Said to improve skin tone when this spice is formed into a paste and rubbed on the body, turmeric may instead turn the palest of us, as yellow as the powder itself.
Ever wondered why the mustard in your refrigerator is yellow?
That’s turmeric.
It’s a
rhizome - an underground stem - that has the same funny shape as ginger. The reason why many cultures refer to turmeric as “
yellow ginger”. To get the chalky powder, the bright yellowish-orange stem is boiled for hours, then dried, and finally ground up.
Originating from India, and used in everything from healing remedies to textile dyes, turmeric can be found in just about any Indian dish, adding its distinct flavor and color to all the savory curries, and everyone’s favorite tandoori chicken.
What is the flavor? The yellow color is so rich that your eyes will convince you what it tastes like before you even try it. Instead, close your eyes and sprinkle a bit of the powder on your tongue. It’s a little bitter, with the bite of ginger, and a hint of pepper and orange.
Place a bit more of the dry powder on your tongue and it may start to have a medicinal aftertaste. That’s the active ingredient,
curcumin, an antioxidant shown in Ayurvedic treatments – and ever more present in Western medicine –
to help fight Alzheimer’s disease, cystic fibrosis, arthritis, cancer, infections, and digestive problems.
And adding a teaspoon of turmeric powder to a cup of warm milk daily – especially during those long winter months – will treat that pesky cough and cold by soothing your dry throat, boosting your immune system, and increasing your antidepressant serontonin levels to make you feel happier!
Pretty impressive for an underground stem that turns your mustard yellow.
10 comments:
post on turmeric looks wonderful
I definitely do the turmeric to prevent sore throats! Except the way we do it is turmeric, hot water, ajwain, ghee, and salt to taste (should be on the saltier side of palatability). It's a two for one! You get the hot water and salt, and the turmeric! It's not super delicious, but I like to think of it as an interesting broth...
I didn't know turmeric would look like ginger! And of course I didn't know mustard has turmeric in it! What a surprise. All these recipes using turmeric look yummy...
Agree Tanvi. The taste is not too bad at all! We like it with a squeeze of lime. Turmeric or ginger - definitely a great natural remedy for sore throat.
Thanks Torview
Too many good recipes with turmeric. So hard to choose.
Ohh wow! My Coconut Beef Sate is here. Thanks. Traditionally in Indonesia, it is used to make a jamu herbal beverage) for mostly women. The leaves are added into Sumatran curries and Manadonese cooking such as rendang.
You have an awesome space with beautiful recipes. Glad to have found your space.
Hi Pepy,
Always impressed with the use of spices in Indonesian cooking - as can be seen in the long list of ingredients in your recipes on Indonesia Eats:) Never tried cooking with turmeric leaves before, but I know they are sometimes used in Malay and Indian dishes here.
Thank you Alpana!
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