An ingredient in curry powder and a less-expensive alternative to saffron, turmeric's yellow color and warm, chicken-soup flavor enhances curries, soups and stews. Warmer and spicier than paprika, yet cooler than a Hungarian wax pepper, turmeric pushes your palate toward the spicy end of the flavor spectrum. This relative of the ginger rhizome provides anti-inflammatory and warming effects to ease aches and pains and keep congestion at bay, making it ideal for use in fall and winter dishes.
Turmeric Syrup Base
Step 1
Fill the 6-qt. stockpot with 4 qts. of water and bring it to a rolling boil. Scrub the ginger and turmeric rhizomes with a vegetable brush under cold running water.
Step 2
Cut the ginger and turmeric into 1/2-inch pieces. Blanch the pieces in the boiling water for at least 2 -- but no more than 4 -- minutes.
Step 3
Remove the turmeric and ginger pieces from the liquid using a wok strainer and plunge them into ice so they do not continue to cook from their own heat and become soft. Place the blanched turmeric and ginger pieces in the quart-size jar. Reserve the blanching liquid to cook rice.
Step 4
Roll each lemon back and forth on the counter while applying firm pressure. Use the lemon zester to scrape the yellow portion of the rind from each lemon. Add the lemon zest to the turmeric and ginger chunks in the quart jar.
Step 5
Cut about 1/4-inch from the end of each lemon. Cut each lemon in half between the two ends. Squeeze all the juice into the quart jar. Add the coriander seeds, cardamom pods and red pepper flakes and fill the remaining space in the jar with sherry or mirin.
Step 6
Screw the lid on the jar and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the turmeric and ginger chunks to steep in the flavored sherry or mirin for 2 to 4 weeks.
Step 7
Pour the contents of the jar, including the liquid, into a 6-qt. stockpot and bring it to a boil. Add 3 cups raw sugar and 1 qt. apple cider. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Continue boiling until the syrup sticks to the wooden spoon instead of dripping off it.
Step 8
Strain out the ginger and turmeric and spread the pieces on a cookie sheet to dry. Pour the syrup through a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Store the syrup in quart or pint-sized jars in the refrigerator until needed.
Step 9
Pour 2 tbsp. of turmeric-ginger syrup over ice in an 8-oz glass. Add sparkling cider or club soda for instant ginger ale.
Dried Turmeric
Step 1
Use a nutmeg grater to grate 1 lb. of turmeric rhizomes onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or waxed paper.
Step 2
Spread the grated turmeric in a single, thin layer on the cookie sheet. Preheat your oven to 140 degrees Fahrenheit as measured with an oven thermometer. Place the cookie sheet in the oven to dry, or cover the cookie sheet with cheesecloth and place it in the sun for 3 to 7 days.
Step 3
Check the turmeric in the oven every 1/2 hour. Scrape it together in a pile in the center of the cookie sheet, then spread it out again to ensure even drying.
Step 4
Test the dryness of the turmeric after 2 hours, by rubbing it between your fingers. If it feels oily or pasty and sticks to your fingers, continue drying. If it feels powdery, take it from the oven and allow it to cool before storing it in a shaker-top spice jar.
Step 5
Turn half the dried turmeric granules into powder using a coffee grinder and store it in a separate spice jar with a shaker-top lid.
Step 6
Pour the raw almonds into a blender and pulse them until they become pasty. Add almond milk; chopped dates, raisins or dried apricots; 2 cinnamon sticks and the coconut oil and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil. Add 1/2 tsp. of powdered turmeric, the garam masala and cayenne pepper and pulse for two minutes. Pour the mixture into istikan tea glasses or beer mugs.
Poaching Liquid and Soup Base
Step 1
Heat 4 cups of the reserved liquid from blanching your turmeric and ginger to a rolling boil. Add 2 cups of chicken, turkey or pork bones and 3 tbsp. lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Boil the bones for two to four hours.
Step 2
Use a wok strainer to remove the bones from the boiling broth. Allow the bones to cool to room temperature on a large serving platter. Pick any meat off the bones and return it to the pot. Discard the bones or freeze them to make another batch of bone broth.
Step 3
Add chopped onion, celery and carrot to the broth. Sear 2 lbs. of chicken, turkey, pork, seitan or tofu strips, 1/4-lb. at a time and add it to the broth. Add 4 to 6 whole, dried red and orange Thai chili peppers and 1/2 tsp of Sechuan buttons and bring the broth to a rolling boil.
Step 4
Remove the chili peppers and strain all but 2 cups of the turmeric bone broth into freezer containers for later use. Strain the remaining 2 cups of the turmeric bone broth into a saute pan and bring it back to a boil. Add 1 cup of rice and simmer until all the liquid absorbs.
Step 5
Mince the broccoli slaw mix on a cutting board with a chef's knife until all the pieces are rice-sized. Stir the minced broccoli slaw into the rice.
Step 6
Serve 1 cup of the chicken, turkey, pork, seitan or tofu strips over 1/2 cup of the turmeric-infused broccoli rice.
Tips and Warnings
- To make perfect, fluffy rice, Fine Cooking Magazine's Niloufer King advises simmering the rice for about 12 minutes, then allowing it to rest for 5 to 30 minutes before serving.
Things You'll Need
- For Turmeric Ginger Syrup Base:
- 6 qt. stockpot
- 4 qts. water
- 8 oz. fresh ginger
- 12 oz. fresh turmeric rhizomes
- Vegetable brush
- Vegetable peeler
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Wok strainer
- High-sided serving pan filled with ice and water
- Quart-size jar with screw-top lid
- 2 whole lemons
- Lemon zester
- 2 tsp. coriander seeds
- 10 cardamom pods
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 pint sherry or mirin
- 3 cups raw sugar
- 1 qt. apple cider
- For Dried Turmeric:
- Nutmeg grater
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment or waxed paper
- Spatula
- Spice jars with shaker-top lids
- Coffee grinder
- For Turmeric Almond Milk:
- 1/2 lb. raw almonds
- 1 1/2 qts. almond milk
- 1/4 cup chopped dates, raisins or dried apricots
- 2 sticks of cinnamon
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp. powdered turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. garam masala
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- Istikan tea glasses or beer mugs, 12-oz. size
- 1 cup chopped red or yellow onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped or grated carrot
- 2 cups chicken, turkey or pork bones
- 2 lbs. chicken, turkey, pork, seitan or tofu strips
- 4 to 6 red and orange Thai chili peppers
- 1/2 tsp. Sechuan buttons
- 1 lb. broccoli slaw mix
- 1 cup rice
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