Indian Almond Milk: Badam Milk (Badam Doodh)

This is an Indian/Pakistani almond milk drink. The only tough part, if you want to call it tough, is removing the skins from the almonds. If that's the toughest thing you ever experience in life, you'll have had a great life. Saffron is a very expensive spice and coloring additive for food made from the crocus plant and it is labor intensive to produce; thus, you are likely to pay $15 to $25 for a small jar or vial of the spice, which is appropriately golden colored. Saffron is easily available in spice shops, many supermarkets, and in many shops specializing in food products from the Mediterranean area, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Of course, it is available online.

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings): 

 

32 ounces (1 quart) milk

40 almonds

2 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoon honey 

a good pinch of saffron threads (or 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric)

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

a small amount of saffron or turmeric to garnish each serving 

 

Put the almonds into a bowl and cover them with some hot water. Let sit for about 30 minutes, then drain the almonds. The skins should come off very easily and the almonds will be much softer too, which should help to smooth them when ground. Add the peeled almonds to a blender, then add about 1/3 cup milk and blend until like a smooth paste (add a little more milk if too thick). Heat the remaining milk, along with the sugar, honey, ground cardamom and either saffron or turmeric. Put the milk over medium heat until it approaches boiling, then reduce the heat to low, add the almond mixture, and keep stirring, you don't want the milk to burn or stick, which will give it a scorched taste. Once the milk begins to simmer, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Drink it warm or refrigerate it for several hours until chilled. You can strain the milk to remove any somewhat larger bits of almond. You can garnish each serving with a couple of saffron threads or a small sprinkle of ground turmeric.   

WORD HISTORY:

Denim-This word was originally used for a type of heavy woolen and silk fabric that was produced in Nîmes, with the name taken from the short French phrase "de Nîmes," meaning "from Nîmes," and the original fabric was called "serge de Nîmes." "Nîmes" goes back to the Roman name of the city, "Nemausus," which was taken from one of the Gaulish dialects of southern Gaul (now France) along the Mediterranean Sea. "Nemausus" was taken from the name of a god or spirit worshipped by the local ancient Gaulish tribe; thus, possibly meant to signify a "sanctified place." Seemingly circa 1700, the production process shifted more to the use of cotton, and by the 1840s American cloth producers were making the fabric as twilled cotton (often dyed blue) and simply called it "denim," a consolidation of "de Nîmes."