the Older Bolder Life Snack Wednesday 9 January: Spicy Turmeric Coconut Milk (Tea)

A friend offered us a mug of this delicious Spicy Turmeric Coconut Milk (she likes to call it a tea) one evening a few months ago. Like us she’s a big fan of spicy, full-flavored foods, and enjoys using whole spices when available (she grated fresh turmeric and ginger root for our milk/tea that evening). Her version was outstanding, and we’ve been making it regularly since.

There are dozens and dozens, if not hundreds, of different variations of golden milk floating about, my bent is to encourage you to find one that you like, and consume it liberally. Don’t be afraid to experiment, and don’t forget the black pepper to fully activate the benefits of turmeric too.

As our palate has changed over the past several years, we find overly sweet foods and drinks almost off-putting now; if using freshly grated turmeric and ginger, we often don’t use any honey, molasses, or maple syrup at all in our golden milk (though as a child of the South, a tiny bit of molasses does make this recipe more interesting).

I hadn’t intended to spend time here this morning going over the impressive list of health benefits that turmeric (and ginger) bring to the table; we’ll come back to turmeric in particular at some point down the road and talk about details.

2 cups full-fat coconut milk
1/2 – 1 tsp ground turmeric (or 2-4 tsp freshly grated)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tsp freshly grated)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Optional
Honey, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses to taste (start with 1 tsp!)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients (save for the sweetener if using) in a small saucepan over medium heat, adding a small volume of filtered water if desired if you find the consistency too thick for your tastes. Bring to a gentle boil, remove from heat and let steep at least 5-6 minutes.

If you used grated turmeric and / or ginger, filter through a fine-meshed sieve into a pre-warmed mug, sweeten if desired, and go to it.

Enjoy.