Ingredients :

• Fresh ginger — Get it fresh, not dried powder. Powder is for baking—here you need the volatile oils of raw ginger, the ones that warm the throat as the steam rises. A 2 to 3 cm piece, thinly sliced so it infuses better. If yours is old and fibrous, double the amount.
• Turmeric — Powdered is convenient. Fresh root is better if you can find it—same process as ginger, same aisle in exotic grocery stores. Warning: it stains everything. Cutting board, cloth, fingers. Be prepared.
• Garlic — Two cloves crushed flat with the side of a knife, not minced. Crushing releases active compounds without needing to chop it fine. The smell changes completely during cooking—acrid and raw when cold, round and almost sweet after ten minutes in hot water.
• Guava leaves — The ingredient nobody knows, but that changes everything. Dried, they give a slightly tannic base, a bit like a modest green tea. In Southeast Asia and West Africa, they’ve been used for a long time to calm the stomach. One teaspoon of dried leaves is enough if you don’t have fresh.