Spices Turmeric

Spices originated in Asia, India, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas thousands of years ago. Now I am not here to give you a history lesson about spices, but it is fascinating to read about something beautiful and simple as spices. Knowing where spices originated and how their uses have developed throughout history is enthralling. In my opinion, spices are the best thing that happened to food.

Turmeric Powder

Keep It Simple

Cooking With Turmeric

As there are hundreds of spices, one must know what to use and when to use them. At times spices can become too much of a good thing. I genuinely believe that too many spices can often ruin the flavor of food. In my kitchen, I usually minimize the number of spices that I use when creating a dish. My goal is always to keep cuisine simple, authentic, and flavorful. One must be subtle when cooking with spices, or you can easily and quickly mask the flavor of the actual dish and turn it into a spicy hot mess.

Cooking With It

Turmeric in its raw and powder form is a potent spice. It has a robust and rustic flavor and a luminous yellow color. It works well with some herbs but does a fabulous job with ginger, garlic, and onion. Together they bring out the flavor of curries and sauces. Turmeric is a star in my kitchen. I use it when making yellow lentil dal, korma, chicken tikka masala, shrimp caldine, Rustic Bone-in Chicken Curry, cabbage bhaji, yellow pilaf rice, as well as other recipes.

Market

On the flip side, turmeric has become a big hit in the American market. You can find it in powder form for spices or shakes. You can also find it in creams for skin treatments and in pill format for medicinal purposes. Just look around your local grocery store; I guess turmeric is not just for cooking anymore!

For some excellent turmeric recipes, follow us on Pinterest and subscribe to my YouTube channel, The Topper Chef. Comment below and brag about how you use turmeric in your kitchen. Happy cooking!