Healthy Cumin tea (Jeeraka chaya)

Cumin, a culinary must-have

One of the indispensable spices that adorns kitchen shelves and provides wonderful taste and aroma in Indian cuisine is cumin. In addition to cooking, this spice has numerous therapeutic uses. In Ayurveda, it’s considered the best digestive tonic. This property is due to the essential oils in cumin. Scientific research has shown that the compound thymol in cumin activates pancreatic enzymes and bile, which in turn stimulates digestion. It’s also a mild laxative, combats morning sickness, and is lactogenic, meaning it increases the mother’s milk flow. I’ve also found that drinking cumin water helps with my heartburn. Here you can find more about the benefits of cumin seeds.

I was introduced to this wonderful spice by my father. He was a passionate tea drinker, a habit he picked up during night shifts on the railroad. He could live on nothing but tea all day. But then he began to have problems. One of his constant complaints was heartburn. So he decided to reduce his tea consumption to twice a day. One of the methods he came up with was to drink this cumin tea when he wanted to drink more than his allotted two cups. In fact, this tea is very delicious. The recipe is quite simple. You replace the tea bags/tea leaves with roasted cumin. The rest of the process is the same as regular tea. Roasting the cumin really brings out its aroma and flavor. Enjoy this simple, tasty tea with ginger cookies or homemade rolls.

Cumin tea recipe

The recipe is very simple: roast cumin on a low flame. Boil it in water, add sugar and milk and bring it to boil again. Enjoy it when it’s still warm. A very simple, soothing and delicious drink to have on the couch with your favorite book.

Cumin Tea (Jeeraka chaya)

Urmila

A tea with many benefits

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Bevarage

Cuisine Indian

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

• Cumin-1 tablespoon
• Water-2/3 cup
• Sugar-1.5 teaspoon
• Milk-1/3 Cup

Instructions

 

• Dry roast cumin on low heat until it is toasted and aromatic.
• Add water to it, increase the heat to medium and bring it to a rolling boil.
• Add sugar and milk.
• Heat until it starts boiling:
• Take it off the stove and strain into a cup.
• Enjoy!