According to the BBC, "an extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric kills cancer cells." Tests released by a team at the Cork Cancer Research Centre show turmeric can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab within 24 hours. That's no small deal. Now the question is, are you getting your fill? Turmeric is a wonderful spice that shows up in a host of ethnic dishes. I use it mostly for curries but it does show up in other recipes. Make sure that your turmeric has not gone bad as can often unfortunately be the case for our lesser used spices. Great Ways To Include Turmeric 1. Turmeric Seared Pears with Arugula, Goat Cheese, Goji Berries, and Pine Nuts This recipe for seared pears from Akasha Richmond is a great way to show turmeric in a new light. Serve the pears atop a beautiful bed of arugula or leave the greens out and have as a dessert. Seared pears are especially great if you're looking for something sweet that you won't kick yourself for eating later. 2. Turmeric Curry Chicken Kelly wrote in her series on Foods that Fight Cancer about the benefits of turmeric and ginger. In her piece she included a wonderful recipe for Turmeric Curry Chicken. According to her piece, "turmeric must be stabilized in oil before it can be absorbed into the body. So add it to onions, garlic, or ginger, while sautéing in oil, before you add any other ingredients." 3. Coconut Thai Rice Curry The original recipe was not vegetarian, but I decided to leave the meat out. The dish just doesn't need it. This dish also highlights the season by including loads of root vegetables that add a sense of warmth. The miso paste is so important to this recipe because it makes it come together like it would in a restaurant. 10 1/2 oz brown basmati rice 1/4 cup organic coconut milk 2 cups roasted root vegetables, cut into 1-inch cubes (sweet potatoes, rutabaga, beets, etc.) 1 shallot, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger 1 bay leaf 1 cinnamon stick 1 tbsp curry powder 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp organic miso paste 1 tsp cardamom Method 1. Cook the rice based on directions in the rice cooker. 2. After about 15 minutes, start cooking the rest of the meal. Warm up the coconut milk along with root vegetables, shallot, garlic, ginger, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick in a medium to large-size pot over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. 3. Add curry powder and turmeric and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook 3 more minutes. 4. Add cooked rice along with soy sauce, miso, and cardamom and combine. Simmer for five more minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and serve. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TURMERIC ‘Curcuma longa’, also known as curcuma, haldi or Indian saffron, is an ancient spice from South East Asia. This fine, bright yellow powder is obtained from the ground rhizome (underground stem), and posses an earthy, peppery flavour with a sweet mustard perfume. It is used for cooking, cosmetics (sunscreen), dyes, gardening (ant deterrent) and medicine. What caught my eye was the marriage between cooking and the medicinale properties of turmeric. For centuries this spice has been used in India as a natural anticeptic & antibacterial agent, and has only recently become a topic of research in the oxidental medical community. According to the book ‘Anticancer‘, turmeric / curcuma is the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory identified to date & can be used as a natural defence mechanism against cancerous cells when used in cooking!!!! IMPORTANT for the turmeric to be absorbed by the body, it must be combined with black pepper and ideally dissolved in oil (ie olive oil). Many curry spice mixes only contain a small % of turmeric, so it is best to buy the pure variety on its own. I have created a delicious, simple recipe, that uses these essential ingredients and takes only 15 minutes to make. 300g cauliflower (1 small cauliflower head) 2 tablespoons olive oil 11/4 tsp turmeric 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground mustard 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper pinch of salt 2 bay / laurel leaves (dry or fresh) 250ml (approx. 1cup) coconut milk Prepare the cauliflower: wash & dry well, remove the the green leaves & stalk, and cut the ‘flower’ into small pieces Spices : mix well with the salt in a small dish In a medium sized suacepan, heat the oilve oil on low heat, add the spices & bay leaves and let cook gently for 2 mintues Now add the coconut milk and mix well until all the spices are absorbed Add the cauliflower and cook COVERED for approx 8 minutes or until the cauliflower is just tender I normally serve this dish with basmati rice (cooked with 4 black pepper corns, 3 cardamon pods, 2 whole cloves and 1 cinnamon stick). If you find using pure coconut milk is too rich, you can use half coconut milk and half normal milk for this recipe. The sauce will be a little thinner but still delicious.