Turmeric

The flowering spice plant, turmeric, the roots of which are used for cooking, dying and as a herbal medicine, has been used for thousands of years in the East. I wanted to find out why this root spice, that we use in our home-made curries in the West, is considered an important ingredient for health and well-being.

Whilst it’s native to India and South-East Asia, growing wild in their jungles, and widely used in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, it is shipped to and widely consumed around the world.

During the pandemic, the demand for turmeric has increased among those who believe it has essential anti-inflammatory, immune boosting and disinfectant properties. As we know, these are significant factors in our fighting Covid-19.

Since ancient times turmeric has been one of the key ingredients of many Asian dishes. It imparts an earthy aroma and pungent, slightly bitter flavour. The important thing when cooking with it, is to use black pepper in the recipe as it enables the active healing ingredient in the turmeric to be absorbed into the body. Whilst I use turmeric as an ingredient in curries, I didn’t know it was used to dye saris and Buddhist monks’ robes. Some communities use it as part of marriage rituals with the powder flung around at religious ceremonies rather like we use confetti.

Top 3 benefits and uses

The top three benefits of turmeric as a natural remedy though are believed by many to be:

• bolstering of the immune system
• reducing inflammation especially of the joints and digestive system
• lowering the risk of brain disease such as Alzheimer’s

I asked my Sri Lankan/Indian friends how they and their families use turmeric and they said they:

• add a teaspoon to warm water or milk and drink it when they have a sore throat, cold or flu-like symptoms to ease discomfort
• make it into a paste and rub it onto cuts and bruises as a natural disinfectant
• mix it with oil and other ingredients to make a face mask for skin complaints and to brighten the skin

Golden milk

The enthusiasm with which friends spoke about their use of turmeric suggested the healing component of the spice is real so I thought I’d find a simple recipe, other than a curry, to try it out. I liked the idea of adding turmeric with milk and then discovered it was known simply as turmeric milk, haldi milk, or golden milk which sounded much more exotic.

So, here’s the recipe, slightly adapted from the various versions into one that I find full of flavour and an amazing substitute for bean-to-cup latte which I’ve been drinking far too much of lately, especially since lockdown. Have a go – recipe below – simplest ever!

And please don’t forget to comment below letting me and others know what you think of it.

Ingredients

1. Three cups of milk – this can be coconut, almond or regular milk (I use a can of coconut milk topped up with regular milk, or just regular milk)
2. 2 tsp turmeric (or fresh grated)
3. 1/4 tsp ground ginger (or fresh sliced)
4. 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
5. 1/4 tsp vanilla essence
6. 1/8 tsp of ground cardamom (I crack 3 cardamom pods and crush the seeds)
7. 1/8 tsp of black ground pepper which helps the absorption of the healing turmeric properties
8. 4 tsp syrup

Method

Pour three cups of milk into your saucepan and simply add the other ingredients and stir until simmering. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. It’s then ready to pour and drink.

Next up – Another Sri Lankan spice – TBC!

Previous blog – Dharshani’s spicy Sri Lankan chicken curry