Make Your Own Turmeric Powder and Broth
Reviews
Turmeric
I love turmeric! The flavor can be used in so many different ways. It is versatile, ranging from bitter to sweet, and even savory. Turmeric has become widely popular in the health world and for a very good reason. This nutrient dense root possesses multiple healing properties and is a staple in the middle eastern diet. Have you ever had curry? Then you have had turmeric!
Why Turmeric Powder?
Turmeric is a powerful perennial plant. The dried rhizomes, or roots and bulbs of the plant are ground and used as a spice. This occurred historically in India, Asia and Africa. Daily use of turmeric has been thought to aid in digestion, liver function, arthritis pain and other bodily inflammation, and is a general immune system aid. There has been a large focus of research on turmeric's impact on eliminating cancer cells. I encourage you to conduct your own research on this amazing food!
I use turmeric almost daily in my recipes. Making your own turmeric insures you have a fresh nutrient dense powder in your spice cabinet. I drink Golden Milk daily and so having a nutrient dense turmeric powder to make my turmeric paste, is essential. I have personally found that consumption of turmeric has helped to reduce the inflammation in my shoulder from my multiple surgeries. Give it a try and see what it can do for you.
Options for Using Turmeric
- Tea
- Pickled turmeric
- powdered form, as a spice to add to food or drink
- Capsule or supplement form
- tincture
- topical application such as a salve or lotion
- any other ideas you can come up with on your own!
How I use Fresh Turmeric
To insure I have fresh turmeric with high nutrient density, I enjoy making my own turmeric powder from fresh turmeric. During the process of making turmeric powder, a wonderful broth is created. I enjoy saving this broth and using it as a base for a chicken turmeric soup recipe I came up with. I store the broth in the freezer until I am ready to use it.
A pound of fresh turmeric is roughly $4 a the local grocery store. Two pounds of fresh turmeric should result in one full spice container of powdered turmeric.
Some of my favorite ways of using turmeric include:
- broth base
- golden milk (please see hubpage on golden milk for more details)
- turmeric rice
- turmeric chicken
- turmeric roasted vegetables
- turmeric mushroom chicken soup (recipe soon to come to hubpages)
- Pretty much sprinkled or added to anything!
How to Make Turmeric Broth and Powder
Estimated Cook Time
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh turmeric
- 2-3 cups of filtered water (clean water is essential to good health)
Cooking Instructions
- Slice the fresh turmeric into half inch coins. Leave the exterior "skin" in tact. Add sliced turmeric to a saucepan and add the water to the pan. On medium heat bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and use a spoon or strainer to remove the turmeric from the broth, set aside. Do not discard the broth.
- Pour the broth in ice cube trays and place in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to plastic baggies for later use.
- To create the turmeric powder, place the turmeric (previously set aside) to a dehydrator in a single layer for 4-8 hours. The oven can be used in place of a dehydrator. Simply place the turmeric in a single layer on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake on the lowest heat setting your oven allows for 4-8 hours, or until all moisture is gone from the turmeric.
- Once the turmeric is dry, place it in a heavy duty blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and add to an empty spice container while straining through wire strainer. I like to use a funnel when adding it to my spice container. I like to add a moisture strip to collect any extra moisture and prevent clumping
Spice containers
© 2016 Healthy Habits
