Basic kadha recipe
Kadha is a hot spiced drink that has been an Indian staple for centuries, and with winter bugs doing the rounds, it's the perfect tonic to keep illness at bay. The recipe changes as you travel across the regions of India, but Perzen Patal shares her version.
RNZ Life editors
- cook
- 2 servings
- Easy
Caption:Kadha is a hot spiced drink that has been an Indian mum staple for centuries, and with winter bugs doing the rounds, it's the perfect tonic to keep illness at bay.Photo credit:Perzen Patel
Kadha is an old concoction from the Ayurveda, India's medicine system. It's essentially hot water that has been boiled with spices.
To make the kadha kid-friendly reduce the pepper and cloves to reduce the spicy heat, replace with more cardamom and add more honey to sweeten.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- Thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, sliced or grated
- 8-10 black peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 3-4 green cardamom, lightly crushed
- 1 stick cinnamon (cassia or cinnamon powder will work too)
- Handful of fresh tulsi/holy basil or mint leaves (optional)
- Honey
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add water and bring it to a rolling boil.
- Add ginger, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and tulsi/mint.
- Reduce heat and allow the spices to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, until the water reduces to half.
- Strain into cups or a steel flask.
- Sweeten lightly with honey.
