Karmbala Leha

Leya / Starfruit Chyawanprash
This homemade Leha is our version of Chyawanprash – a beautiful traditional remedy for cold and cough. During childhood, this was always our favorite over bitter syrups and medicines.
This batch of starfruits came straight from my brother’s garden – such a huge harvest! Amma and I made this Leha together, and it turned out absolutely perfect.

From 75 + starfruits, we got approximately 300g of this rich, flavorful Leha.

Credit: @sumananayak (Amma)
Ingredients

• Around 50 starfruits
• 2-inch piece ginger
• Rock candy (Kadisakkar) – approx. 100g
• Pepper powder – to taste
• Honey – 2 tbsp
• (Optional) Sambarpalli / Doddapatre leaves juice Method
  1. Clean the starfruits as shown in the reel.
  2. Extract juice without adding water. (If the quantity is less, you may add a little water.)
  3. Extract ginger juice by adding a little water.
  4. Mix starfruit juice, ginger juice, rock candy, and pepper powder.
  5. Cook the mixture on low flame until it thickens. Stir occasionally (no need to stir continuously).
  6. It takes about 30 minutes or more to reach a thick, Leha-like consistency.
  7. Once done, cool completely.
  8. Add honey and mix well.
  9. Store in a sterilized bottle.
     Take 1 tsp twice a day during cold and cough.
     You may also add Sambarpalli/Doddapatre leaf juice for extra medicinal benefits (we forgot to add it this time!).
     Nothing beats homemade remedies made with love and Amma’s touch.