If you never tasted turmeric in your life, you have a question in your mind what does turmeric taste like? Basically, turmeric has a bitter bitterness that comes in as a secondary flavor, rather than the dominant flavor. The actual taste of the powder depends upon how much turmeric one takes on, from the original powder to a commercial product like this.
You could, I suppose, call this stuff flavorless turmeric. The thing to remember, however, is that the powder in your pantry is not turmeric powder.
Turmeric powder has got to be something you blend in with the other spices you already have:
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Allspice
- Cayenne
Mixing in a few drops of turmeric powder on top of that works great. But there’s some variation. A favorite is the one above, which adds 3 tablespoons of curry powder for every 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder.
But how about adding a little bit of red pepper, in addition to turmeric? Red pepper is a spice, too.
This is a fairly basic mixture:
- 1 cup red beans.
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil.
- 1 cup fresh spinach (about 1 cup) cooked and drained.
- 2 tablespoons grated nutmeg.
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander.
- Salt.
- Add a few drops of pepper flakes.
Just like with turmeric powder, some people dislike the smell. Others are fine. When you smell turmeric, you should know exactly what you’re inhaling: A little smell of curry powder, a little aroma of the spice blend, and a little bit of the turmeric’s flavor.
How is turmeric used?
You’ll find turmeric as an ingredient in lots of Asian cooking, but you’ll also see it sprinkled over dishes from Latin American and African cuisines. There are two basic ways to cook turmeric.
Traditional, which is the way I use it.
Mashing, which is the way I’m most familiar with. It’s something that I learned from my mother, who was raised in the Philippines, and then when she opened a barbershop, I went through the school and did my own turmeric butter recipes.
One of the easiest ways is using the whole stuff.
You do it for the added flavor. Just mash turmeric into a paste and serve it in the dish of your favorite stew. Or mash it into your pasta like this, with your favorite veggies.
This is what you get (Serves 4) :
- 2 tablespoons of coarsely ground turmeric.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley.
- 6 sprigs ground cilantro.
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for frying.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
You can easily mix it together until the paste is very smooth and creamy, about 5 or 7 cups (1-1/2 pounds), so if you want it less creamy, use 1 cup.
For the oil, just pour up all the hot oil (about 1 tablespoon) into a large pot over medium heat.
Add the turmeric and fry until it’s very pale golden (about 3-4 minutes). Stir it around to incorporate, let it all cook until the water is evaporated, and add the cilantro, coriander, parsley, and a couple of shakes of cayenne pepper.
Add another teaspoon of turmeric paste, and stir that in. This one is much stronger in flavor and heat, which makes it perfect for frying.
Remove the turmeric paste from the heat and stir in some salt and pepper and your choice of vegetables. Then serve and eat.
Turmeric (and ginger) have been shown to dramatically reduce oxidized LDL molecules (which are essentially molecules that act like oxidized LDL when they get caught too close to DNA) or reduce oxidized HDL (which are just HDL molecules that have been oxidized by oxidative stress).
Turmeric also has effects that are somewhat more anti-inflammatory, which is why it’s a popular spice for improving sore throats and other stuff like that. All of this information helps to explain why you’d want to take a tiny amount every day and try to get as much of it into your bloodstream as you can.
Like most things in life, there’s good and bad news, and good turmeric is also bad for you. But if you’re looking for just a little bit of turmeric to make you feel like a super-powered superhero, this is the type of spice that you’ll probably be best off trying to incorporate into your diet.
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