Ginger, Scallion and Sugar Broth

Why people make this broth

Summer rain can catch you out — sunny one minute, soaked the next, then back into an air-conditioned office, and a chill sets in. Nourilo’s go-to is simple: get home, drink a hot bowl of ginger-scallion-sugar broth, bundle under a blanket, rest, and let a light sweat break. It is one of the oldest, gentlest folk remedies for the very first shivery stage of a cold.

Method

1. Shred the ginger; wash the scallion whites with their roots.
2. Add to 450 ml of water with the slab sugar.
3. Bring to a vigorous boil for 3 minutes. Drink hot, then bundle up and rest to encourage a light sweat.

Nourilo’s Tips

This broth is traditionally most useful right at the onset of a wind-cold chill. (Separately, during viral or seasonal flu spells, some people sip a dandelion-and-licorice tea for a few days as a precaution — but that is a different, cooling drink.)