Ginger and turmeric Jamu, an immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory health tonic to give your body a supercharge. It's an easy-to-make blend of fresh turmeric, ginger, lime, water, and honey.
What is Jamu?
Turmeric Jamu is a traditional herbal medicine from Indonesia made from natural ingredients, such as roots, bark, flowers, seeds, leaves, and fruits.
Long before modern Western medicine was introduced, Indonesians managed to combat many illnesses with traditional medicinal recipes such as Jamu.
Many Jamu's come in bright orange in color, while others are green or even black, depending on the ingredients. A Jamu blend may be prepared from any combination of herbs, giving it hundreds of variations.
With centuries of practice, specific kinds of Jamu can be made for specific purposes, from common health issues like colds and flu to serious illnesses like diabetes and cholesterol.
History of Jamu
Jamu represents a centuries-old Indonesian ancient herbal medicinal tradition that uses specific, natural ingredients to treat skin and health issues.
In Indonesia today, even with the prevalence of Western medicine the government still recognizes Jamu as a medicinal practice with its own set of FDA regulations.
It originated some 1,300 years ago in the Mataram Kingdom in Central Java and is heavily influenced by Ayurveda, the system of Hindu traditional medicine.
Learn more about the history of Jamu here...
Health Benefits
- Immune booster - Fight colds, flu and virus
- Anti-inflammatory - Good for bones and joints
- Detoxifier and kidney cleanser - Clean your system of toxins
Learn more about the incredible health benefits of turmeric in my ingredient blog.
Why make turmeric Jamu?
Throughout our lives, we expect so much from our body, every day our body performs miracles to keep us energized and functioning in the world. Pumping blood and oxygen throughout our vessels and cells, digesting every molecule of food, processing limitless amounts of information, and much much more.
We are all guilty of pushing our bodies to the limits.. not enough sleep or movement, mediocre food, stress, environmental toxins, alcohol, and smoking.
We all need to take a step back from time to time and reassess our lifestyles... slow down, breathe and invest in our health and wellbeing.. it is the soundest investment we will ever make.
Our health is our greatest wealth - invest wisely
Ingredients for Jamu
- Water
- Turmeric root
- Ginger root
- Black pepper
- Lime (or lemon)
- Honey (or maple)
How to make turmeric Jamu
Making Jamu at home is fun and easy. I find it very satisfying to be able to make my own health tonics at home and share them with friends and family.
There are 2 ways to make Jamu: You can make it either in a blender or a cold press juicer.
1. Turmeric Jamu Blender Method
- Wash & Slice. Wash your fresh turmeric and ginger, slice into thin pieces. Skin on is ok. Peeled works fine also.
- Blend. Add the turmeric, ginger, black pepper and water to a high powered blender. Blend for about 1 minutes until smooth.
- Boil. Pour the mixture into a pot and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes, take off the heat. Add the honey and citrus juice. Give it all a good stir.
- Strain. Using a fine strainer, nut milk bag or cloth, strain the mixture. Pour into a glass bottle and transfer to the fridge.
2. Turmeric Jamu Cold Pressed Juicer Method
- Wash & Slice. Wash your fresh turmeric and ginger, cut into pieces big enough to fit into the juicer. Skin on is ok. Peeled works fine also.
- Juice. Add the turmeric and ginger root to the juicer and extract all juicer. Add some of the water to juicer to get all the juice out from the pulp.
- Boil. Pour the mixture into a pot, add the water and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes, take off the heat. Add the honey, cracked black pepper and citrus juice. Give it all a good stir.
- Strain. Using a fine strainer, nut milk bag or cloth, strain the mixture. Pour into a glass bottle and transfer to the fridge.
Chefs Top Tips
Best to wear gloves when your making Jamu, the turmeric will turn everything orange!
How to drink Jamu
Traditionally, Jamu is served chilled from the fridge or over ice. It is equally as nice warmed through and served as a comforting hot beverage. During the daytime when it's a little hot outside I like to drink it chilled, I prefer to warm it up in the evening time for a nightcap.
When to drink Jamu
It would be an ideal drink first thing in the morning to prime your digestion or enjoy in-between meals throughout the day.
Substitutions
If you don’t have honey or want to make the Jamu 100% vegan, use maple syrup, coconut nectar, or brown rice syrup. No lime? Lemon works just as well.
More healthy drink recipes to try
- Ginger shots
- Wax gourd juice
- Malva nut juice
- Golden turmeric
- Black sesame milk
- Pineapple tepache
- Wild kombucha
We hope you enjoy this delicious recipe. We're happy to share it with you. If you make this recipe please let us know in the comments below what you think. We love seeing your recreations. Happy cooking friends!
📋 Recipe
Turmeric Jamu - Immune Boosting Health Tonic
Equipment
- Weighing scales
- Chopping board
- Chefs knife
- Blender
- Strainer
- Glass bottles
- Serving glasses
Ingredients
- 600 ml Water - filtered filtered
- 150 g Turmeric root
- 50 g Ginger root
- 2 teaspoon Black pepper - ground
- 2 each Lime juiced
- 30 ml Honey
Instructions
Making in a blender method
- Assemble and weigh out all ingredients.
- Clean the turmeric and ginger to remove any loose skin or blemishes.
- Slice the turmeric and ginger.
- Put it in a blender with the water and black pepper.
- Blend for 1 minute on high speed until smooth.
- Pour mixture into a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, add lime juice and sweetener to 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.
- Serve either warm or chilled with a wedge of lime.
Making in a cold press juicer method
- Assemble and weigh out all ingredients.
- Clean the turmeric and ginger to remove any loose skin or blemishes.
- Put the ginger and turmeric through the juicer until all the juice is extracted.
- Pour mixture into a saucepan, add the water and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, add lime juice, cracked black pepper and sweetener to taste.
- Allow to cool.
- Pour into a glass bottle or jar and refrigerate.
- Serve either warm or chilled with a wedge of lime.
Notes
- Jamu is lovely served either chilled or warm through for a hot comforting tonic.
- Try adding more water if it is a little strong for your taste buds.
Nutrition
Turmeric Jamu will last for up to 5 days in the fridge, stored in an airtight container, ideally a glass bottle. Shake well before opening.
The flavor of this Jamu recipe is deliciously intense. The turmeric provides earthiness, ginger brings spice, lime juice adds acidity, and the honey balances it out with a touch of sweetness.
Yes indeed, you can use maple, coconut nectar, or brown rice syrup.
BREDA
It is great that you give all the variations, equipment that us needed and the nutritional benefits also.
Erik R
LOVE THIS, thanks for sharing 👌😊