Cinnamon Sticks and
Their Wonderful Uses
Last week I
was participating in a Twitter chat (#veganhour) and the lively conversations
led us to discuss a very interesting topic: the uses of cinnamon sticks. This came
off one of my previous posts The
5 Whole Spices for Indian Cooking Beginners where I had confided that
cinnamon sticks were my favourite spice.
It seemed
that while ground cinnamon is popular, few cooking enthusiasts were using
cinnamon sticks. This is what prompted me to do this blog post. Here are six great reasons why I keep cinnamon sticks handy in my spice rack, and why you
should too!
With autumn
setting in, now is the perfect time to consider stocking up and using this sweet-smelling
spice.
Spice up your chai/tea
Boil a cup
of water with a cinnamon stick in it. Add tea leaves or a tea bag and allow it
to brew. You can add milk if you like. Enjoy a perfect cup of cinnamon brew.
Make mulled wine at home
Heat a
bottle of red wine with cinnamon sticks, bayleaf, sugar, ground ginger and a
few slices of orange. Allow to simmer gently for 10-15 minutes. Serve in wine
glasses and enjoy on a chilly night.
Make cinnamon flavoured rice
Boil one
cup basmati rice in 2 cups water. Add 1 stick of cinnamon, ½ a cup of peas and ¼
tsp salt. Allow to cook on medium heat till the rice is done. Serve with your favourite
curry.
Enjoy cinnamon milk
Heat a cup
of milk with half a cinnamon stick and a pinch of turmeric. Allow the subtle
flavours to get absorbed in the milk for atleast 5-6 minutes. Add a teaspoon of
honey or enjoy it plain. The aroma and sweetness of cinnamon lends a wonderful
flavour to the milk. Kids will love this too and is particularly healthy.
Remove the stick before serving.
Keep a jar of cinnamon syrup handy
Boil water,
sugar, and a couple of cinnamon sticks on medium heat. Whisk well till the
sugar is dissolved. Pour into a jar, cool, and keep handy. Cinnamon syrup can
be poured over pancakes, baked apples, cake etc whenever required.
Upgrade a simple vanilla candle with a cinnamon
stick DIY
Tie a
rubber band/elastic around the waist of your candle. Not place your cinnamon
sticks all around the candle. The elastic will hold all the sticks in place. When
the vanilla candle is lit, it will slowly warm up the cinnamon sticks and fill
your room with the sweet scent of vanilla and spices.
Ah….just
writing this is prompting me to go and make some cinnamon tea for myself. I
hope this is useful for all those planning to enjoy this ever-popular spice. Just
make sure to buy actual cinnamon sticks and not cassia.
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