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According to the BBC, "an extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric kills cancer cells." Tests released by a team at the Cork Cancer Research Centre show turmeric can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab within 24 hours. That's no small deal. Now the question is, are you getting your fill?
Turmeric is a wonderful spice that shows up in a host of ethnic dishes. I use it mostly for curries but it does show up in other recipes. Make sure that your turmeric has not gone bad as can often unfortunately be the case for our lesser used spices.
Great Ways To Include Turmeric
1. Turmeric Seared Pears with Arugula, Goat Cheese, Goji Berries, and Pine Nuts
This recipe for seared pears from Akasha Richmond is a great way to show turmeric in a new light. Serve the pears atop a beautiful bed of arugula or leave the greens out and have as a dessert. Seared pears are especially great if you're looking for something sweet that you won't kick yourself for eating later.
2. Turmeric Curry Chicken
Kelly wrote in her series on Foods that Fight Cancer about the benefits of turmeric and ginger. In her piece she included a wonderful recipe for Turmeric Curry Chicken. According to her piece, "turmeric must be stabilized in oil before it can be absorbed into the body. So add it to onions, garlic, or ginger, while sautéing in oil, before you add any other ingredients."
3. Coconut Thai Rice Curry
The original recipe was not vegetarian, but I decided to leave the meat out. The dish just doesn't need it. This dish also highlights the season by including loads of root vegetables that add a sense of warmth. The miso paste is so important to this recipe because it makes it come together like it would in a restaurant.
10 1/2 oz brown basmati rice
1/4 cup organic coconut milk
2 cups roasted root vegetables, cut into 1-inch cubes (sweet potatoes, rutabaga, beets, etc.)
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp organic miso paste
1 tsp cardamom
Method
1. Cook the rice based on directions in the rice cooker.
2. After about 15 minutes, start cooking the rest of the meal. Warm up the coconut milk along with root vegetables, shallot, garlic, ginger, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick in a medium to large-size pot over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add curry powder and turmeric and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook 3 more minutes.
4. Add cooked rice along with soy sauce, miso, and cardamom and combine. Simmer for five more minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and serve.
Recipe adapted from Epicurious.
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