Welcome to Turmerica! Have you noticed turmeric in some unexpected places—Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, French’s mustard and Nabisco Wheat Thins? Turmeric is not the only Indian spice you can use to elevate your meals.
Be sure to pick up spices at your local Indian market—they are fresher than those found in grocery store. Simply Google “Indian grocery store” and your zip code to find a market near you.
Here are some ways you can incorporate Indian spices or “currify” your recipes.
- Chocolate chip cookies—Open a cardamom pod and grind the seeds in a mortar. Add to your cookie dough.
- Pumpkin bread—Add a dash of nutmeg, ground cloves and ground cardamom to your batter.
- Trader Joe’s butternut squash soup—Simmer three cups of soup with ½ teaspoon cumin and a dash of Indian chili powder. Serve topped with chopped cilantro.
- Trader Joe’s creamy corn & roasted pepper soup—Simmer three cups of soup with ½ teaspoon cumin and a dash of Indian chili powder. Serve topped with chopped cilantro.
- A dash of turmeric in the cooking water will give potatoes, quinoa or rice a pale yellow hue.
- Easy chickpea curry—Rinse and drain 2 cans of chickpeas. In a casserole dish, mix one jar of non-fancy spaghetti sauce (25 oz.), 2 tablespoons of Patak’s Hot Curry Paste and 1/2 teaspoon Indian chili powder. Stir in chickpeas. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. Stir in two tablespoons of lemon juice.