least two tablespoons–honey is very soothing to sore throats–especially buckwheat honey–it works amazingly well on coughs
1 jigger whiskey–that’s for the whole pot–if you are using it–or you can do the whiskey to taste

Method:

Take the tea, and all of the other ingredients up to the water, and put them into the basket of either a press-style teapot or a French press coffee maker. (What? You don’t have either of those? Well, you can use a regular old tea ball, but then when it is done steeping, you have to play with pressing all the goodness out of the tea, herbs and spices with the back of a spoon into the pot, which is something truly bothersome to do while sick. Or, you can just throw it all loose in a pot and strain it as you pour it, but then you don’t get to squeeze the goodies out that way at all. So, suit yourself on this matter.)

Bring the water to a boil, and pour it over the ingredients in the basket and into the pot, cover with the lid and then pop a tea cozy or a towel over the pot to keep the liquid warm. (What? You don’t have a tea cozy? Well, don’t worry because neither do I. I always thought they were rather a bit twee for my taste, so I go with the towel method. There are always towels in varied states of cleanliness around the kitchen, but I doubt you will see a tea cozy any time soon. Oh, but be sure and pick the cleanest of your kitchen towels for this duty. No need to add anything odd to the tea when you are already feeling crappy.)

Allow to steep for a much longer time than you normally would for tea. About 5-8 minutes.

After the steeping time is done, press down the plunger on the pot, thus squeezing all of the essential oils, tannins, and flavors from the tea ingredients into the tea. Take out the basket if you are using a teapot, or pour off the tea into another vessel if you are using a French press coffeepot. (That’s the problem with using a French press. You get the squeeze out all the goodness, but you can’t add the lemon juice and honey to the pot unless you pour it into another pot, which is a pain in the tuckus, so I suggest not doing it that way. Just get a nice little teapot like mine–it will make your potion-making much easier.)

Now, add the juice of one lemon–about 1/4 cup, and stir well. Add the honey and stir to dissolve. Taste. If it isn’t sweet enough, add more honey. Too much honey isn’t really too much when you are talking about a sore throat and a cough.

Finally, add the whiskey if you are going to use it. I usually don’t use it unless the cough is truly horrific, but I am not opposed to using it either.

Drink this over the day–I prefer it hot, because I find its more soothing that way, but if you want, you can drink it lukewarm. And save those herbs, spices and other goodie bits in your tea basket, because you can make a second steeping from them, though you have to steep it for 8-10 minutes to get the same effect. And you have to add more lemon, honey and whiskey to it, too….

Well, that’s it. See–it was easy, wasn’t it? I hope that just reading it makes you feel better, Janis.
Hugs and love to you!

Ajwain is an Indian spice that is not terribly well known in the West, but it is very interesting, and should be used more often. Although it is a spice, being the fruit of Trachyspermum ammi, which is related to parsley, ajwain has a very strong herbal aroma and flavor similar to thyme or oregano.

Although it is an ancient spice, and it most likely originated around Egypt, it is neither grown nor used there in modern times. Now, it is primarily grown in Persia and India, and it is used mostly in Northern Indian cuisine, particularly in the states of Punjab and Gujarat.

I have seldom found recipes using it, but when I have added it to a marinade, curry or dal, I have liked the flavor a great deal, probably because I love thyme so much. (It is my favorite European herb.)

The most recent recipe I have made using ajwain is a very simply put together grilled chicken I found in Madhur Jaffrey’s excellent cookbook, Quick and Easy Indian Cooking. All it entails is grinding spices and making a paste of them with yogurt and lemon juice, and then rubbing it over boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs. After allowing the meat to marinate for ten to fifteen minutes, it is grilled to perfection, or put under the broiler, and cooked until done. I only turn the pieces once, to make certain to brown the spice paste well, thus bringing out as much flavor as possible in it.

