The perils of turmeric
Sounds like a suspense novel, yes? Dun dun dun dahh. Curcumin is the active component that gives turmeric its potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits, including prevention against heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and even depression and arthritis. So, the real mystery is why did it take me until 2020 to actually purchase and cook with turmeric?
My two 20-something kids love to cook and they use turmeric regularly. My son is a fan of curry, so turmeric is part of his everyday diet. My daughter is a big fan of Alison Roman’s Instagram-famous Spiced Chickpea Stew with Coconut and Turmeric, better known simply as #thestew.
I had to see what the fuss was all about and bought turmeric so I could make #thestew for myself. It was full of flavor for sure, including yummy items not in the title such as mint, ginger and red pepper flakes. My first try was a tad too spicy! (Only afterwards did my daughter tell me she omitted the red pepper flakes.) Next time I’d use a little less.
When my daughter self-isolated with us for seven weeks this spring, lots of cooking and eating was in the plan. I have to admit that the gorgeous color of this Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake is thanks to the ¾ teaspoon of turmeric. And because it’s called tea cake it doesn’t qualify as dessert.
We also made Cauliflower Rice Lunch Bowl with Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas. It too was tasty – granted I like anything with sweet potatoes, cilantro or avocados – and bonus, it really fills you up. Lots more chewing than #thestew. To make these aesthetically gorgeous bowls requires several baking sheets, the millennial reinvention of one-pot cooking.
The quantity of vegetables meant we had to use more than one pan. My daughter opted to cook the cauliflower rice component that’s mixed with turmeric, on a small aqua blue sheet pan that I picked up from HomeGoods a couple years ago. You guessed it.
Not a pretty result:
Hence the perils of turmeric.
Once my daughter left, turmeric was outta site outta mind at my house. Then last week we went to the beach and stayed in this super cute all-white timberframe cabin right on the beach. Because I’m such a good mom, I brought my Instant Pot for my son to cook up his preferred veggie and curry dishes.
Well, he made curry alright. A small Instant Pot-venting disaster occurred that spewed a golden turmeric mist all over the hand-poured cement kitchen counters (and decorated my son’s shirt with several amoeba-shaped turmeric spots as well). Panic set in. I wasn’t sure what to use but found some baking soda in the cupboard. With that and dish soap, we repeatedly wiped down the counter and the color seemed to fade and finally disappear. Crisis averted.
But wait. Later we discovered suspicious orange spots on the back of one of the banquette pillows. Not good. And the next morning when we were climbing in the car to leave … I spotted bits of dried orange remnants on my jeans. Nice. The turmeric that wouldn’t go away.
After returning home, I found this guide to getting rid of turmeric stains on your dishes, linens, counters and fingers. Proof. It stains everything in its path. I do like that baking soda is listed as a method to combat these perilous stains, validating my mom intuition.
There must be an easier way to enjoy turmeric. Let the restaurants make curry – and don’t wear a white shirt when you go out to eat. I’m thinking my kind of turmeric could be this Turmeric Popcorn Seasoning from Jacobsen Salt Co. Just be careful where you shake it! And, this sea salt chocolate bar infused with turmeric from Elements Truffles or Seattle-based Theo Chocolate’s turmeric spice dark chocolate bar look like perfectly safe alternatives.
In the meantime, I’m going to take a crack at cleaning my blue pan and I’ll be ordering a new silicone sealing ring for my Instant Pot. And I’ve since declared to my son – that, in my next house – which will be ALL white – turmeric will be outlawed. Turmeric and glitter.