Skip to main content
planted
SHOP ALLPLANTS

Lifestyle

turmeric
6min read
Share

 A Guide To Cooking With Turmeric: The Aromatic And Earthy Spice 

by Fabian Jackson

6min read

Wondering what turmeric is and how to cook with it? We’ve got you covered. Check out this guide for everything you need to know about this earthy and aromatic spice, along with our favourite vegan recipe championing turmeric that we know you’ll want to cook again and again.

What is turmeric?

Turmeric is a flowering plant that also goes by the name Curcuma longa, and is a not-so-distant relative of ginger. When we talk about turmeric for cooking and medicinal purposes, we’re referring to the plant’s nobbly, orange root. 

As a spice, you might be more familiar with it in its powdered form. It’s a vibrant sunset yellow spice that’s native to South Asia and it’s sometimes referred to as the Indian saffron (read everything you need to know about the most expensive spice in the world here) as it makes everything it touches a glowing golden colour; including your clothes which is why it’s used as a natural fabric dye world-wide –  you have been warned!

turmeric stained. dish

The health benefits of turmeric 

For those in the know, turmeric root has a myriad of beneficial properties to help boost our brain and bodily powers. But this isn’t completely new information, in fact, it’s been used in traditional Indian medicine (as well as cooking) for thousands of years. It contains a compound called curcumin which is where it sources all its greatness from. It’s believed to help:

This last one means that our cells can be better equipped to block cancerous tumours and even heart disease. Other studies are showing the powers of curcumin from turmeric in protecting against stomach ulcers, high cholesterol and diabetes: leading us to question, is there anything turmeric can’t do?  

Although you may not be able to fully access the benefits of curcumin from eating turmeric alone, eating it with fatty foods, black pepper or in supplement form (like these ones from Nature’s Best) could help your body to unlock its full potential.  

Where to buy turmeric 

As we already know, turmeric grows as a root and is generally ground down into a fine powder for cooking with – both options are widely available in most international food shops and major supermarkets too. In the latter, you’ll find the fresh version in the vegetable aisle between the ginger root and fresh chillies, and dried turmeric amongst the other jars, herbs and spices.

How to cook vegan dishes using turmeric 

Turmeric can be a great earthy and aromatic addition to any of your favourite dishes, but here are a few of our top suggestions if you don’t know where to start: 

  • If you’d like to kick-start your turmeric-powered day, then what better way to do that than with a glass of Val’s recipe for vegan golden milk? It’s packed full with ginger, lemon juice, black pepper and maple syrup to keep your turmeric company

golden milk

  • Looking for a vegan lunch idea? Give our warming daal recipe a go, it’s perfect for a cosy night in, followed by some serious time relaxing on the sofa

daal

curry

tacos

Share

By Fabian Jackson
Fabian Jackson

Fabian is one of our lovely Content Marketing Assistants who loves writing almost as much as he loves coffee, old episodes of Escape to the Country (no judgement here), and cooking up a storm in his kitchen.

Read more from Fabian


Let us take care of dinner

We help to make eating more plants easy and delicious. Fancy letting us take care of dinner? Check out our delicious meals here.

Shop now
Multi award-winning great taste producer
Certified B Corporation
London Living Wage Employer
Plant Power

Explore

Where to find usVeganuaryUltra Processed FoodSustainability(Not at) school dinnerRefer a FriendPlanted blog

Stay in touch

Multi award-winning great taste producer
Certified B Corporation
London Living Wage Employer
Plant Power

© Copyright 2024 Allplants Ltd. All rights reserved