The other spices used in this dish are easily found in most grocery stores: black peppercorns, paprika, cayenne chili, cumin and turmeric, Garam masala can be found in most Indian markets or can be ordered from Penzey’s or, can be made fresh with your own preferred mixture of sweet and hot spices, and ajwain, while I have always been able to find it in any Indian market, and as noted by several readers, can also be found at Penzey’s, can also be substituted by using dried thyme or oregano. I wouldn’t just leave it out–its strong, herbal and medicinal flavor really adds a distinctive, delicious fragrance and flavor to the chicken. It blends perfectly with the sharp flavor of black pepper and the musky sweetness of cumin and adds a note of freshness to the spice mixture.

Once the spices are ground the the garlic either pounded into a paste or minced finely, there is nothing to this recipe. It is simple, very fast and most importantly, amazingly well-flavored. It is perfect for a quick dinner after work, especially if you have a rice cooker that you can use to make plain basmati rice or a yellow rice pillau. Then all you to make is a quick sauteed vegetable, and dinner is served!

(If you can get chicken that is organic and locally raised, the flavor with this spice rub is out of this world, and not to be missed. The texture of the chicken is also superior, very firm without being tough, tender without being mushy.)

Spicy Grilled Chicken with Ajwain
Ingredients:

Garnish with cilantro or mint and serve immediately.

I’ve been reading articles about the health benefits of curry spices for quite some time, but this article from AlterNet is particularly good because it brings together summaries of the latest research on a variety of spices.

Worldwide, a great many researchers are finding that spices commonly consumed in Indian curry dishes have myriad health benefits, corroborating the uses of these spices in Ayurvedic and other food, herb, and spice based medical traditions. While these findings are preliminary, all of the studies cited in the article have been published in respected peer-reviewed journals, so that other researchers can verify or refute the findings through their own studies.

Here’s a short run-down of some of these findings:

Cinnamon has been found, in relatively small doses (but still more than you would use in a curry or muffin), to lower blood sugar levels in adults with type II diabetes. The same study that reported this finding also noted that cinnamon reduces blood cholesterol levels. The dosage used to gain these effects in the study participants was just a half teaspoon daily.

Turmeric, the spice which gives many curries their vibrant yellow color, has been used as a remedy for a wide number of ailments all over Asia for centuries. Recently, scientists have found that it may help keep Alzheimer’s at bay–patients who ate curry frequently, or even occasionally, were noted to have significantly fewer protein plaques in their brains. Mice fed a diet with turmeric were found to have 80 percent fewer protein plaques in their brains, and it was noted that curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, also reduced inflammation and cell oxidization. It has been found that the people of India have the lowest rate of Alzheimer’s in the world; currently research is being done to determine if this is caused by genetic factors or if it has to do with the large amounts of turmeric consumed in the typical Indian diet.

Turmeric is also being investigated for its cancer-fighting potential. Apparently, it has been found to help block the growth of cancer cells while not harming normal cells.

One thing to remember: curcumin is not water-soluble, so it is necessary to cook it in oil of some sort to gain its benefits. Do as the Indians do and cook it in ghee or oil before making a curry in order to extract the helpful curcumin, in addition to getting all the flavor and color of the spice into your food.

Chili peppers not only have their widely known antiseptic properties, but have also been found to have the ability to shrink tumors and inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Capsaicin, which has been used to relieve the pain of arthritis when used externally, also may have the potential to help fight obesity when taken internally by boosting the metabolism.

Ginger has been a popular folk remedy for nausea, particularly morning sickness for generations, but finally, it has been proven that the effect is not related to mind-over-matter or a placebo effect. In addition, this relative of turmeric is also being found to have the potential to lower blood sugar, cholesterol and to protect the stomach from ulcers. It also has anti-inflammatory properties which would make it valuable in fighting the pain and swelling of arthritis.

Generally, I eat curry because I love the many flavors, textures and colors inherent to this broad spectrum of dishes. But, I have to admit that I am even more keen to eat it now that I see that the Indian assertions that curry is healthy are not just based on tradition, but sound scientific research as well.

And, I have to also admit that I am very happy to see Ayurvedic traditions being proven through the application of the scientific method. It just goes to show that just because a medical system is ancient, doesn’t mean that it is just folklore or old wive’s tales. Many ancient medical traditions are based just as much on experimentation and observation as modern allopathic medicine.

So, do as I do, and eat a lot of curried dishes, not only for pleasure, but for your health!

