Yellowy Spice and Everything Nice
Turmeric is a versatile spice that has many uses including both culinary and medicinal. Today I’m only touching on the culinary aspects of turmeric.
When starting out on a vegan/plant-based eating regime, sometimes flavour and the look of food can be difficult to know how to achieve.
Meet turmeric!
Turmeric is a flowering plant from the ginger family and like ginger, the spice does not come from leaves or bark, but from the root. It contains many nutrients such as magnesium, potassium and iron.
That glorious, vibrant yellowy-orange colour comes from turmeric’s main component – curcumin.
Because of its colour, turmeric is used to add colour to items such as curry, butter, cheese and mustard.
It is a spice that is a staple in many South-Asian and Middle-Eastern recipes.
Although typically used in its dried, powdered form, turmeric can also be used fresh, like ginger. The latter is a safer method for adding turmeric as some powders have been found to contain contaminates – make sure when buying turmeric powder, it comes from a reliable source and has that deep rich yellowy-orange colour.
When added to food, this exotic looking spice can add both flavour (warm, black pepper–like) and colour to your vegan dish. It can be used in curries, soups, stews, tofu “egg” scrambles (to give your tofu that yellow colour of scrambled eggs) and pastas just to name a few.
TIP: Try not to get turmeric powder on your clothes or fingers as it will stain them – trust me, I know!!! I got it on my fingers and for days, it looked like I have a severe nicotine habitš¤£
It’s also from curcumin that turmeric gets its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. The percentage of this chemical is much lower in the natural food source than if you take a supplement.
I’m not covering the supplementing of turmeric here as this is something you should discuss with your health practitioner and/or nutritionist.
I hope you get a chance to try this striking spice in your next vegan dish to enhance its flavour and look.
Just sayin' is all!
Lou-Anne Hooper
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“The Vegan Journey: A Beginner’s Pathway”
please contact me at veganvagabonds@rogers.com
