A Healing Spice You Shouldn't Ignore This Winter

If you've grown up in any part of India, a version of the honey-lemon-ginger concoction couldn't have slipped past you ever.

You could be sick with a sore throat, so you'd get to sip a bit of this soothing tea. You could be feeling fat, so you'd drink a bit of honey-lemon in warm water. Or you could just want to boost your immunity with a bit of ginger-tulsi-honey-pepper drink every day.

I grew with all that and some more. As fall turned into winter, I was fed a teaspoon of ginger juice mixed with cinnamon powder, a bit of honey and a pinch of fresh pepper, every morning.

This was to ensure I wouldn't catch a cold at the drop of a hat and that I would make it through winter without an 'incident'. Top 8 Home Remedies for Cold and Flu

Truth be told, I hated it. Each morning, I'd whine - 'Why ginger?' - 'Because it's the world's healthiest food' -I'd be told. A great source of Vitamin C and magnesium it'll keep flu at bay.

Plus, allergies due to the weather, runny nose or an itchy throat could all be soothed. To top it all, it is a natural painkiller with anti-inflammatory properties. A Winter Superfood You Should Eat More Often

Ginger holds an important place in Ayurvedic medicine. It has long been prized as a digestive aid. It is known to improve the absorption of food by the body. It is known as natural remedy for stomach ailments, flatulence and also soothes the intestinal tract. It is also known to treat travel sickness and nausea, especially during pregnancy.

It made sense, but even then I dreaded each morning, because as much as I loved the smell of ginger, I hated the way it tasted - pungent and spicy. If it hadn't been for the cinnamon, I don't even think I'd have been able to swallow that spoonful. I figured that I could change the ratio a tiny bit and up the cinnamon quotient. It helped. The sweetness of cinnamon cut the acridness of ginger making the mix palatable.

It wasn't until I was in my early teens, I figured that I could switch to ginger powder instead. It wasn't as over-powering and a lot could be done with this. With merely 6 calories a teaspoon, this spice powder dulled the pungency of pure juice and instead made it mellow and sharp at the same time.

It was around the same time, I decided that making decoctions couldn't possibly be the only way to get a bit of the goodness of ginger-honey-cinnamon into the body and I came up with these cookies. These cookies are easy to make and store well too.

Ginger Honey Cinnamon Cookies

Makes 12 big cookies

Ingredients -

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

A pinch of salt

3 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp nutmeg

100 grams butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 egg yolk

Method -

1. Sift together all the dry ingredients - the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger powder, cinnamon powder and nutmeg. Set aside.

2. Beat the butter, honey and sugar together until well blended. Add the egg yolk into it.

3. Add all the dry ingredients and mix till a firm dough is formed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

4. Once chilled, roll the dough out and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 180 degree centigrade for 12 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven. Cool completely before eating.