Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family. The
dried root of turmeric is ground into powder, which is commercially
available in most places. It is one of the important ingredients in
the curry.
Nutritional information is given here in the USDA database.
It is a very powerful antioxidant. It has antiseptic,
antibacterial and ant-fungal properties. It has been used in Chinese
and Indian medicines for thousands of years. Turmeric helps in
diabetes and heart ailments. It is also used for arthritis, heartburn and to reduce cancer risks.
Curcumin is the major component of turmeric which
fights cancer and has ant-inflammatory properties. Curcumin is
available in tablet form. However, one should not self medicate with
Curcumin. A doctor should prescribe it.
Turmeric has a slightly bitter taste and a bright
orange color. I like its color. When you add turmeric to white food
ingredients such as shredded coconut, cabbage and rice they take a
lovely golden hue.
I normally wash all the vegetables with salt water or
immerse then for 10 minutes in salt water. I wash the sea food and
meat products with a little salt and turmeric powder. This helps
prevent their spoilage even if the cooking process is prolonged,
because of their ant-oxidant and ant-bacterial properties. Whenever I
buy fresh seafood or meat I marinate them with salt and turmeric
before storing them in the freezer.
Turmeric enhances the flavor of many ingredients and
also helps in the absorption of nutrition in those ingredients.
Turmeric lowers cholesterol and improved liver function.
Because it a very powerful ingredient, we should
limit the quantity we use. Otherwise, we may end up with unwanted
side effects. Normally I use only a quarter to half a teaspoon of it. sometimes a pinch would do. Only I add half teaspoon when I want to color rice or cabbage.
Raw and fresh turmeric is also available in the
markets. You will need to use a bigger quantity of raw turmeric to replace a small quantity of dried powder. Usually fresh
turmeric is ground into paste along with other ingredients for use in
curries.
It is very difficult to grind dry turmeric. Therefore it is better to by turmeric in powder form, which more readily available.
It is very difficult to grind dry turmeric. Therefore it is better to by turmeric in powder form, which more readily available.
Nutritional information is given here in the USDA database.
No comments:
Post a Comment