Among other properties and benefits of turmeric, it highlights its anti-inflammatory effect, its antioxidant power, its ability to relieve digestive problems and to help lose weight. But how to take it? Here are some ideas.
Among other properties and benefits of turmeric, it highlights its anti-inflammatory effect, its antioxidant power, its ability to relieve digestive problems and to help lose weight. But how to take it? Here are some ideas.
Can it be taken directly?
Can it be taken directly?
Yes. Turmeric can be taken both fresh and dried as a powder. And one of the possibilities is to eat it directly by diluting half a teaspoon of turmeric powder in a glass with warm water or fruit juice. However, it is considered to be much more effective to add to meals. But it should not be left to cook for more than 15 minutes to preserve its properties.
As a condiment for legumes and other stews
As a condiment for legumes and other stews
One of the most common ways to take turmeric is to flavor soup-based dishes made from legumes and other stews. To make these, cook or sauté some ready-to-cook vegetables, add some cooked lentils and a tablespoon of crushed tomato, let it cook all together for a few minutes, and at the last minute add a little grated fresh turmeric or the tip of a teaspoon turmeric powder.
Adding it to the batter flour
Adding it to the batter flour
You can also take turmeric by adding it in powder to the flour with which you are going to coat fish, meat or vegetables as we have done in this fish fry. It is considered that one of the ways to multiply its effectiveness is by combining it with foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids, such as these anchovies.
As part of the curry
As part of the curry
Turmeric is one of the main components of curry, one of the spices with a fat burning effect. To make these curried breasts, sauté onion, carrot, zucchini, and diced chicken breast. Add curry and a touch of freshly ground black pepper (it is considered that when combined with this spice, turmeric is better assimilated). Pour in the coconut milk and cook everything together for about 5 minutes.
To complement creams and soups
To complement creams and soups
It is also effective, in addition to being delicious, to take turmeric using it to dress or season soups and vegetable creams. The trick is to add a little fresh grated or dried turmeric powder in the last minutes of cooking so that its properties are not lost.
As a condiment for rice
As a condiment for rice
On the one hand, boil rice and some peas. On the other, sauté onion and zucchini. When all the water released by the zucchini has not yet been consumed, add the rice and drained peas along with saffron and turmeric powder. Cook everything together or a few more minutes and serve. Discover more recipes with rice.
To season vegetables
To season vegetables
Here we have used turmeric to garnish this cauliflower. Whisk 1 teaspoon of turmeric with 1 of paprika, 1 of cumin, a pinch of ground cayenne, 1 clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, and 50 ml of extra virgin olive oil. Use this mixture to dress a boiled cauliflower. If you want it to be richer, you can gratin it for 10 minutes at 220º and then sprinkle chopped parsley on top.
As a salad dressing
As a salad dressing
Yes Yes. You can also add it to salads as one more spice. To make this Moroccan salad, you just have to mix cooked and drained basmati rice with quarters of cucumber slices, tomato cubes and chopped onion. Then you add chopped mint and parsley. Salt and pepper, add turmeric powder, water with a thread of oil and the juice of a strained lemon, and mix well.
Incorporating it into sauces
Incorporating it into sauces
Another super easy way to take turmeric is to incorporate it into vinaigrettes and sauces along with pepper, which helps to assimilate it better. It works especially well with mustard-based sauces for a spicier touch. Here we have added a teaspoon of turmeric to a mustard vinaigrette to accompany a vegetable tempura.
In smoothies like curcuma latte
In smoothies like turmeric latte
The turmeric latte, golden latte or golden milk is nothing more than a turmeric-based smoothie that triumphs on Instagram for its health benefits. If you want to know all the secrets of this smoothie, here you have it.
Turmeric can be taken both dry (powdered) and fresh (minced or grated). You can find the dry one where the rest of the spices and the fresh one, in the form of a rhizome like ginger, in some greengrocers. As a general rule, it is considered more effective to take it fresh (although dry is also beneficial). But, in any case, you can't cook it for more than 15 minutes if you want to preserve its properties.
How to take turmeric
- The easiest way is to dilute half a teaspoon of turmeric powder in a glass with warm water or fruit juice. But it is considered that it is much more effective to add it to meals.
- It has been concluded that combined with black pepper it is better assimilated and that it is more effective when combined with foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids, healthy vegetable fat (olive oil, coconut or avocado), and foods rich in quercetin (garlic , onion, cabbage or apple).
- Its most common use, both powdered and fresh, is to flavor stews, soups, creams or integrating a sauce. It combines especially well with legumes and rice, either alone or as part of the curry.
- In stews, it is added last, without coming to a boil.
- It is very common to use it as a cheap substitute for saffron or to add color and more spicy flavor to mustards.
- It can also be found in capsules at herbalists and some pharmacies.
