LET’S TALK TURMERIC
WHAT IS TURMERIC?
Turmeric, a plant in the ginger family, native to Southeast Asia and is grown commercially in that region, primarily in India. Its rhizome (underground stem) is used as a culinary spice and traditional medicine. It is a major component in curry powder and other South Asian cuisine. It grows as a root, which can be dried and ground into a powder which has a distinctive yellow color. It is also called Indian saffron and jiang huang.
Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, and it has powerful biological properties. Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional Indian system of treatment, recommends turmeric for a variety of health conditions. These include chronic pain and inflammation. Western medicine has begun to study turmeric as a pain reliever and healing agent.
Turmeric is not just a spice added to our foods when cooking, it has many benefits of use which are:
- Beauty products: It is sometimes used in beauty products (soaps, scrubs, face masks, etc.) and sunscreens as it does great wonders on the skin.
2. Supplements: It can be found as a dietary or herbal supplement. Turmeric has been getting a lot of attention recently because of its antioxidant abilities. The antioxidant effect of turmeric appears to be so powerful that it is said to probably stop your liver from being damaged by toxins and this could be good news for people who take strong drugs for diabetes or other health conditions that might hurt their liver with prolonged use.
3. Turmeric as a spice adds aromatic flavors and golden yellow hues to dishes when cooking and one of the reasons why it is in curry powder is not just because it adds an element of deliciousness to food, but it also plays an important role in digesting that food. Because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric can contribute to healthy digestion. However, the same agents in turmeric that support digestive health can cause irritation when taken in large amounts. Also, turmeric’s purifying properties may also make you bleed more easily, so people who take blood-thinning drugs like warfarin should avoid consuming large doses of turmeric.
It then appears that there are many health benefits to including turmeric in your diet. THE GOLDEN SPICE supports immune health, helps relieve pain, and can aid in digestion, among other things.
But how is it made?
Turmeric is one of the easiest thing to prepare at home as you need just one ingredient for it which is FRESH TURMERIC ROOT and 4 processes
WASH → BOIL → DRY → GRIND, however this can take a week or less depending on how fast the turmeric roots dries. Here are the step by step instructions to making turmeric powder at home
A. WASH: Wash the roots thoroughly under running water for a minute to remove all dirt.
B. BOIL: Boil water in a pan and then immerse these roots in it. Let it boil for 45 minutes on low to medium flame. Froth will begin to appear at the top. After boiling, run cold water through it and drain.
C. DRY: There are two methods to drying your turmeric. You can either use an oven/dehydrator or sunlight.
Place a kitchen towel over a disposable plate to soak in the excess water. Spread the chopped roots over it. Do not crowd them, use multiple plates if needed. Spread them out evenly.
- You need not keep it in direct sunlight all the time. A well-lit, ventilated area by the window should do the job. Leave it there for a week. Keep tossing it every other day to ensure even drying. Over the week, you will notice that the roots will begin to shrink and get dried up or,
- Place in an oven or dehydrator and set temperature to about 70 degrees, keep tossing and checking till you notice the roots shrink and get dried up.
D. GRIND: Grind into a fine powder. Depending on the power of your food processor or blender, you may want to sift the powder through a sieve and return large pieces to your food mill. Store the freshly prepared spice powder in an airtight container.
And there you have your turmeric powder ready to be used in your soups, as a spice and in your skincare regime. So why don’t we all get out our dryers and blenders to make some turmeric powder.
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REFERENCES
D Bhowmik, et al; A Herbal and Traditional Medicine, Scholars Research Library, 2009.
