Turmeric and ginger jamu, an anti-inflammatory health tonic to add to your arsenal of home remedies.
When we were in Bali earlier this year I noticed turmeric jamu on the menu of many of the places we ate. Usually served chilled, it's a bright marigold coloured drink, intensely flavoured with turmeric, ginger and lime. It's potent stuff with a strong flavour that I quickly acquired a taste for. I find it uniquely refreshing, and of course the knowledge that it's incredibly good for you helps the medicine go down too.
I found myself ordering jamu at every opportunity. Some were better than others and it was obvious when dried turmeric had been used instead of fresh turmeric root. Regardless of its relative deliciousness, it always left me feeling refreshed and with a sense of wellbeing. I resolved to make some as soon as we were back home in New Zealand, and to make it regularly.
Traditional Indonesian jamu
Jamu is traditional Indonesian medicine, predominantly made from natural ingredients including roots, bark, flowers, seeds, leaves and fruits. It dates back thousands of years and has some similarities to Ayurveda. In Indonesia jamu is used to address a wide range of ailments, depending on the ingredients used.
Widely available from cafes and restaurants across Bali, turmeric jamu seems to be the most commonplace. A Balinese cook told me that women traditionally drink it two or three times a week for beauty, and men drink it mixed with raw egg yolk for strength.
I also tried tamarind jamu (rather lovely in its sharpness), and have since discovered that turmeric and tamarind is a common combination in jamu.
The health benefits of turmeric
One of the most powerful healing herbs, turmeric is a rhizome or root (similar in form to ginger) that can be used fresh, or in dried powder form. Besides being a powerful anti-inflammatory, natural liver detoxifier and kidney cleanser, it's also thought to have a host of health benefits including antioxidant, digestive, antiplatelet (decreases clotting), cholesterol lowering and anti-carcinogenic properties.
Turmeric's health benefits come from curcumin, the active ingredient now being studied around the world for its potential health benefits in warding off dementia and cancer.
So just how much turmeric is good for you? The jury is out. Recommended dosages vary widely, depending on how it's consumed and whether it's a preventative or curative dose. I can't tell you how much is in a glass of jamu, but I can tell you that many people drink it daily, and especially if they're suffering from any type of illness.
Me? I'll be drinking turmeric jamu this winter to boost my immunity and help ward off cold and flu, and upping my consumption any time I'm feeling a bit run down.
Make your own turmeric jamu
You can make jamu using dried turmeric, but I really recommend seeking out fresh turmeric root if you can. It's inexpensive, tastes fresher and cleaner, and is probably better for therapeutic purposes.
I gave my turmeric root a light peel to remove loose skin and any blemishes, then put it in the blender with fresh ginger and water. Once I had a smooth concoction on my hands, I boiled it for 20 minutes, added some fresh lime juice and honey, strained it, then poured it into glass bottles to refrigerate. Black pepper aids absorption of curcumin, so you could also add a pinch of pepper if you like.
Bear in mind that fresh turmeric stains everything it comes into contact with, so don't use your best chopping board, and make sure you wear gloves if you moonlight as a hand model. Wash your blender immediately, and thoroughly.
This recipe makes about 800ml of jamu, or just over three cups. I'd suggest having around half a cup, every day or two. It's usually served chilled, but you can also drink it warm, which would be a great option if you're home with the sniffles.
Get the recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 125 g fresh turmeric root (about 4.5 oz or ¾ cup, roughly chopped)
- 20 g fresh ginger root (a large finger sized piece)
- 2-4 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1-2 tablespoon honey (or substitute maple syrup or sweetener of your choice)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Clean and peel turmeric to remove any loose skin or blemishes. Put it in a blender with sliced ginger root and 4 cups of water. Blend until smooth.
- Pour mixture into a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and add lime juice and honey to taste. I used 2 tablespoon of lime juice and 1 tablespoon of honey, but I can see that more of either would be nice too depending on your taste.
- Strain through a very fine sieve, nut milk bag or muslin cloth (remember, it'll stain), pour into a glass bottle or jar and refrigerate.
KIM
CAN YOU USE A JUICER INSTEAD OF A BLENDER?
Amber
Hi Kim, I'm not sure sorry - I don't own a juicer so haven't tried it 🙂
Zachary Domike
I believe a high-pressure juicer would be fine. My version adds cacao powder & Maca, both improve by cooking.
Rather than coffee, I drink it in the morning & add cayenne - it's a Kick!
Amber
Sounds like quite a kick!! 🙂
Val
Hi there,I was in Bali staying at a resort where they were Ed 2 types of Jamu juice we had it every morning it was so good so we asked for the recipe ,he said tumeric fresh,tammorid and the other has finger in it and palm sugar ,he just said to heat up in a pot and strain and keep in fridge
JP
Having lived in Indonesia for several years, I adored my jamu, and had it virtually daily. There are so many delicious varieties, and it really does keep the doctor away! (Jamu kunyit remains my favourite, hands down.)
