Tired and exhausted? I am going to show you the cheapest and the healthiest instant-energy-boost drink that you can make at home…
Had I not been down with the flu I wouldn’t have remembered this drink, which my mom used to make me drink when I was growing up. In Kerala, India where I grew up, a day without rice for lunch is seldom seen.
The hot water from the cooked rice with a hint of salt is often shared with everyone in the house. A glass of this water provides with the needed instant energy to be active for the rest of the day.
In Kerala, cooked rice water has been the energy booster for almost all people, from the white-collar executive to the blue-collar construction worker. I am surprised to see it still is given much importance as in the olden days. This reminds me of the proverb “Old is gold”.
When I told my mom about the flu, she recommended a few things that would help me to recover fast. First, she told me to drink lots of water and as energy drink cooked rice water. Secondly, she told me to inhale steam, which helps to reduce the nasal congestion. Thirdly, she asked me to take good rest.
For the first two days, I totally ignored all of the above. I then realized I was getting weaker and weaker. On the third day, I managed to enter the kitchen slowly, took the rice from the pantry and cooked it in a pressure cooker, drained the water from it. Added salt to the piping hot rice water and sipped it gently. After I emptied the glass, I started to sweat and found my body regaining its lost momentum. I kept the cooked rice water in a flask and sipped it frequently. End of that day, I felt much better and energized.
The benefits of cooked rice water doesn’t stop just with the energy drink, it has lot more to offer:
- Cooked rice water with an extra hint of salt offers an instant remedy for Diarrhea.
- Rice water in treatment of infantile gastroenteritis: Read this
- Cooked rice water and beauty: It provides shiny hair and a clear facial skin. Wash the hair with cold rice water and rinse it with water. Wash your face with cold rice water, helps in improving the facial skin.
- In Kerala, rice water has been used for starching white clothes. White clothes are usually soaked in rice water diluted with water for few minutes and washed, after drying it, the white clothes will turn wrinkle free and firm just like newly bought.
I feel happy for being able to share these facts with my dear readers. Flu is just a reason; the energy drink I used to drink still gets a special corner in my heart.
Cooked-Rice Water
Ingredients:
- Rosematta rice ( Kerala Matta Rice) or Ponni Rice, washed- 1 cup
- Water- 4 cups
- Salt- to taste
Instruction:
- Place the rice on a sieve and wash under running water.
- In a pressure cooker, add the rice and water along with the salt.
- Cook the rice until it is well done.
- After the pressure of the cooker has subsided, open the lid and drain the rice through a sieve, collecting the water in a bowl.
- Add salt if required and serve in a glass.
- For an extra kick, drink this water with pickle or any spicy side dish.
If you are using rice-cooker:
- If you are cooking rice in a rice-cooker, cook the rice until done.
- While cooking in a rice-cooker, the water added is absorbed completely by the cooked rice.
- In this scenario, take enough rice in a bowl, add hot water to it, salt and mash the rice with your hand or wooden spoon.
- The water from the mashed rice should be strained through a sieve and serve in a glass.
- You could also have the water along with the mashed rice, which is highly nutritional.
Tips:
- I prefer Rosematta Rice to Ponni Rice as the water from the cooked rosematta rice is higly nutritional and flavorful.
- Rosematta Rice is the popular rice in Kerala, which is pinkish in color, it’s available in some Indian stores. Ponni rice is available in almost all Indian stores.
- Add enough water while cooking the rice, otherwise the cooked rice will absorb all the water.
- You could also flavor your cooked rice water with Rasam or pickle for a spicy kick.
- Rosematta rice ( Kerala Matta Rice) or Ponni Rice, washed- 1 cup
- Water- 4 cups
- Salt- to taste
- Place the rice on a sieve and wash under running water.
- In a pressure cooker, add the rice and water along with the salt.
- Cook the rice until it is well done.
- After the pressure of the cooker has subsided, open the lid and drain the rice through a sieve, collecting the water in a bowl.
- Add salt if required and serve in a glass.
- For an extra kick, drink this water with pickle or any spicy side dish.
- If you are cooking rice in a rice-cooker, cook the rice until done.
- While cooking in a rice-cooker, the water added is absorbed completely by the cooked rice.
- In this scenario, take enough rice in a bowl, add hot water to it, salt and mash the rice with your hand or wooden spoon.
- The water from the mashed rice should be strained through a sieve and serve in a glass.
- You could also have the water along with the mashed rice, which is highly nutritional.
Rosematta Rice is the popular rice in Kerala, which is pinkish in color, it's available in some Indian stores. Ponni rice is available in almost all Indian stores.
Add enough water while cooking the rice, otherwise the cooked rice will absorb all the water.
You could also flavor your cooked rice water with Rasam or pickle for a spicy kick.
