- You know what they say? Double the turmeric, double the fun. Welcome to the Spice Show y'all. Today's guest of honor, turmeric. We're going to answer some of your FAQ's and we're going to be showing
you how to cook with turmeric. You've probably seen it in
the store in the spice aisle as this gorgeously yellow
powder ground to a fine dust. And it colors everything
to your heart's content but it never seems to
taste or smell like much. If that's the case, you probably bought some
turmeric that has been dried and ground far too long ago
and it has lost its potency, both in terms of bright
color, and in terms of flavor. In its original form,
turmeric is a rhizome, and this is what they look like. Turmeric, like its cousin,
ginger, looks like a root but it's actually a rhizome. It's the part of a plant that
sends out roots and stocks, kind of like a growth hub. Do you like turmeric? What do you think bud? Is no? Is yes? That's a no. Native to south and south east Asia, turmeric is a spice that
is used a world over and traditional Indian medicine. Health wise, it's believed
that turmeric has a lot of anti-inflammatories and
antioxidants, like curcumin, that's really good for you but there's no scientific
studies really backing that up. What I do know is that turmeric
is an exciting spice to have in your cupboard and or in your fridge if you can find it fresh. You can use it in a lot of recipes and we're going to show you how today. That will truly depend on
how fresh your stock is. The fresher your ground turmeric, the more pungent and
more colorful it will be. And of course, if you can get
your hands on the fresh stuff, that will be the most
potent it will ever be. To me, turmeric can taste
a little bit earthy, a.k.a like dirt. It's got a bit of a warm mustardy taste, a little bit bitter on the after finish, and if you eat it straight,
which I do not recommend, you will certainly get that kick after. It's a spice, but is it spicy? I would say no. On a scale of one to five, I
would say this is like a 0.1. If you nibble on the fresh stuff, your teeth will be discolored because turmeric has very
potent coloring agents in it. But if you're a brave soul and you take a chunk
out of the fresh stuff, it kind of tastes like
that root end of the carrot where it makes the greens
a little bit bitter, a little bit fresh, a little bit crisp, and a little bit juicy, actually. It also has a slightly
celery root taste to it too. In terms of smell, it
reminds me of a cross between a black pepper and a clove. Slightly androgynous, a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy. Now, before we start
cooking with turmeric, whether dried or fresh, I think it is my absolute
responsibility to give you this disclaimer and warning. Turmeric will stain absolutely
everything and anything it comes into contact with. That includes your hands,
your cooking tools, your pots, your towels your clothes,
your stove, everything. While you can wash it off in batches, it'll gradually fade
with sunlight as well, it's going to stain in your instruments. So just be aware of that
and don't use any of your super pretty pots while cooking turmeric unless you want it to be dyed
a very nice shade of yellow. Having said that, this property
of turmeric makes it perfect for any dishes that you want to imbue with a yellow golden hue. Which is why our first
recipe is pickled daikon. You see this kind of pickles
a lot in Korean cuisine, served alongside your main
dishes and your sides. And this, this is one of my
absolute favorite pickles. For your daikon pickles,
you'll need seven ingredients. Daikon being one of them, of course. You'll also need water, rice
vinegar, granulated sugar, kosher salt, a little bit of turmeric, either dried or fresh, as
well as a clove of garlic. You're going to slice your
daikon about a quarter of an inch or eighth of an inch thick,
place them packed into a jar, and then in a small pot over medium heat, you're going to heat up
your rice wine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and turmeric. Depending on how strong you
want your turmeric flavor to be, you can go fresh or dried. Fresh will give you a
more bright pungent flavor and dried will be a little bit tamer. For me, the main purpose of
turmeric in these pickles is for the color so I'm
going to go with dried. Bring it up to a boil, let
all of that sugar melt away, and then grate your garlic
over your daikon in the jar. Pour over your hot solution and just let it melt into that daikon. Make sure all of your pieces
of daikon are being covered in that solution. Lid it up a little bit, give
it a shake over the sink in case there's any
leaks, and then let it sit in your fridge at least
two days before consuming. It probably will keep for two weeks, but I've never had them last that long. The longer you them sit,
the yellower they'll get and the more flavorful they'll be. Still delicious though. I'm going to need some teeth
