“3.20 AM”, the station clock read as I got down from the train at railway station people were having tea from Spices Tea Stall. As expected there was a downpour. “what else do you expect in this season”. Small cities have their own charm during rain the person who said that was surely never stuck at a railway station in a small city in the middle of the night with heavy rain.
After 30 minutes of waiting in the rain then wait for the auto-rickshaw ride, I finally reached home – my mother’s home actually. I was meeting her after more than 1.5 years. So, I got a little confused about the house number. As I stepped out of the lift a refreshing aroma of hing, black pepper, and ginger coming from the house on the left cleared all my doubts.
My mother opened the door and had a glass of piping hot rasam ready for me. It gave me immediate relief from the running nose, cold and unsettled stomach due to disturbed sleep. It worked like magic!
The next morning I got up to the sweet fruity fragrance of cinnamon tea. It was a perfect companion to the gloomy and damp weather. I enjoyed my tea which also had black pepper and cloves while looking at the rain from inside the window – which finally looked beautiful to me.
I asked my mother, “Mom, why is that your food tastes so much better, even though I used the same ingredients as you like my rasam doesn’t taste half as good as yours from last night”.
Mom smiled while sipping her cinnamon tea and said, “It is all about the good quality spices, that is the secret that makes everything different. I get the best quality spices from Kerala.
Cardamom: Elaichi – also called the queen of spices is one of the most expensive spices for a reason. The best cardamom from Kerala has this beautiful green color and its fragrance can be smelt from miles away. Cardamom is not only versatile but also great to prevent cold and flu. It also gives relief to a sore throat.
While cardamom is widely used in all Indian sweets, the best way to get relief from a cold and sore throat is to have it with hot water and honey.
Black Pepper: Also called Kali Mirch, it is worth its weight in gold. India came to be known as the land of spices worldwide because of this. In colder weather, black pepper is your best friend. It is rich in vitamin C and great for immunity.
It works like black magic (pun intended) on a clogged nose and congested chest. Include it in your tea on rainy day
Turmeric: Today, Turmeric Latte is being celebrated in the west today. But, in India (the land of spices) it was being used since ancient times. Turmeric has become the new hero of immunity after the pandemic. Always buy good quality whole spice of turmeric and make the spice powder at home.
The best way to have turmeric apart from putting it in the tadka is the good old ‘Haldi Doodh’.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon has a versatile flavor that can fit into any dish from Biryani to Carrot Cake. Cinnamon has a distinct sweet flavor that speaks for itself. Apart from helping in diabetes and blood pressure, it has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties.
This makes it an excellent choice for the rainy season and is useful to combat all related allergies”.
This trip to mom’s house was full of good quality spices – literally & figuratively. ORDER NOW
Seasonings & Masalas