Cooking with Tumeric

[Loves Vintage]

I'm looking to incorporate tumeric into my regular cooking. Apparently, it is very good for you. I don't know that I even have any at the moment. Maybe I have curry powder, and maybe it's a component of that? Not sure.

We do eat curries at home (usually yellow, and usually from the pre-made refrigerated spice mix that has to be stored in the refrigerator.) Not sure if that has tumeric in it. Other than that, I don't cook with tumeric at all.

Do you? What are your fave recipes?

Here's one I'll share. Haven't made it yet, but imagine it will be very good: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/turmeric_latkes_with_applesauce.html I mean, it's essentially fried potatoes, how could that not be good?

Some info on the potential health benefits of tumeric: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/turmeric-health-have-a-happy-new-year_b_798328.html Probaby not the best article out there, but the best I can do ATM.

 

[VRBeauty]

If your curry powder is yellow, then in all likelihood it has tumeric in it!

I'm not cooking much of anything these days, but I did take an Indian cooking class years ago. If you're going to experiment with tumeric, be sure to also pick up some whole mustard seeds, whole cumin seeds, and red pepper flakes while you're at it!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I would also try to remember that tumeric stains. I like to measure out spices in my hand and the palm of my left hand often has a yellow stain on it. Cooking clothing, dish cloths and my wooden spoons are all stained as well.

 

[marym]

Hi Loves Vintage!

I try to incorporate turmeric in foods, but it definitely can be challenging because it has a rather bitter flavor. I love eggs, so when I make egg salad or scrambled eggs I use it in those. I also have found that it is good in chili as well. Turmeric seems to work well with onions in particular, so you can saute onions and add it to those and they will soak up the flavor nicely. Then you can add that to eggs, stir fry's, etc. We love Indian food, so we eat a lot of curry which definitely does have turmeric in it. Mustard has turmeric in it as well, although in much smaller amounts.

 

[Deia]

I take turmeric in capsule form (well, curcumin, which is the part of turmeric with all the good health stuff). It's really healthy, anti inflammation, good for joints, and a bit of a pain reliever too!

I also sprinkle it on food randomly. Another thing you could try is turmeric tea, it's pretty good. Recipe can be found here - http://www.marksdailyapple.com/creamy-turmeric-tea/#axzz21YTx1owk

 

[KA]

I'm indian, so everything I cook has turmeric in it. You can add it easily in spicy food, since the spice will mask its flavor. It also works in lentils and beans. Just add some in while cooking, and be sure to add some other spices. I usually use it in combination with garam masala and coriander powder. Garam masala is a mix of indian spices which has a strong (but good flavor) and works in a lot of stuff.

One easy and delicious recipe:
cut potatoes in 1 inch cubes (peeled or not)
heat some oil (vegetable/canola/grapeseed)
add cumin seeds, wait until they sizzle
add potatoes and stir until brown
add turmeric and salt and red chili powder (you can also add garam masala if you have some)
reduce heat and cover
cook until the inside of the potatoes is soft and outside is crisp

It is delicious and easy.

 

[movie zombie]

i add dump some onto the water when cooking brown rice. gives it a lovely golden yellow color and i don't notice any bitterness when eating it.

 

[marym]

I also wanted to add that I love to use Turmeric along with other spices in a rub that you can quickly throw on just about any cut of meat and then grill. It's so tasty and easy-

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cinnamon (another spice with lots of health benefits!)

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp water

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I have also used chicken thighs and pork chops, which are great as well)

Blend ingredients into a paste and rub into meat. Cover and let marinate for 20 minutes. Grill meat and enjoy!

 

[Gypsy]

I'm persian and cook with it all the time.

Best recipes with it are stuffed peppers or cabbage. And a tomato omelet that will have you licking your fingers (if you like tomatoes). Also squash sautees/ zuchhini too, and okra.

Tell me what your favorite veggie's are and I'll see about giving some recipes. Also, tell me how advanced your cooking skills are.

Oh, and don't buy turmeric from the regular grocery store. If you have a middle eastern, persian or indian market, buy it there. Much cheaper and MUCH better quality .

 

[TooPatient]

I'm persian and cook with it all the time.

Best recipes with it are stuffed peppers or cabbage. And a tomato omelet that will have you licking your fingers (if you like tomatoes). Also squash sautees/ zuchhini too, and okra.

Tell me what your favorite veggie's are and I'll see about giving some recipes. Also, tell me how advanced your cooking skills are.

Oh, and don't buy turmeric from the regular grocery store. If you have a middle eastern, persian or indian market, buy it there. Much cheaper and MUCH better quality .

I used tumeric to show my mom the difference between good quality spices and what she gets at the grocery store. You can see, smell, and taste the difference! Worth the trip to a middle eastern market.

Gypsy -- tomato omelet? That sounds delicious!


I use lots of tumeric in cauliflower kuku as well as different stuff with lentils. Stuffed peppers/tomatoes/eggplants are delicious with it too.

We have the Silk Roads cookbooks and they've got lots of great recipes in there.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Wow, thanks for all the feedback!!

