Dairy Free Eggnog Recipe with Jahmu

As you may already know, Jahmu™  comes from the word “jamu” which is the Indonesian word for their herbal medicine system. When I was in Indonesia, I found that jamu most commonly referred to a bright yellow, medicinal drink. This spicy and rather bitter tasting beverage helped to reduce my inflammatory bowel symptoms (IBS) and made me feel less bloated. My curiosity and desire to be super healthy led me on a mission to learn how to make this magical beverage.

Jamu is traditionally made by blending a raw egg with fresh turmeric, ginger and honey. Other herbs and spices  were often added to cure specific illnesses. At first I was grossed out by the fact that there was a raw egg in the mixture but then I remembered that back in America we eat raw eggs too, usually once a year, in the form of eggnog!

Many athletes and nutritionists claim that a raw egg a day keeps the doctor away, brightens your skin, and gives you energy. I was concerned about the risk of Salmonella food poisoning so you can follow these suggestions made by the CDC, such as carefully handling dirty eggs or heating your Eggnog to 160 degrees.

So why don’t we drink eggnog more often? For one, most of us feel like crap after digesting all that heavy cream and booze. The solution…dairy free eggnog with Jahmu! You can make this with or without booze and drink it for breakfast or dessert!
Surprisingly, this Jahmu™  Eggnog shares many of the primary ingredients of Indonesian jamu (ie turmeric, ginger, and egg) but tastes delicious, because of the chai-like spices in Jahmu™, and the other ingredients I add.

Ingredients: (makes about 12 servings)

  • 2 boxes of nut milk (I chose cashew and macadamia nut here but almond milk will do)
  • 2 cans full fat coconut milk
  • 2-6 tablespoons of maple syrup, honey, sugar, or sweeter of choice
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 6 organic eggs (because if you’re going to eat raw eggs the better be organic or local)
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened caffeine free or with caffeine Jahmu
  • 1-2 cups rum and/or brandy (optional)

 Directions:

  • Put the nut milk and coconut milk in a big pot on the stove and let it warm up (but not boil) while you deal with the eggs
  • separate the eggs
  • vigorously whisk the yolks then add vanilla and maple syrup (or other sweetener) and Jahmu
  • with an egg beater beat the whites until they are peaky
  • add the yolk mixture to the pot of milk on the stove
  • add the whites to the pot and stir
  • (if you bring the mixture to a boil at this point the eggs will no longer be raw)
  • add Alcohol if you would like
  • serve warm or chilled

Vegan Version:

You can make this without eggs and it will be just as delicious and a lot simpler. I recommend putting all the ingredients in a blender and serving it cold or heating the blended vegan eggnog on the stove if you want it warm. To get the same creamy, frothiness you get from the eggs you can use a handheld frother device or egg beater on low.