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to see that Monisha Bharadwaj’s Indian Spice Kitchen is back in print. It is, quite simply, an indispensable reference work for Westerners who are just beginning to learn how to cook the myriad regional foods of India.

It contains comprehensive listings of all of the major spices, legumes, flours, vegetables, herbs, grains, nuts and cooking fats used in the kitchens of India, with a full two-page description, historical overview and information on how and where to buy these ingredients, along with recipes for each ingredient and many photographs, including close-up identification photographs for each ingredient listed.

It is amazing in its wealth of detail and information, especially considering how very thin it is. It is very concisely, yet clearly written, so what could be a huge, unwieldy, encyclopedic tome which would become a dust collector on a hidden bookshelf somewhere, is instead a handy reference guide made to be whipped out at a moment’s notice for a quick perusal whenever needed.

Bharadwaj’s writing style is breezy and conversational without being silly–reading this book is rather like having her take you on a personal tour of her kitchen cabinets where she pulls out spices, and while describing the details of their history and use, having you smell, touch and taste them. She is just that way–a very approachable author whose work is unpretentious while still being utterly essential.

When I taught my classes in beginning Indian food, and especially my introductory classes in Indian spices, I always brought copies of this book along for my students to buy–at a discount, because I could get them at a quantity discount. Everyone loved it, because they said it was like they could carry me home with them, tucked in their briefcase, just in case they didn’t remember every little thing I said about each spice. It really helped my students and I remember that it really helped me a lot when I was a beginner, overwhelmed and scared to death to even try to cook Indian food beyond the one or two recipes I had dared to try in my youth.

Now, even though I am no longer cowed by Indian recipes, I still refer to Bharadwaj’s book, especially when I see a dal or bean at the Indian market I don’t immediately recognize. That way, I can learn the Hindi and English name of them quickly and easily, as well as see a recipe which uses it as a featured ingredient.

It is one of the best supplements to any Indian cookbook you can have in your kitchen.

If you or anyone you know is passionate about Indian food and cookery, this book would make a perfect Generic Winter Holiday gift. I promise.

And, if you were not aware, a free copy of this book goes to the lucky winner of my A Gift of Indian Spices prize for A Menu For Hope, which is still ongoing for the next several days.

Asparagus is one of those seasonal vegetables that we make gluttons of ourselves with when it is in season, until the point that we are nearly tired of it when it is gone.

I say nearly tired, because I don’t think that I could get truly weary of asparagus. It is just so fresh and green and wonderful. After a long winter of eating darker greens, it is nice to eat something sweet, tender and new.

And it helps that each year, I come up with new ways to cook the little verdant spears. I guess if I just steamed it and dressed it with lemon and butter every day, it -would- get tiresome. But no, I like to roast it, grill it, put it in pasta sauces and stir fries.

Last week, I discovered that it is really good in Panang Beef Curry instead of string beans, and I came up with an utterly simple preparation using the Bengali spice mixture, panch phoron.

Made of equal parts of cumin, fenugreek, nigella, mustard and fennel seeds, panch phoron is a magical mixture. These seeds, when toasted in oil or butter, and tossed with a lightly cooked vegetable bring out the natural delicious nature of that vegetable, while adding a myriad of sweet, musky, oniony and hot flavors of their own.

You don’t even need a formal recipe to make this: it contains five ingredients.

Butter, panch phoron, asparagus, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt. That is it.

For one half pound of asparagus, I used two tablespoons of butter, a teaspoon and a half of panch phoron, the juice of one medium lemon and a pinch or two of salt.

All you have to do is prepare your asparagus for cooking by breaking off the tough ends, and cutting it into bite sized pieces or leaving the spears whole, as you prefer.

Then, you melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan and toast the panch phoron in it until it is brown and fragrant. Then, toss in the asparagus and cook, tossing and stirring until the skin of it brightens slightly.

Then add half the lemon juice, and steam the asparagus in it until it is done, then add the rest of the lemon juice and salt and stir.

Voila! An amazingly flavorful side dish that is brainlessly simple to do, yet which tastes sophisticated and complex.