TooPatient - Lentils!! I need to cook more lentils too!!

Gypsy - Interesting about where to buy the tumeric! I was going to see if they have any at TJ's, haha. I will have to do some research to see if there's a good place to buy it locally. Oh, and just remembered an Indian market a few towns over. I'll go there. Tomato omelet sounds perfect. Our tomatoes are still green, but hopefully we'll have a ton in a few weeks. So, tomato, onion, broccoli, swiss chard, zucchini are all favorites. Cooking skills are moderate, I guess. I can make a curry, but use the paste, don't make my own. That type of thing. Interested to hear what you have! Thank you!

Marym - Thank you for the recipe. Though I am not a meat eater, I didn't want to mention that, because hopefully others will benefit from this thread too. More tumeric for everyone!! I really like the idea to just add tumeric to foods I'm eating anyway. We do eat scrambled eggs a few mornings a week, so will try some tumeric next time I do. How much do you think?

KA - Thanks for the recipe. Sounds great. I will add garam masala to my list. Not too long ago I had a recipe that I wanted to try that called for it, but didn't have any at all.

Deia - THANK YOU for posting that tea. It looks so so good and comforting. I've been suffering from a cold for weeks, and it looks like it would really hit the spot. Yum!

VRBeauty - Looks like I do need some cumin seeds. KA included those in her recipe too.

Thanks everyone!!

 

[KA]

Oh, I should mention, you can do the recipe I mentioned with cauliflower, cabbage, okra, squash, a combination of potatoes and cauliflower, etc. Pretty much any vegetable will work, but cooking times differ. If you want to experiment with spices, I would recommend coriander powder and anchoor powder (dried mango spice) from an indian store, but all the above vegetables should work fine with just salt, chili powder and garam masala.

Oh, and you can add turmeric to ramen noodles also. I do all the time.

 

[TooPatient]

Cumin, corriander, cardamom are pretty common in the recipes I do with tumeric. Cinnamon is also used a fair amount (if you can, crunch up whole cinnamon sticks & toast before grinding -- same for cumin and corriander.)

Take a look at THIS cookbook. The author has several. I think you'd enjoy it. Recipes range from pretty simple to more complicated. I've loved every recipe I've tried!

 

[marym]

LV- here is a good scrambled egg recipe. As far as winging it- I would start with a small amount (a pinch) and go from there.


http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spicy-indian-style-scrambled-eggs

 

[Bliss]

LV, sometimes I swear we are on the same wavelength!!! Turmeric is a very powerful antioxidant and the Okinawans put it in water and drink it like tea all day. You can get organic turmeric by Simply Organic on Amazon super cheap via subscribe and save. I keep it out and add it to everything including baby food! I even put it in water and drink it like a shot sometimes. With ice cold water, it is kind of refreshing!!!! To your health! I also look forward to the delicious ideas posted here!

 

[Skippy123]

lentils?

 

[Gypsy]

I can schedule this for tomorrow's dinner and double check the measurements and also give you cooking times for the stages. But here's the basic recipe so you get an idea for the ingredients and the steps. It's a one dish meal and works great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or brunch. Everyone I make it for (that likes tomatoes) loves it.

Tomato omelet is dead simple. Problem is it's SO simple that I don't measure anything. But I'll give you approximates.

Good quality fresh raw tomatoes that are NOT super sweet. (I like Roma's or San Marzanos but anything that is a good sauce tomato will do). About 1 ½ cups (give or take), chopped but not seeded or peeled (not needed unless you are fussy. In which case seed and peel before you measure the amount).
Salt ( the tomatoes need them so salt generously)
Tumeric (a teaspoon)
Fresh Cracked Pepper (to taste)
Butter (real butter, trust me) 1 Tablespoon
4 Good quality Eggs
Your favorite fresh bread (I like something crusty and french or italian, but a nice pita or lavash is great too)

Heat sautee pan to medium high.

Put in butter and tomatoes and salt and pepper. Sautee until the tomatoes start to soften, then mash them down some with your spatula. Add turmeric and stir. When the tomatoes are mushy and kinda saucey but are no longer giving up much liquid and are starting to get a little brown, spread them out evenly on the bottom of the pan in a layer. Crack the eggs, one at a time, right on top of the tomatoes (one egg per ‘corner’). Add a little salt and pepper to the top of the eggs. Cover the pan with the lid. Do not lower the heat, you want the tomatoes to get kind of browned and roasted on the bottom of the pan. The steam from the tomatoes will enable the eggs to cook to a nice sunnyside up—easy or medium is your choice depending on how you like your eggs. I like my whites firm but my yolks runny so I take them off when they are like that (I have no idea how long that is).

To serve use a large spatula. Two eggs a person and the tomatoes that are under them. If you like runny yolks pop them and watch the colors swirl as you pile it all on the bread and eat, then wipe up the plate with your bread at the end.


ONE THING TO NOTE: Turmeric will stain an stain permanently. Especially when combined with any oil. Add tomato in and it gets worse. It will stain your counter tops, aprons, clothing, rugs... you name it. So when cooking with it, keep that in mind. Use a spoon rest, an apron, etc. to protect things you do not want stained or cannot bleach. Bleach will remove.

