Peko Peko Health Series: #2 Turmeric
There are many reasons why we infuse our rice with turmeric at Peko Peko! It’s not just for the lovely colour…
There has been a lot of buzz about the health benefits turmeric in Holistic health media lately, with turmeric lattes and tonics gaining more of a following. And there’s a good reason for it (even though the practice has been around for centuries!)
Native to India and Southeast Asia, Turmeric has been popular in cuisines for several thousand years, and continues to surprise researchers in terms of the wide ranging health benefits.
The potential benefits of including turmeric in your diet include better regulation of inflammation, oxidation, cell signaling, blood sugar levels, blood fat levels, and brain levels of the omega-3 fatty acid called DHA. These benefits that come turmeric have been proven to be from not the spice itself, but from one of it’s constituents called Curcumin.
There are ways to prepare turmeric so you can get more Curcumin into your body!
‘Turmeric golden paste’ is a great way to take turmeric, as it includes black pepper and fat (coconut oil or olive oil) which helps the active ingredient in turmeric Curcumin be more readily absorbed into the bloodstream through the lymphatic system. Read more about it here.
This isn’t our recipe, but we highly recommend you use this simple recipe in your daily life! Jacqueline from Deep Roots At Home has also included a range of different ways you can use your Turmeric Golden Paste.
Turmeric Golden Paste
Ingredients
1/2 cup turmeric powder (Use organic powder)
1 cup water (250ml or a bit more to get desired paste consistency)
1 teaspoons ground black pepper (or even 1/2 tsp. if pepper is too irritating)
1/4 cup (70 ml) cold pressed Olive or un-refined Coconut oil (enhances the bio-availability of curcumin another seven to eight-fold)
Method
Add turmeric to water in a pan. Heat gently along with stirring. Do this until you get a thick paste, approximately 6 to 10 min. Adjust thickness by adding some water or adding a bit more turmeric.
Finally, add the pepper and oil. Keep stirring to ensure that all ingredients are mixed properly. Allow it to cool.
Bottle in clean jar with tight-fitting lid and refrigerate it for 4-5 weeks or more. (Antimicrobial Un-refined, virgin Coconut oil will help keep it from spoiling sooner). This will ensure you can make it once and use for days.
If you would like a recipe with a little more flavor and spice, click here for another Golden Turmeric Paste recipe from Savoury Lotus!
Cheers to good health! Enjoy 🙂