The morning silence is ruthlessly shattered by the loud blaring of the alarm clock. Unexpectedly, the price of an ice cream that you paid only Rs 20 for yesterday, is multiplied tenfold when the morning greets you with a congested chest and a blocked nose.
It is in that moment you realise breathing is something that you took for granted when it felt like your heartbeat – effortless and involuntary.
Growing up, home was the first hospital that we had ever visited and our mothers, the first unconventional doctors we ever laid our eyes on.
Of course, medicines would come and go but the only constant was the home remedies that Ma had picked up from her first doctor, years before she became one herself.
Some days she would measure a few ml of a syrup that I would have loved to overdose on because of how sweet it tasted, and only a couple of years later, I was introduced to bitter tablets that I was forced to wash down with a glass of water.
In Goan houses, a cold was treated differently and sick mornings smelt like coffee brewing in the kitchen while the sound of egg yolks being whisked was drowned out by mama's laughter as she was busy making sure that Masad was ready before I got out of bed.
WHAT IS MASAD?
A couple of egg yolks beaten with sugar, a shot of brandy and a mother’s promise to heal, all poured into one cup of steaming hot coffee – that is the Goan remedy to get rid of a stubborn cold and the recipe of how Masad/Masaad is made.
“It’s supposed to be drunk hot or it will not work, come on and drink quickly,” Ma urges even up to this day.
She has faith in the power of Masad, and I in her ability to make every sickness go away.
The key is making sure that the eggs have been beaten well and for a prolonged period of time.
“My granny would beat the egg yolks from 7 am to 7.15 am,” laughs Viola Gomes from Panjim, as she reminisces and comes to the conclusion that in her house, Masad tasted best when the coffee used was of the brand ‘Nescafe Sunrise’.
RECIPE:
Separate 2 egg yolks and add in four to five tablespoons of sugar.
Beat this mixture well until all the sugar dissolves, the colour of the egg yolks lighten and soft peaks are formed.
Incorporate 2 tablespoons of brandy into the mixture and stir well.
Add piping hot coffee and drink immediately the first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
Repeat until the cold has gone away and thank me later!
