The Perfect Winter Warmer: Spices
There’s nothing like a good curry to make you sweat on a wintry evening. More than just chilli heat, spices are essential to your winter well-being. The same spices you’ll find in the kitchen of our Indian restaurant have proven impacts on immune function, circulation and winter colds.
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Turmeric
A root native to South-East Asia and the Indian subcontinent. This warming spice is known for its yellow dye and is essential in many Indian dishes.
Flavour profile: warm and bitter like black pepper, with an earthy aroma similar to mustard.
Health benefits: contains calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium.
Turmeric is used widely in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, particularly for its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects. It is also taken to ease rheumatic pains from arthritis, which may worsen in cold weather.
Taking turmeric in water or drinking turmeric milk is a common treatment for cold and flu symptoms. Eating dishes which contain high levels of turmeric, such as our Dhaba Channa Masala, can help ease your winter colds.
Ginger
Another Asian root herb, Ginger is one of the best-known warming spices. It’s a key ingredient in many winter favourites, from gingerbread to mulled wine, used for its warming effect on the body without the heat that comes from spice.
Flavour profile: spicy, fiery, zesty and peppery, ginger is a pungent but comforting taste.
Health benefits: Ginger is good for digestion and reduces bloating and gas during this season of indulgence. Like Turmeric, ginger is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, making it a useful spice for treating bacterial infections.
Enjoy the gingery flavour of our Makhani Dhal or Mirchi Murgh to warm you up this winter.
Cardamom
The seed pods of the cardamom tree are a key ingredient in our in-house masala mix, and part of what makes ours the best Indian food in Birmingham.
Flavour profile: fragrant, sweet, peppery flavour with notes of menthol and citrus.
Health benefits: Cardamom is a warming spice that improves circulation, making it great for warming cold hands and feet. It may also balance blood sugar and can lower blood pressure levels. It is known as a diaphoretic, in that it causes sweating, which is helpful for breaking a fever.
A widely used spice, cardamom features in sweet and savoury dishes. We recommend our Makhani Paneer for cardamom lovers: Indian cottage cheese in a sauce made from chilli, cream and yoghurt makes this a fragrant and tangy dish.
Coriander
Coriander is an Indian herb that can be both warming and cooling. A tea made from the leaves and drunk hot is extremely warming on a cold night in winter, but drunk cold it is cooling, and popular in many of the hottest places to live. Coriander seeds are also warming and used to stimulate appetite and nutrient absorption.
Flavour profile: a light, complex blend of floral, citrus, curry, and nutty flavours
Health benefits: Known for its digestive uses, coriander is mainly used for appetite stimulation and easing stomach cramps. It is also beneficial for the respiratory system, clearing mucous from the lungs.
Coriander is a common garnish in Birmingham Indian restaurants. To get the full benefits of coriander as a warming spice, we recommend the coriander-infused sauce of our Hakka Mock Chicken.
Easy Winter Warmer Recipe: Turmeric Milk
Turmeric milk, or Haldi Ka Doodh, is a common Indian warming drink used as a home remedy for colds, coughs and congestion. The warming spices in this hot drink can loosen catarrh and mucus, kill bacteria in the throat and offer a comforting sense of home.
Ingredients (makes 2 cups)
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 slice fresh ginger (or a generous pinch of ground ginger)
- 2 cloves
- Generous pinch ground allspice
- 2 cups milk
- Honey to taste
- Mix all the spices in a small pan.
- Add the milk and heat until almost boiling.
- As soon as the milk rises in the pan, take it off the heat and strain it into cups.
- Stir in honey to sweeten until completely dissolved.
Drink 2 cups daily until you start to feel better.
Escape the Cold at Itihaas
As a cold snap sweeps across the midlands, we invite you to step off the streets into our Indian restaurant in Birmingham. Whether you want to increase these spices in your diet or are craving a super-hot curry to raise your inner temperature, Itihaas has a full menu of rich, indulgent dishes to warm you through.
