The medicinal properties of onions have been employed around the world for countless generations—they’re warming, rich in phytonutrients, and help get phlegm moving. Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, a folk healer who educates on using food as medicine through her brand Kitchen Curandera, pairs alliums with ginger and honey for a soothing, savory-sweet syrup. “This has the same soothing feeling as chicken soup," she says, though she adds that “people dealing with a bad cough should go see a healthcare provider.” Cocotzin Ruiz makes this cough syrup with small, sweet I’itoi onions, which grow in the Sonoran Desert where she lives, but shallots can be substituted without compromise.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about ½ cup
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place onions and ginger in a small saucepan (1–2 qt. works well) so they cover bottom. Pour honey over to submerge. Bring to a boil over medium-high, then immediately reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, running a heatproof rubber spatula across the bottom from time to time, 30 minutes (this will give the onions and ginger time to infuse the honey). Let cool slightly.
Step 2
Strain honey through a fine-mesh sieve into a small heatproof jar. Let cool and cover. Save onions and ginger separately to eat, if you’d like.
Step 3
To use, mix 1 Tbsp. throat soother into tea or hot water, or eat directly off the spoon. (Use 1 tsp. for children.)
Step 4
Do ahead: Throat soother can be made 1 month ahead. Keep at room temperature.