whitening after this episode. Next up, drinks. Because turmeric is a little bit bitter, and a little bit earthy,
and a little bit pungent, it pairs really well with sugar
and any other spice or herbs that taste a little bit on the borderline of sweet and spicy. That includes black pepper. That includes cardamom. That includes ginger. All of the above. One really simple way to enjoy turmeric is to take a little bit
of fresh grated turmeric, a little bit of fresh grated ginger, boil it in a couple of cups of
water, add some honey to it, squeeze a little bit of lemon in there, and there you have it, turmeric tea. If you don't mind a little
fiber in your drink, feel free to drink it straight
with a little touch of lemon. Perfect. If you like a smooth tea, go ahead and strain out those fibers. This is a super simple drink
to have in the morning, in the afternoon, at night, no caffeine. Just pure flavor and color. Tastes like a slightly
spicy warm lemonade. This tea even comes with
its own magic trick. Nifty, huh? If you're looking for something creamier and a little bit more
rich and substantial, look no further than turmeric golden milk. For the golden milk, you're going to take some cardamom pods, you're going to take some black pepper, you're going to crush both of those open. For a little bit of nuttiness, you can go ahead and toast your
spices in that dry pot first to release their flavors a little bit. Add a little bit of milk of
your choice, and then go in with your fresh ginger
and your fresh turmeric. If you don't have fresh turmeric on hand, the substitution is about
one inch of fresh turmeric to one teaspoon ground turmeric. Let everything come up to a little simmer and let it boil away until that milk takes on that golden
hue from the turmeric. Take it off the heat, strain
it or don't, and then stir in a little bit of honey or
sweetener of your choice. Ooh, yeah. The creaminess of the milk is
offset by that slightly spicy, slightly earthy, pungent flavor profile. And man, those spices, they get delicious. Naturally, you have your
tea, you have your milk, and then you have your cake. Sfouf is a Lebanese semolina cake that's usually flavored
and colored with turmeric, and then you add some
tahini and almonds in there for a nutty, nutty delicious bite. It's usually flavored with anise seed but I'm going to substitute
some fennel seeds because that's what I have on hand. And I'm going to substitute the tahini with a little bit of peanut butter. I know, I know, you're
thinking, turmeric and a cake. Really? Yes, really. And it's going to be
delicious and beautiful. Oh, and did I mention
this version is vegan. To make sfouf, you take a
little bit of semolina flour, combine it with all purpose flour, a little bit of granulated
sugar, baking powder, along with some salt,
add in your turmeric, give those dries a whisk
until they're nicely combined. Then, you're going to stream
in a little bit of olive oil, oat milk, and a little
bit of peanut butter. Sprinkle in your crushed
fennel seeds, mix it well, and then we're going to
take a mini cupcake tin, we're going to sprinkle the bottoms with a little bit of sesame seeds. We're going to plop in a little
bit of batter into each cup. And then we're going to
top with more sesame seeds. We're going to slide that whole thing into a 350 degree oven. And then we're going to let them bake until the edges get a little
nicely, solidly golden. These semolina cakes can be very crumbly, so be very careful and gentle when you're pulling them out of your pan. I recommend letting them cool
for about five to 10 minutes, flipping them onto a sheet
tray and then kind of smacking it with your hand
until they kind of pop out. Some of them might be stuck. Don't worry. If they crumble, it's still delicious. Either way, you get a
gorgeously golden cake with nutty sesame seeds
and a little bit of peanut butter inside. And then that texture of the
semolina is just the most enjoyable little crunch
you'll ever get from a cake. I also really enjoy using
turmeric in my homemade granola. Whatever granola recipe
you like to use, go for it. Just add in a little bit of
turmeric for that nice color. For my granola, I really
like to go in with some oats, a little bit of shredded
sweetened coconut, a little bit of seeds,
sesame seeds, flax seeds, whatever healthy thing you
want to throw in there. And then I really like
putting in a little bit of androgynous spices, so
turmeric, black pepper, ground cardamom, all game. Add a little bit of salt,
a little bit of oil, and a little bit of honey,
mix it all together, spread it on a sheet tray. 325, let it go for about 25
minutes, gently flipping halfway through so that no edges are burning. And then, when it's evenly
golden all around the pan, take it out, and, here's the tip of getting nice
little clusters of granola. Don't fumble with it right away. Let that tray cool completely
