RAAB

 
 

A favourite discovery of mine for both postpartum care and as a go-to when I’m feeling under the weather, Raab is a warm health drink made from bajra or pearl millet flour, along with ghee and spices such as ginger, cloves and ajwain.You’ll also find cardamom in there or star anise or nutmeg. Sipped from a glass or made slightly thicker and eaten like a porridge with a spoon, this natural home remedy is often made in Gujarati and Rajasthani households to build immunity for the family, and also served to strengthen new mothers (especially including Gond which is rich in calcium and used in Ayurveda to treat UTIs) and those low on energy or with a congested chest. 

Pearl millet (AKA bulrush millet) is one of the most cultivated of the millet types and most common type of millet that you can buy. It is rich in vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, phosphorus and zinc 

I like to sip or slurp this Raab during the colder months, especially during the seasonal changes as we shift into Autumn, then Winter and then Spring, but it can also be enjoyed served cold during the Summer months.

METHOD

  1. Melt the ghee in a saucepan on a medium- low heat

  2. Add the ajwain seeds, cloves, crushed cardamom pod and the millet flour to the pan. Roast, stirring continuously for about 30 seconds

  3. Next, add the gond (if using) and keep stirring until it swells

  4. Followed by the poppy seeds and saffron (if using) and the black pepper and ground ginger. Stir for 30 seconds

  5. Add the water and jaggery and bring up to the boil, stirring continuously

  6. Simmer for about 5 minutes until you get a thick drink of a consistency between soup and porridge

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp ghee

1/2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

2 cloves

1 cardamom pod, crushed (or 1 star anise or pinch of nutmeg)  

1 tsp ground ginger

1.5 tsp of pearl millet flour (Bajri atta) - or 3 tsp for a more porridge consistency

2 tsp jaggery or coconut sugar 

1.5 cups water

Optional: 

1 tsp Gond (gum accacia) coarse powder 

a few strands of saffron 

1 tsp poppy seeds

East by West tips:

Also delicious served at room temperature in the summer - the ghee can be replaced with  extra virgin olive and coconut oil during the summer season

Jasmine Hemsley