What is turmeric?
Turmeric is a root of the ginger family. It originates from southern Asia, but it is used in Middle Eastern and Indian dishes as well. It’s probably most well known for being the main spice used in yellow curry powder. It has a distinct, warm flavor and a bright, yellow-orange color.
What are the health benefits?
There are many, many potential health benefits of turmeric. Studies have shown that it helps fight pain, inflammation, arthritis, depression, cancer, and more! In addition, it has antioxidant properties and contains vitamins and minerals such as iron and manganese.
If you’d like to unlock turmeric’s health properties, it’s important to consume it with both fat and black pepper. Turmeric is fat soluble, so it’s helpful to have something fatty along with it (whole milk, butter, ghee, coconut oil, etc.). Also, piperin (a substance found in black pepper) helps you to absorb the turmeric much better.
How do you prepare it?
Fresh turmeric root doesn’t need to be peeled before using, but you might want to if you’re adding it to a drink. Like ginger, you can easily remove the “skin” by scraping it with a spoon.
You can then grate it using a very fine grater. You could also chop or mince it with a knife.
How is it used?
Fresh or dried turmeric is used to flavor and color a large variety of dishes: curries, rice dishes, spice rubs, salad dressings, etc.
Here are a few ways to easily incorporate it into your everyday cooking.
You can add it to rice to give it a beautiful, golden color (my husband says that just the fact that the rice is yellow makes it taste better), and a mild, warm flavor.
Add about a teaspoon of turmeric powder per cup of rice. I like to just add it to the cooking water.
Another way to easily add turmeric to your diet is to stir it into your favorite hot drink. I think that the flavor pairs particularly well with chai tea, but you can definitely stir it into coffee as well.
Add about a 1/2 teaspoon to start. Just note that the turmeric won’t mix in with the liquid very well since it is fat soluble.
You can also “brew” turmeric in a French press.
Place 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (or 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated turmeric) in the pitcher of the French press. Pour in 1 cup of boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes and push the pump down.
This eliminates a lot of the turmeric particles so you don’t have that sediment at the bottom of your cup.
You could also add fresh or dried turmeric to scrambled eggs, stir-fries, soups, smoothies, etc. Just make sure to consume it with fat and black pepper, and you’re golden. See what I did there? Sorry.
So there’s a basic introduction to turmeric. I hope it inspires you to give this lovely spice a try!
Resources: Dr. Axe and Paleo Hacks
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