before you kind of start chipping away at it and
breaking it off in chunks. Letting that honey solidify completely after it caramelizes in the
oven is the way to get those nice big clumps of crunchiness. For some double turmeric
action, go ahead and drizzle your golden milk right over that granola. All right. Are we ready to hit the savories yet? 'Cause I am. Fun fact, did you know
that turmeric is present in a lot of spice mixes,
primarily that of curry powder. Turmeric is what gives curry powder its signature yellow hue. It's also used very commonly in a lot of different Indian dishes. So if you go to your Indian store, you'll see on the shelves so
many different pre-packaged meal kits that have turmeric
in them as a key agent of flavor and color. One of my favorite ways
to use curry powder is fish ball curry. If you've never had fish ball before, it is a true delight. I highly recommend that you seek it out at your Asian markets. You can usually find it in the
refrigerated or frozen aisle, and you can get so many different shapes. Look at that, so fun. Try it, try it, try it. For your fish ball curry, in
a large pot, drop in some oil, go in with your onions and your garlic, and just let them toast until
they're a little bit golden. Add in your kosher salt, your
curry powder, and then go in with either ground turmeric
or fresh turmeric sliced. Also add in a little bit of
freshly cracked black pepper and two birds eye chili if
you can handle the heat. Toss in some fragrant lime leaves and let those get
stirred around in the pot so that all their flavors
release into that oil. As soon as that pot smells divine, hit it with some rich coconut milk, along with some chicken broth or water. Add a touch of soy sauce, a
little splash of fish sauce, going with a tablespoon of
sugar to offset all the spices. Then plop in some halved baby
potatoes and your fish balls. Give it a stir and just let that cook until that sauce looks nice
and slightly thickened. When your curry is done,
your potatoes should be knife tender, and super
creamy on the inside. This curry goes great
served over wheat noodles, or if you have leftover rice, let's make some turmeric
fried rice, shall we? For the fried rice, I'm
going to place a skillet over medium heat, drizzle in some oil, go in with my onions and
garlic, you know the drill, wait until they're nice and golden, stir them around so that they don't burn. And then we're going to
hit it with a little bit of minced ginger, a little
bit of dried ground turmeric, a little bit of smoked paprika
for, you know, flavor punch. Go in with a little bit of
freshly ground black pepper, and then we're going to throw
in our veggies because guys, you gotta eat your veggies. Mom's right. So I'm putting in some red bell peppers, along with some broccoli chopped, and then we're going to
season this whole thing with a little bit of soy sauce,
a little bit of fish sauce. And then we're going to plop in our rice. I used leftover rice, about two cups. One even layer, give us
some room to be stirred, to be cooked, to be nice and crispy. And then once that rice
is poppin, move it off to one side of the
skillet, crack in two eggs, we're going to quickly scramble it, we're going to fold it
into the rest of the rice, and voila. You have some turmeric
fried rice with eggs. I think as far as fried rice goes, they don't come prettier than this. Red, green, rich, bright yellow. And of course, if you want more flavor, we're going to dump some fish
ball curry on top of this. You know what they say? Double the turmeric, double the fun. The potatoes are nice,
tender, super creamy, super covered in this rich curry sauce. Lots of coconut milk happening here and lots of spices happening here. The fish balls are
tender and still bouncy, filled with delicious umami flavor. And then you find a little
sliver of sliced turmeric, and man, is it delicious
after being stewed. It's still got that nice turmeric punch, it's a little bit crunchy. - June, these look beautiful. - Do you want some food? - Thank you. I love eating hot fried rice and hot curry on an 85 degree day here in New York. Don't you, June? - Just depends on how good it is, man. - We'll see. It's good. Man, this is awesome. - Mine. - Nope. Nope. - Mine. Y'all, I hope you enjoyed going on this turmeric journey with me. I hope you learned something
about this wonderfully yellow spice and I hope
that you stock this spice up in your pantry and use it more. I think it's a beautiful spice, visually beautiful, tastefully beautiful. Yes, it can be a little bit bitter if you use too much of it, but you know, aren't we all at the end of
the day, a little bit bitter. If you have any favorite
recipes involving turmeric or you got tricks and
tips about this spice, drop a comment down below and let me know. I want to learn from you too. Until next time, guys, take care, stay hydrated, and keep
on eating good things.
