Digestive syrup recipe | Then inji kashayam
- VJ
- Jul 25, 2022
- 3 min read
This digestive syrup is sweet, sour as well as spicy, made with the goodness of lemon, ginger and honey!
When my mother was a child, her aunt (my grandmother's sister) fed her this syrup for relieving her stomachache and other small troubles. So, my grandmother, then learnt this recipe from her sister. Since then, my grandma makes it in bulk yearly once (it stays good for at least 2 yrs). My mother makes it too and sometimes it's distributed to friends as well. In Sourashtra, we call this thene-inji-kashayam.
We use it mainly as a digestive aid for when we've had a heavy meal or in general when we have indigestion and bloating. It has various other health benefits too, about which I will tell you at the end of this post. I sometimes lick a teaspoon of this syrup to get rid of bad taste in my mouth. Now, let's get started with the recipe (scroll down to watch it as video).
CONTENTS
INGREDIENTS
(Makes about 600 gms of syrup)
3/4 cup - Ginger juice (from 100 gm ginger)
3/4 cup - Lemon juice (20-25 lemons)
3/4 cup - Crushed jaggery
3/4 cup - Sugar (white/brown), optional
1/2 cup - Water
500 gms - Honey
Note : You can use only jaggery or only sugar, instead of using both.
PROCEDURE
Total time : 1 hr [ Cooking time : 40 mins + Preparation time : 20 mins ]
(1 hr waiting time excluded)
Wash and peel ginger. The ginger skin is said to be poisonous, so make sure to always peel it before using. Once peeled, wash it again to remove any peel sticking to it.
Roughly chop them and grind the chopped pieces in a mixie using 1 cup of water till you get a smooth paste. Strain this paste to remove the ginger fibers from the ginger juice. Squeeze as much juice as possible from the ginger fibers.
Cover the ginger juice and set it aside for at least 1 hr so that the sediments settle down.
Meanwhile, squeeze and strain the juice of lemons. Cover the lemon juice and keep it in the refrigerator till you need use it.
Now, heat a pan with jaggery powder, sugar and water. Keep stirring till all the sugar and jaggery dissolves.
Then, strain this liquid to remove any impurities. Transfer it back to the pan and cook the liquid on high flame till it starts boiling. Then, reduce the flame to low and cook the liquid till it becomes a little sticky. This should take about 10 mins.
Now, add the ginger juice (only the top part, throw away the white sediment; this sediment can cause stomach upset).
Cook the liquid for 15 mins, till it is thick and frothy. Then add the lemon juice and cook for another 15 mins. The syrup should be frothy and have a thick honey-like consistency.
Switch off the flame and let the syrup cool down a bit. When the syrup is still lukewarm, add honey and mix well. (Note : Never add honey when a liquid is boiling as this can kill honey's properties).
Transfer this syrup into a dry glass bottle. This syrup or kashayam stays good for at least 2 yrs. Drink 2-3 tsps of this syrup with a glass of warm water. You can even have it as it is, without warm water.
BENEFITS
Syrup ( dose - 2 to 3 tsp ) : Cures loss of appetite, relieves stomach problems (acidity, bloating, constipation, nausea, etc), cures sore throat, cold, tastelessness, reduces fever, balances tridosha (vata, pitta & kapha), improves immunity and detoxes the body.
Ginger : Reduces inflammation, treats chronic indigestion, helps with weight loss and fights infections.
Lemon : Rich in Vitamin C, supports weight loss, improves skin quality, improves immunity and helps digestion.
Jaggery : Prevents constipation, purifies blood and helps with menstrual pain.
Honey : Antioxidant rich, has antibacterial and antifungal properties, soothes sore throat, helps with digestive problems and improves immunity.
Do try this recipe and let me know about your experience in the comments. See you again with another post. Eat healthy, stay happy, Bye!
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