Turmeric arrived recently on the cooking scene and it stole everyone’s heart with its vibrant orange-yellow color, its flavor, and its anti-cancer health benefits. But as with any new wonder food, some introductions are necessary. You’ll need some ideas to cook with turmeric, and we’re here for that!
You will find it as a root or as brightly colored sun-invoking dust. Turmeric is an essential ingredient in curries, used for a long time in Indian and Caribbean cooking. The past year, it’s been used in anything from beauty products to smoothies. But what’s the fuss all about? Why has it come to everyone’s attention now? Because the science world found out about all of turmeric’s health benefits.
Why cook with turmeric? Flavor and nutrition!
The spice is rich in curcumin, a substance with strong anti-inflammatory properties, which seems to help alleviate symptoms of Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and stomach ulcers. Some recent research, done on animals and humans, has shown that curcumin may help prevent and slow the spread of cancer. Also, it has made chemotherapy more effective and it was shown to protect healthy cells from radiation damage.
Turmeric comes from a plant in the ginger family, and in its root form, it will look quite similar. The plant is native to South Asia.
So if you want to get started and seize the benefits but you haven’t had time to learn to cook with turmeric, here are some quick and easy ideas to get you started!
10 ideas if you want to cook with turmeric
1. It works well with eggs
You can wholeheartedly add turmeric powder in your scrambled eggs, omelets, or frittatas. Try a pinch of the bright powder whenever you make breakfast for yourself or your family. The aroma will be definitely something new and exciting.
2. Make some rice!
It has a slightly warm and pepper like flavor, which means it works well to give some extra flavor to a pot full of rice. Especially if you have a restrictive diet and you’re not allowed to add too much to that rice. Or it’s snowing outside and don’t feel like going to the store.
3. Brew some tea
For tea lovers, this will be a new, spicy flavored water to try. It goes really well with milk and honey. So boil some milk, add the honey and turmeric, and simmer the beverage, for a nice, comforting, warming drink. You can add turmeric to boiling water and just enjoy the flavor on its own.
Or, you can just enrich your favorite tea by adding a bit of turmeric in your cup. After that, pour hot water over it and add your tea bag. Or your leaves!
4. Add it to your coffee
Maybe you’ve tried cinnamon coffee lately, but how about going a spice-step further? Add a dash of turmeric powder in your coffee for that extra punch when you wake up.
5. Spice up your veggies
If stir-fried veggies are your thing, why not cook some cauliflower, potatoes, eggplant, and zucchini in the wok. Add some turmeric powder during the cooking, and enjoy the new layers of flavor!
You know what else goes well with stir-fried vegetables? Some freshly grated turmeric root, so be sure to try both of these options.
6. Soup up!
Golden turmeric can really spice up a warm, steaming chicken soup for your soul during winter. It works well with cream soups too, so add some to the blender when you’re making them. Add turmeric to cauliflower or potato soup. Better yet, you can experiment on your own and see what you like.
7. Use it in your daily smoothie
You can either add some fresh turmeric root or some turmeric powder to your daily vitamin and mineral bonanza. Be it a smoothie or a freshly squeezed juice, turmeric will go really well with oranges, berries, cantaloupe, and lemons.
8. Enrich your mac & cheese
Make your comfort food mac & cheese healthier by adding about half a turmeric teaspoon in your cheese sauce. You can do this with homemade or store-bought dishes. But we recommend the homemade one, for obvious reasons.
9. Golden pancakes
When you make pancakes, add about half a teaspoon of turmeric to your dry ingredients bowl. And then proceed as usual. The color will be amazing and the taste – very new!
10. Marinades
Grate the fresh turmeric root and add it to marinades for chicken, fish, and beef. This will do wonders for the color of your steaks, chicken chunks, or any grilled dishes!