Fresh turmeric stains are definitely a thing, though, and here's a tip: quite often, the stained item (whether clothing or kitchen gear) does not respond to washing or scrubbing, and stubbornly remains stained. It can usually be restored, however, by placing it outside in the full sun for several hours.
Strange but true, this has worked for me nine times out of ten!
Amber
Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely try it (so many turmeric stains... lol!) 🙂
Julie Clay
Hi thank you for your comment , could you tell me what Jamu kunyit is please..
I have been gifted some Jamu Sehat Talijiwa im not able to read the packaging
thank you and hope you are well.
Julie
Amber
Hi Julie, I'm not fluent in Indonesian but my understanding is that 'kunyit' is turmeric, and I think 'sehat' means healthy. I'm not sure what talijiwa refers to sorry. Sounds like it's possibly a powdered instant jamu mixture? You could try mixing a teaspoon of it with water to check the taste, and adjust from there.
H Modha
Wowzaa???.... Terrific stuff!?❤️
Shane
Would you add cracked pepper for the activation or not needed you think.
Amber
Hi Shane, pepper wasn't added to the versions of jamu I've tried. I'm not sure if there's a particular reason for that. I can't see it doing any harm or ruining the flavour if you wanted to add it though 🙂
Ayana Muhammad
Amber, thank you so very much for sharing this delightful Jamu recipe. ? I've made my first batch of it tonight and it's absolutely divine!
Loving Life,
Ayana Tuere
Amber
Enjoy 🙂
Chris
In response to your warning that Turmeric stains, I have a wonderful solution. ORANGE OIL. There used to be a cleaner called "Mean Green Orange Champ". It had the perfect mixture of soap to oil and it cleaned my countertops, clothes, AND linoleum of many turmeric stain. However, it is getting harder to find this product. (Maybe if we all write the manufacturer?)...... In lieu of locating this product, I have used dish soap, watered down (10 to 1 of water), and added orange oil. Mrs. Meyers dish soap is also wonderful, but comes with its own essential oils. I am going to suggest they either make an orange oil one or an unscented one for all us turmeric users!
Amber
Thanks Chris that's amazing info! I have so many things that are stained with turmeric, lol 🙂 Sounds like I need to get hold of some orange oil.
Debra kimmons
I made my first batch of jams juice today. I cleaned the turmeric and ginger put them in a blender with filtered water added lime juice and honey then refrigerated. Now I’m having second thoughts should I have boiled the mixture after blending. What could happen by omitting that step
Amber
Hi Debra, boiling the jamu before chilling is the traditional method and I understand it increases absorption/bioavailability of the curcumin. I'm not sure if NOT doing it will do harm, it may just not be as well absorbed by your body. You could always take it back out of the fridge and boil it before chilling again 🙂
Talat
Had this as a hot drink in Jakarta, simply delicious and a great health benefit.
They told me to make it with tamarind and ginger.
Spice it as you need. Lemon grass and pepper, lime.
Brought a whole load of fresh ingrediants, just ready to make my first batch.
Talat
Megan
If you were to use dried tumeric, how much would you use in this recipe?
Amber
Hi Megan, I haven't tested it, but my notes from Bali suggest 60g of dried turmeric would be appropriate to this amount of water (1 litre/4 cups) 🙂
lisa
I make mine with approximately 250 grams of Turmeric root, 150 grams of ginger root and a packet of seedless tamarind block, 200 grams approx. I just wash the Turmeric, too footery to peel, and remove some of the skin of the ginger. I melt the tamarind in water on the stove and blend the Turmeric and ginger root in blender (you require a heavy blender) with a couple of cans of coconut milk until it’s a smoothie, then I add a fair amount of ground black pepper and blend it again. I add all this to pan with the dissolved tamarind adding more hot water and cook for twenty minutes. I then force it through a conical strainer into another pan (discarding the roots) and when cool I poor into a couple of 1 litre containers and keep it in the fridge. I drink by adding into a mug with hot water and it’s all consumed within two weeks; at the end of the first week I order more Turmeric and Tamarind block. It seems to work on arthritis; I only tried because it worked on an old dog with arthritis, so it couldn’t be a placebo effect; as for all the other miracle cure properties, like cancer and heart disease, I simply don’t believe the hype.
michael collins
There is. Turmeric contains starches that need to be broken down for the benefits to be absorbed. Heating the turmeric serves that purpose. Also, it is important, as has been mentioned to add black pepper to increase the bioavailability of the turmeric. What hasn't been said, is that the pepper has to be freshly ground. It is the oil in the black pepper that you need, and black pepper that is already ground doesn't have it.
