Golden milk
Golden milk is a traditional Ayurvedic drink made with turmeric root (or ground turmeric), milk (preferably coconut milk but can also use cow or any kind of nut milk), black pepper, and oil.
However, in most recipes, it is also mixed in with other good-for-you ingredients like ginger root (or ground ginger). Though it is totally optional, it can be sweetened with unrefined sugars like honey, maple or date syrup.
Ingredients
2 ½ cups unsweetened coconut or almond milk
2 inches of sliced fresh turmeric root(or 1/2 tsp turmeric powder)
1 inch sliced fresh ginger root (or a few dashes of ginger powder)
1/4 tablespoon of coconut oil (or ghee)
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of Sea Salt
A few Dashes of cinnamon
A tablespoon of maple syrup, date syrup or honey (optional)
1 green cardamom, slightly cracked open (or a few dashes of cardamom spice)
1 clove
1 small star anise, optional
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or 1/4 vanilla bean (scraped), optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring all of the ingredients except coconut oil/ghee and sweetener to a simmer.
Stir well and lower the heat to a low or low-medium (you want it to simmer but not boil). Cover with the lid ajar and allow the milk to simmer for 5 minutes, depending on how strong you want the flavor of the spices (up to 10 minutes).
Turn off the heat and strain into your cup. Stir in coconut oil/ghee (if using) as well as your sweetener. Delight in the warmth and comfort of therapeutic golden milk.
While there is no set rule as to how much you use for each of the aforementioned golden milk ingredients and it depends on your personal preference, I love the ratios above and think that it is a good place to start.
Just a small amount of black pepper increases the bioavailability of the turmeric by 2000%.
Because both piperine and cur cumin are fat-soluable, turmeric is better absorbed with a fat. For example, turmeric is often used in curries, where there’s always a fat element.