Natural Health Mix

Forty ingredients in one spoon. Seven millets, ten pulses and legumes, whole grains, four traditional Tamil rice varieties, and the nuts and seeds that make it taste like something you would actually look forward to — almond, cashew, walnut, pistachio, lotus seed, pumpkin and flax. Dry ginger and cardamom are ground in at the end, the way it has always been done at home.

It is made the slow way, in small batches, by hand. Every ingredient is cleaned and roasted, then left to cool completely before grinding — that cooling step is the one most people skip, and it is what keeps the powder from turning pasty and going stale early. Then it is ground fine, and zip-sealed the same day.

There are no preservatives in it, no artificial flavours, no added colours and no added sugar. Nothing artificial goes in at any stage. That is also why it does not keep for a year: six months from packing, and best within ninety days.

One glass works as breakfast for a child, a light dinner for an elder, and something filling for anyone in between. Sweeten it with jaggery or take it with a pinch of salt. If you are introducing it to a young child, please start with a small quantity and check with your paediatrician first — this blend contains nuts.