Spicy coffee to help clear blocked nose

Dry ginger-coriander coffee is a spicy and sweet traditional South Indian beverage.

A remedy for cold, its rich aroma can clear nasal blockage and provides relief from throat infections and fever.

Drinking sukku (ginger) malli (coriander) kappi (Tamil slang for coffee) first thing in the morning will kick-start your metabolism and can aid weight loss. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves: 3 Ingredients: 1 tbsp sukku malli podi 1 tbsp palm sugar or jaggery 2¼ cup water To make sukku malli podi: 3 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tsp sukku podi (dried ginger powder) ¼ tsp whole pepper 2 cardamom

Method: 1) Dry-roast the coriander seeds, pepper and cardamom in a pan till they turn slightly brown. 2) Grind the roasted ingredients into a fine powder. 3) Boil the water in a pot and add 1 tbsp of the podi. Boil for 2 minutes. 4) Add palm sugar and boil for a few seconds before turning off the heat. 5) Pass the coffee through a strainer before serving. Notes: a) Do not drink this too often. Ginger can irritate the throat. b) You can store sukku malli coffee podi for up to two weeks. c) You can use whole dried ginger. Just pound it in a mortar into powder.

 tabla@sph.com.sg

Jeyashri Suresh runs the vegetarian food website jeyashriskitchen.com