Leigyam: A Herbal Remedy for the Excesses of Deepavali Feasting
This Ayurvedic recipe is passed down through the generations, and made especially during Deepavali to counter the excesses of festive feasting.
Sleepy and annoyed to be woken up so early, we would begin the festivities of Deepavali with a few rituals— an oil bath, new clothes that we had eagerly shopped for, and prayers in the puja room. After this, our mouths were stuffed with leigyam, a herbal sweet and spicy digestive, that our mother and grandmother would have painstakingly made the previous day. Though it is good for health, the semi-solid concoction was something that I did not enjoy, and ate a small spoon of it grudgingly every year.
So, what is leigyam? Also known as Deepavali marundhu, the leigyam is a herbal concoction enjoyed by many families for its medicinal properties, particularly during Deepavali when we tend to become less mindful about being healthy. As we indulge in foods that we do not consume regularly, the leigyam acts as a reliever of any discomfort that we might feel while we eat them. My grandmother believes that this leigyam can also prevent any sickness that can come after having an head wash early morning. Apart from reigniting the digestive fire that helps fight the ill-effects of heavy foods, leigyam also helps the body to fight colds and infections that one might get as the weather becomes a little colder during Deepavali. So, despite my aversion towards it when I small, it was something that I reached out for willingly when I felt uneasy after eating.
As I grew older, I began to love leigyam primarily because it showed me that the ingredients that we use on a daily basis have immense medicinal properties. For example, jeera helps digestion, ajwain helps manage flatulence, and arisi thipili (a variety of long pepper in Tamil) is beneficial in detoxifying the body. Others that are often added along with these include pepper, dry and fresh ginger, honey, ghee and jaggery. As some of these ingredients are powdered then cooked, ghee is used to provide lubrication and aid digestion. Overall, the spices used in making the leigyam are great in small quantities for improving overall health, immunity and also for cleansing the body of toxins.
Every family has their own way of making the leigyam, and use varying proportions of spices. Most often, the recipe is passed on through word of mouth from one generation to another and each tweaking it suit their preferences — this is why no two leigyams taste the same. The recipe that my mother and I follow is what my grandmother has been making at home for several years. It has a fiery kick to it that is particularly well-balanced by a undertone of sweetness.
Making it is simple, and the recipe that I share here is the one that I have watched my grandmother and mother make several times over the years. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the ingredients, especially the ayurvedic spices — skip the ones you don’t have and make the leigyam with what you have. We normally source these spices from a local nattu marandhu kadai (country medicine shop) – but when we can’t access them, we make the leigyam with what we have at home. If kept refrigerated in an airtight box, the leigyam can last up to six months.
Recipe: Deepavali Leigyam
Yields around 250 g
Ingredients
100 g fresh ginger
10 g dry ginger (in powder or stick from)
10 g pepper
10 g arisi thippili (a variety of long pepper)
25 g kandan thippili (a variety of long pepper)
20 g chitharathai (lesser galangal)
10 g adhimaduram (liquorice)
20 g akara
10 g jeera
10 g ajwain
5 g cardamom
25 g raisins
25 g ghee
50 g honey
200 g jaggery
Directions
Dry roast dry ginger, pepper, arisi thippili, kandan thippili, chitharathai, adhimaduram and akara together. Leave it to cool.
Dry roast jeera and ajwain. Let it cool.
Grind the roasted spices together and keep it aside.
Wash the fresh ginger, peel it and then grind it. Once done, keep it in a separate bowl.
In a heavy-bottomed kadai or a non-stick vessel, melt jaggery in about half cup of water. Let it boil until the syrup is just beginning to thicken. This may take around five minutes. If required, one can also strain the syrup if impurities are present.
To the jaggery syrup, add the ground dry spices, ground fresh ginger and raisins. Mix it well and let it simmer gently over medium low flame.
When the mixture has thickened, add honey and mix well. Then add ghee and mix it well once more. Once it has been incorporated well, switch the flame off. One can add more ghee if they wish to. Don’t cook the mixture for long after adding the honey.
Pooja Mahesh is a New Delhi-based independent journalist who writes on food, fashion and culture.
Banner image credit: Tamil Samayam
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