“Not feeling hungry today?
I will make a cup of sonti tea for the appetite.”
“Ate too much food at the party?
Would you want me to prepare sonti kashayam for better digestion?”
“Food was not good yesterday at the restaurant. My stomach is upset
Have a cup of sonti tea to calm the over working stomach.”
“I am tired and feeling little bit nauseous after the long day of shopping.
You sit there and rest. I will bring a hot cup of sonti coffee for you.”
“My head is hurting with this cold and cough.
There, there, have this cup of hot sonti tea. By tomorrow, you will be like a daisy.”
Sonti Powder, Dried Ginger (Sonti), and Fresh Ginger
For everything and anything, sonti is the treatment at my home. Sonti tea, Sonti coffee and Sonti kashayam are prescribed to cure and to relieve almost all types small ailments from stomach upsets to cold and cough. Most of the time, they work fine.
Sonti, the dried form of ginger root is equally given importance along with fresh ginger in Ayurveda for its healing properties. Though sonti looks mild and all dried out, it has all the fresh ginger potency and some. When added in small doses, the strong sonti flavor and aroma makes the food energizing and interesting. At our home, if you go back to one generation before us, they’ would start and end their day with a cup of sonti drink. For small ailments, whether one believes in capsules pushed on by multimillion dollar ad blitzes or in ancient medicine, what matters is the trust that the stuff we would put in our bodies could comfort and relieve the symptoms. For us, the magic cure-all potion still hasn’t lost its magic.
Recipe :
From just a pinch to a tablespoon of sonti powder is added to a cup of tea. The amount varies on individual preference and tolerance. We like to add a teaspoon of sonti powder to a cup. Not too much, not too little, you would definitely notice the sonti taste.
To powder sonti, take sonti pieces in a mortar and pound them to smooth powder. We usually prepare powder for one month’s worth and store it in a tight lid box.
To prepare sonti tea and coffee: start the coffee/tea preparation like you normally do. And at the end, add the sonti powder. Simmer or heat few seconds. Pour to a cup and enjoy the tea enriched with sonti powder.
Sonti is available at Indian grocery shops.
Sonti Recipes: Sonti Coffee, Sonti Kashayam and Chukkuvellam
Thank you for introducing sonti to me, I’ll have to try this out. I have only cooked tea with fresh ginger before, which I love, but sonti seems like an easier alternative – just a few seconds of simmering.
All the best, Anni.
Comment by Anni — January 16, 2008 @ 11:24 pm
i have heared on having sonti in our daily basis of cooking will keep us slim & fit. and while preparing this sonti tea..i prefer to add jaggery instead of sugar.
nice post.
Comment by lavanya — January 16, 2008 @ 11:46 pm
Indira your sonti is indeed the ultimate panacea. Your sonti kasayam recipe works so well,I have shared it with many family memebers and friends. If started on first signs of cold,it cut shorts your cold to just a couple of days,and it curbs congestion so well….and one glass before bedtime warms up the body for a full nights sleep.
Comment by sowhatsnewtoday — January 17, 2008 @ 4:25 am
Thank you for the recipe! Any idea whether I can buy this in the standard Indian grocery store?
Comment by Chevalier — January 17, 2008 @ 6:03 am
Thanks for this posting Indira. I travel for business frequently. Before my trips, i make a mix of sonti, raw sugar, and citric acid. i keept it in a ziploc bag, and add one spoon to a glass of hot water on the plane or at the hotel. The mix helps to overcome travel exhaustion and jetlag.
Comment by padmaja — January 17, 2008 @ 6:14 am
I feel pleased as i read the initial lines of the post. Very well written Indira , and 100 % true :).
I get some for myself from India , and I absolutely love “Chai” with it. All the advantage of it is the gift of Indian traditions, Isn’t it ? Good that you posted this, it will help to keep this alive for our next generations.
I just saw your picture gallary again ,and I am very glad that you made is full proof. Now there is no way anyone can steal it. Was just wishing to give those photothief a hard time :)) .
Comment by Pooja — January 17, 2008 @ 7:13 am
Indira, more than the sonti tea… the puri and potato kura on the side looks appetizing 🙂
Comment by Latha — January 17, 2008 @ 7:55 am
I love this…I make it often in winter.
Comment by Diane — January 17, 2008 @ 8:30 am
Hi Indira,
I am a frequent visitor to your blog, I found somebody stealed recipes from your site. I just wanted you to let you know. Here is the link
http://iaminhungry.blogspot.com/search/label/Baked%20Items
Megan
Comment by megan — January 17, 2008 @ 8:44 am
I get only powdered sonti here. They look and taste like talcum powder. Hence I stick to fresh ginger. Kashayam with sonti is one of the best medicines I have come across.
Comment by Suganya — January 17, 2008 @ 9:44 am
look great stress reliver…I usualy make it with ginger root.may i know is there significant change when we use ginger insted of sonti.thank u for sharing
Comment by chandana — January 17, 2008 @ 10:36 am
Even in US, we use a home-made chai masala which has soonth in it, alongwith all other spices, and that’s so refreshing in the morning cup of tea!! I just can’t do without this everyday:)
Comment by Mansi — January 17, 2008 @ 11:00 am
Indira, most of the times I use to make this Chuuku tea when I was in Chennai… Even here, sometimes I make my own dry ginger and add it to Tea. And Ofcourse every single day we make tea with fresh ginger.
Comment by Rina — January 17, 2008 @ 12:15 pm
Nice memories! And also our grandma used to threaten us saying she will put sonti in our eyes if we don’t stop running amok and breaking things around the house! 😉
Comment by Desi — January 17, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
Looks like sonti has many fans.:) Thank you all for your sweet notes on sonti.
Megan, thanks very much for taking time to alert me to this blog filled with stolen images.
Comment by Indira — January 17, 2008 @ 9:01 pm
Indira, I hv had fresh ginger tea and chukku-kaapi..but soonti chai is new..shall try it in evening! Tks for sharing!
Comment by Purnima — January 18, 2008 @ 4:50 am
its also good for motion sickness and nausea that comes from altitude sickness. i take chukku tea(lipton green label with smashed chukku..designer teas be damned…hah!) instead of hot chocolate these days while climbing.
i think its also useful for pregnant women during morning sickness…but i could be wrong. i cant imagine ginger being bad for pregnant women anyways, but i am not sure.
really nice..welcome for this time of the year too… take care!
Belated greetings for a Happy New Year and Happy Pongal, FB.
Chukku tea with honey is great for motion sickness, yes. For pregnancy vomitings, sonti kashayam, the water based warm drink works as well.
Bring back the archives please, atleast the diya post, a sincere request from a polyglot.:)
-Indira
Comment by faustianbargain — January 21, 2008 @ 10:20 am
Sonti karam is a regular at my grandmothers place. We eat it with annam and neyyi before any meal.
Comment by sv — January 22, 2008 @ 8:05 am
Indira, I love your recipes and detailed way of explaining!
I am starting to venture into Indian cooking (as I’m originally from Mexico) and wanted some guidance.
Unfortunately most of my friends from India don’t cook…but their lunches, made by their mothers, make the whole lunchroom smell so heavenly!
Searching for such guidance I found you. Thank you!
Regarding the disrespectful stealing of your content by third parties (I followed the link given my Megan) I know that, since they belong to Google/Blogger, their account can be taken away.
I just wanted to say thank you, not only for teaching me about Indian cooking, but for teaching me a little more about the culture as well.
Comment by Angie — February 3, 2008 @ 6:12 am
Searching for such guidance I found you. Thank you!
Comment by web developer in Jaipur — March 9, 2018 @ 3:29 pm