Forgot: It's also important to have a source of fat too. coconut milk would do well.
Dee
Do you use the leftover pulp in any particular way?
Amber
Hi Dee, I haven't done anything in particular with it, no, and in fact my blender does such a good job there's not a great deal of pulp left over. If you do have pulp left over, I think it could be worth adding to a bliss ball mixture, or perhaps adding to a sweet baked loaf or similar 🙂
Ypsi
Hi Dee,
I use the leftover pulp in my smoothies and when I make pasta sauce, I usually use a store-bought one and then I add lots of grated veggies to it. I add some of the leftover pulp to the pasta sauce as well. I think it's good to be wasted (if nothing else, it will add fibre).
If I have too much to use up I add it to my compost pile.
Simona
Wouldn’t boiling it kill the beneficial properties...?
Amber
Hi Simona, no, I don't think it does. This method is traditionally used by herbalists in Indonesia 🙂
Katie
Is there a reason behind heating it? Just thinking most of the nutritional qualities of the drink will be destroyed simmering it for 20 minutes...would it taste ok to leave it raw?
Amber
That's a good question, and to be honest I'm not sure of the reason for heating it. This is how it's made in Indonesia. I went to a jamu making class with a herbalist in Bali two weeks ago (new recipe coming soon) and this is also how they made it, so I'm confident it's right and still considered a powerful remedy. Hope that helps?
Kerrie
Hi. Do you have to use ginger, not a fan
michael collins
There is. Turmeric contains starches that need to be broken down for the benefits to be absorbed. Heating the turmeric serves that purpose. Also, it is important, as has been mentioned to add black pepper to increase the bioavailability of the turmeric. What hasn't been said, is that the pepper has to be freshly ground. It is the oil in the black pepper that you need, and black pepper that is already ground doesn't have it.
joanne vanalstyne
from what I have read, if you use dry tumeric the "heating" releases the good stuff. I would imagine it would be the same for the raw. I had to make a tumeric/ginger paste for my dog for joint issues, which was basically the same as what I do for tumeric tea and they all have to simmer 10 minutes.
Erin
I've made this quite a few times in the past and have just been inspired to make it again. Apparently adding a pinch of black pepper drastically improves the bioavailability/absorption. Might be worth adding to the recipe to get the most out of the benefits 🙂
Sybille
Hi Amber, I have been making my own Jamu Kunyit Assam (turmeric jamu) since living in Indonesia. My recipe actually also includes tamarind, apart from turmeric and ginger. I also add some palm sugar, and of course freshly squeezed lime juice
Amber
That sounds amazing, the sourness of tamarind would be really refreshing. I'm heading back to Bali this year and will be sure to try as many variations on jamu as I can 🙂
Lucy
How long will this keep? Does it need to be stored in the fridge?
Amber
Hi Lucy, this will easily keep for up to a week in the fridge - though I'm not sure what it's maximum storage time would be sorry.
Mari
I just bought some fresh turmeric and it's patiently waiting for me to put it into some great use 🙂 and this deliciously and healthy looking tonic is the right job for it, don't you think? 🙂
Amber
Perfect for it! Enjoy xx
Kate | The Veg Space
Wow this sounds wonderful - I had never come across Jamu but have heard a lot about the health benefits of turmeric and I'm a convert. I used to take turmeric capsules every day for back pain, but this would have been such a tastier way to get my turmeric fix!!
Amber
Ah interesting, the amazing powers of turmeric!
Todd
I make a Turmeric cayenne pepper drink every morning I was recently in the hospital after haveing a heart attack due a fricken doctor having me on a med that cause people to have heart attacks when they checked my valves on my heart my body had already rerouted around the problem cayenne pepper saved me there if you can handle the heat I recommend you to research and se the benefits.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
WOW, what a gorgeous colour!! It's making me feel healthier just looking at it haha
Amber
The colour is phenomenal isn't it!?
Pretty Patel
Yes it's funny how turmeric stains everything! I have this every morning but without the honey and love it! It's amazing how many healthy benefits are in one small drink!
Amber
Yes, I think I'm going to try making this part of my everyday morning routine too. It's so good!
Herma
I was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis a year ago. Been using Ginger tumaric and a whole fresh lemon and my health has improved tremendously. I use it every day
Dana
I love jamu and just got a book on it. There are so many varieties and concoctions it's overwhelming. I haven't had any in quite a while, I think you've inspired me to make some more. Thanks!
Amber
I'd love to learn more about it too, I can only imagine how many varieties there must be!
Kas
What book are you reading , I'm very interested..