Oct
Turmeric Ginger Lemonade is truly a feel good drink and such a deliciously refreshing beverage with a vibrant golden yellow color, a hint of spice from the turmeric, a wonderful zing from the ginger and delicate tartness of Meyer lemons! You can sweeten it up to suit your taste and even spike it with gin or vodka to turn it into a cocktail!
Fall season is here and along with the crisp air, colorful leaves, apples and pumpkins and so much more, it also brings the flu season! With the holiday season around the corner, I’m sure you, just like me, don’t want to catch a bug, especially when the pandemic is still lingering around! I have a perfect recipe for a super healthy drink to keep you fit during this time of the year – it’s made by steeping fresh turmeric and fresh ginger, including its stem and leaves.
To steep the turmeric and ginger in water, I love to use my GitaDini 2-quart Saucepan with the built-in strainer. It’s the perfect kitchen tool that makes the steeping and the straining process so much more convenient than a regular saucepan.
This wonderful concoction can be consumed warm as a detoxing tea to soothe your throat, if you’re under the weather or simply want to unwind and destress at the end of the day. It also offers a comforting hug in a mug on a cold winter night.
The infused turmeric-ginger water can also be cooled down and sweetened to be turned into a refreshing lemonade that you can sip along with your meal to boost immunity and feel energized. You can also mix in some gin or vodka and turn it into a nutritious cocktail (yeah! it is possible to make cocktails healthy!)
This drink has all the good stuff in it! Turmeric, with its key active ingredient, curcumin, is a natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral agent and is believed to be a lot stronger compared to Vitamin C when it comes to boosting immunity. It also offers several other benefits to support metabolism, weight loss, heart and mental health. I love to use fresh turmeric roots for the recipe, which you can easily find in the Indian or Asian grocery stores and can last in the refrigerator for weeks. Of course, if you can’t find fresh ones, you can absolutely use ground turmeric and still reap its benefits
Ginger is equally good when it comes to its health benefits as an anti-inflammatory and is believed to improve the absorption of essential nutrients, lower stress levels, aid in faster recovery and leave you feeling good – which is essentially what we need to stay fit in this season, right?!
If you go the lemonade route, I recommend adding a touch of mint! It truly evens out that spicy, zingy aroma and gives it a delicately refreshing flavor. Additionally, mint leaves bring their own health benefits into the mix – they aid in digestion and are great for soothing sinuses!
Feel Good Drink: Turmeric Ginger Lemonade
Difficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes15
minutes1
hour10
minutesIngredients
4 cups water
4 inches fresh turmeric root, cleaned, peeled and thinly sliced (alternatively use 1 tsp ground turmeric)
2 inches fresh ginger root, cleaned, peeled and thinly sliced along with stems and thick parts of leaves
8 tsp (or to taste) sugar or any other sweetener of your choice
2 small Meyer or other varieties of lemons, approx. ¼ cup of juice
Lemon slices, for garnish
Mint sprigs, for garnish
Directions
- Fill the GitaDini 2-quart Saucepan with the built-in strainer with 4 cups of water and add in the slices of fresh turmeric and fresh ginger along with sugar. If you are using another sweetener like honey or agave nectar, you can add it at a later time.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and then simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off.
- You can have it as a warm tea at this point, with or without sweetener. Feel free to add slices of lemon and mint leaves in the hot tea for added flavor.
- To make the lemonade, let the infused water cool completely. It takes about an hour or so.
Squeeze in the juice of the lemons and stir well to combine.
- Pour into a pitcher or in glasses with lemon slices and mint sprigs over ice.
This lovely recipe has been created by Vasanti, creator of the Indian food blog Signature Concoctions. On her blog she shares a modern take on Indian cuisine that is cooked at home for family and friends, using new techniques and fresh ingredients, while staying true to its authenticity.
Find more delicious recipes in her new cook book!
You can also follow Vasanti on