Turmeric has been an essential ingredient in South Asian cuisine for literally thousands of years. It has an earthy-exotic flavor that is the foundational color and flavor of curries and related dishes. Cooking regularly with turmeric is one of the best steps you can take on your personal health journey.
The yellowish-orange hue of turmeric imparts a robust color and mild flavor to an enormous range of culinary delights from all over the world, but primarily from dishes originating in India. Indian dishes rely on turmeric’s palette of flavors as a foundational spice providing that distinctive Indian flare.
But flavor enhancement isn’t the only reason that cooking with turmeric makes sense. Why? Because the known health benefits of turmeric are so numerous – mostly derived from its ability to reduce inflammation throughout the body and act as a powerful antioxidant.
In addition to being taken as a supplement, turmeric powders for cooking have recently become a common ingredient in a variety of Western dishes. Add it to soups, sauces, veggies, meats, beverages…you name it, just about anything!
The flavor enhancement and health benefits of cooking with turmeric may also be enjoyed using raw chopped rhizomes in cooked dishes just as one might use freshly chopped ginger. Just be careful to peel and chop using a knife and cutting board that you are comfortable allowing to be stained. Because raw turmeric will put an orange hue on almost anything, even stainless steel.
Regardless of how one chooses to utilize this amazing plant, you will benefit from an impressive range of time-tested health benefits and flavor enhancements. We’re sure you won’t regret it.
Cooking with Turmeric Blends and Pastes
If you are the adventurous type, try creating your own blends of spicy turmeric powders, or even supplements, in bulk rather than purchasing a prepared product. By producing your own blends you may enjoy higher absorption by adding black pepper and related spices like cumin, chili powder, and coriander.
Try your hand at making a turmeric paste by adding plant oils (like olive and coconut) to your dry blends and storing in the refrigerator. We wrote an entire article on how to make turmeric paste where you can gather more tips.
Try mixing dry blends or pastes with fresh ingredients like garlic, tomatoes, coconut milk, and onions to make savory sauces. Turmeric sauces go quite well with chicken as well as red meat, tofu or any variety of vegetables.
Cooking with Turmeric in Stews, Soups, and Sautéed Dishes
Soups stocked with vegetables, especially green veggies, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, and cauliflower, will benefit greatly from the complex flavors of this spice. Turmeric is well known to impart a subtlely exotic undertone to almost any stew or soup.
Add a bit of turmeric to leafy vegetables like cooked chard, spinach, cabbage, collard greens and kale along with garlic and black pepper for a burst of flavor enhancement.
Turmeric also mixes well with eggs. Sprinkle it on any type of egg preparation or infuse it into hollandaise sauce. Tofu, which is known to be somewhat bland, gets a much-needed kick by way of a dash of turmeric, especially when combined with cilantro or red onion.
Turmeric in Beverages
Like ginger, turmeric is known as a rootstalk. Even though both are technically rhizomes, they are commonly called roots and commonly included in recipes for smoothies, teas, and juices. Make teas by boiling turmeric powder in water and adding whole milk and honey to taste.
You can also make a simple detoxifying tea by mixing turmeric with lemon. Just put the juice of half a lemon in a glass, add a teaspoon of turmeric and hot water, stir the mix and partake. Add honey to taste if you need a bit of sweetener. We wrote an entire article on how to make turmeric teas where you can gather more tips.
Cooking with Turmeric in Everyday Dishes
Supplement your roasted vegetables with turmeric powder for loads of flavor and health benefits. Grilled cheese sandwiches gain an extra pop from a dash of turmeric, just sprinkle a bit onto the cheese prior to broiling. White rice will become an entirely different, and flavorful, dish if mixed with any combination of turmeric powder, raisins, diced almonds, chopped red onions or peas.
Summary
When it comes to personal health management, diet is the most important factor – by far. Ingesting turmeric regularly as a food additive can have a significant positive impact over time.
When you have made the decision to turn your life around or simply enhance your already-tip-top shape, try using only natural organic products as a foundational first step.
We are building a blog focused on this wonder spice called turmeric that will assist you on your personal health journey. New articles on the health benefits of turmeric as well as recipes and product reviews will be added regularly over time, so please keep checking back for new information. And feel free to leave your comments below. We love hearing from our readers whether it be constructive feedback or mere praise. 🙂