 

[Gypsy]

LV-- and anyone who loves eggplant there is an amazing persian dish called Mirza ghasemi that everyone who loves eggplant will adore. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE_QHGDE7Aw This will show you one way to make it (not how I make it, but it looks like a decent recipe. The tomato mixture he adds will also have turmeric in it in addition to the turmeric he adds in the beginning). Feel free to omit the egg. Also you can use the tomatoes from the tomato omlette recipe (right before you crack the eggs into the pan) in place of his tomatoes. Just add those in where he adds the tomato paste stuff, and season well with lots of black pepper, salt and if you like spicy food you can add cayenne pepper in for some heat or chili oil.

If you want mild dishes (not spicy) that turmeric persian is a much better bet than indian, pakistani, or afghani (all spicier). And honestly, if you put a gun to my head and asked to name a persian dish WITHOUT turmeric, I'd be in fear for my life. It's pretty much in every dish that I can think of except the yogurt dips and kabobs.

 

[Deia]

One thing to consider (I don't know if this happens to anyone else) but I break out around my cheeks if I have too much of it ( over 1.5grams a day). So maybe start slow and see how your body responds.

 

[tuffyluvr]

My ex's mom used to make turmeric green beans with onions, and I always loved them Thanks for this thread--it reminded me of that recipe! I'm always looking for ways to change up my veggies, and still keep them healthy. I get *so* bored with plain steamed veg every day...

Anyways, I don't have exact measurements for her recipe, but this ones looks accurate:
http://www.chow.com/recipes/12249-addictive-indian-style-green-beans

 

[Saoirse2]

Love Turmeric but can be pungent and very strong when cooked so a tiny, tiny bit goes a long way

We use it in chicken, chelo rice with Tahdig [drizzled over rice right before turning it up-side-down], in several breads for coloring, a must on baked trout, turkey glaze, chutney, pickles, paella, almond cake, eggless challah, etc. My mother still makes some killer rolls with it too......

I love Roasted Cauliflower: In a baking dish, whisk 3 Tb oil, 2 ts grated ginger, 1 ts turmeric and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets and toss. Bake @ 425 F for 22 minutes or until tender and lightly golden.

 

[DiaDiva]

I also wanted to add that I love to use Turmeric along with other spices in a rub that you can quickly throw on just about any cut of meat and then grill. It's so tasty and easy-

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cinnamon (another spice with lots of health benefits!)

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp water

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I have also used chicken thighs and pork chops, which are great as well)

Blend ingredients into a paste and rub into meat. Cover and let marinate for 20 minutes. Grill meat and enjoy!

I must try your recipe. I have a favourite recipe using turmeric that's a little similar to yours but mine is baked in the oven.

Slow baked and grilled turmeric chicken with curry leaves

Ingredients
6 – 8 pieces of chicken drumsticks and/or chicken wings/chopped up whole chicken
3 ½ tablespoon turmeric powder or freshly grated turmeric*
2 tablespoons of kicap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce)
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 sprigs of fresh curry leaves
3 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil - if you're using skinless chicken

Method
1. Mix turmeric powder, kicap manis, salt and white pepper in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add chicken into mixing bowl and marinate evenly with all the ingredients, adding 2 tablespoon of olive oil for at least 1 hour.
3. Arrange chicken on elevated stand in the roasting tray to render fat from the baking process - if your chicken has skin
4. Heat up oven to 180 degrees Celcius for 10 minutes. Slow bake the chicken pieces for approximately 40 – 50 minutes or until chicken pieces are golden brown on the outside.
5. Brush chicken pieces half way through the baking process to prevent meat from drying.

Works fine even with skinless chicken which is what I use. The curry leaves add a nice fragrance to the chicken. When I'm lazy, I throw in vegetables to roast underneath the chicken for a complete meal. Just made it last night and it was good and easy.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Tuffyluvr - Yum! Recipe looks right up my alley, plus I'm sure my husband thinks we don't eat enough rice! With coconut or without? I think I'd do without!

Gypsy - THANK YOU for posting all of that information! You don't need to post measurements for me, but thank you for offering. I only measure for baking! Your tomato omelet sounds yum! I will make it this weekend and will report back. I do love eggplant and will take a look at your video too.

Bliss - How funny! What else are you doing in the kitchen these days? Seems like I will catch up to you eventually, so might as well share what's new in healthy eating! So funny that you said you're using tumeric on the baby's food too. I fully intend on doing the same thing. Blessed with a good eater here and hoping that will not change. Also, please visit us over in 12-36 month land. It's ok that you don't have time to keep up with us all the time. We will settle for a nice update on your little girl when you have a moment.

TooPatient - I'm going to check the library for that cookbook. Thanks for the tips!

KA and Marym - Thanks for your additional pointers and the recipe. So much fun to try something new!

Saoirse2 - I love roasted cauliflower too!! I usually just use olive oil, salt and pepper. Boring, but good. I will try adding the tumeric and ginger as you've suggested. Yum!