Skip to main content

The Power Couple: Turmeric & Black Pepper






Anyone who grew up in an Indian household knows about the magic of Haldi Doodh. Simply translated, it’s Turmeric Milk. As a child, whenever I felt the sniffles coming on, when the forehead started to feel a little bit warm, my mother would make me a tall glass of this yellow elixir. It was creamy, slightly sweet with little spicy kick and it warmed me from the inside out from the very first sip itself. The recipe is ridiculously simple. Warmed up milk mixed with turmeric, honey and a pinch of ginger powder and a light sprinkling black pepper. So simple yet so effective. It remains my go to beverage when I feel a little low energy spell happening. It’s a home made remedy that's an instant and magical cure.

I have now come to realize, what was once grandma’s remedy is now the next big scientific breakthrough. Scientists now claim that Curcumin, the active ingredient in Turmeric, is a natural anti-inflammatory compound and is a potent antioxidant. It can increase the antioxidant capacity of the body and may help in lowering the risk of heart disease and cancer. And the list goes on. Curcumin is believed to be effective in fighting Alzheimer’s disease. Patients with Arthritis respond well to it. Curcumin even has benefits against depression. Simply put, this spice that stains everything in your kitchen yellow, from your countertops to your cutting boards, can actually improve your quality of life.

But there’s a caveat with respect to Curcumin. Something known as bio availability that refers to the rate at which the body absorbs a particular substance. Unfortunately the rate at which Curcumin is absorbed into the bloodstream is rather poor. You would need to consume copious amounts of Turmeric to derive any form of health benefits. That's when Black Pepper comes to the rescue. The active compound Piperine found in Black Pepper is known to enhance the absorption of Curcumin by 2000%. Now isn’t that something? And all this time, I thought Grandma was adding black pepper just for flavor and an additional kick. This culinary move was rooted in science. Our ancestors knew something that modern science is only starting to figure out today.

Curcumin is also fat soluble, which means it breaks down in a fat medium. Now Turmeric Milk is starting to make a lot more sense. As Curcumin breaks down in milk fat, and when combined with black pepper, it gets quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, administering a healthy dose of antioxidant power to the body. No wonder it takes just one glass of it and I start to feel better immediately.

There are so many things we are discovering today in Eastern diets that make food serve as medicine. While this may astonish and surprise us, our ancestors regarded this as common knowledge. As we look for solutions to save ourselves and this planet, I think it’s time to start looking at the Indian grandma’s recipe book. Who knows what else we might find?  All I can say is that our ancestors had a lot more knowledge than we gave them credit for. I believe the time has come for us cooks to dig in a little deeper. I am sure the planet will be a lot more grateful to us as a result.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eid and the Dum Biryani experience

This year, Eid in Mumbai was a scorcher. A heat advisory was issued, reminding the people of Mumbai to stay hydrated and avoid strenuous activity. You'd think that would be enough to dissuade this chef from his culinary intention of Dum Biryani. Think again. In the urban dictionary, against the term “Sucker for punishment”, there must be a picture of Chef Dama, labeled as exhibit A. Why would anyone want to subject themselves through this torture? To walk to the market when it's over 40 C/100 F outside to procure fresh goat meat, yogurt, long grain basmati rice and spices. A person in his right frame of mind would be snuggled in front of the air conditioner, doing Netflix and chill. Instead there I am sweat drenched in the kitchen, stoves on full blast as I fry a kilogram of sliced onions to make Birishta; the key ingredient in Biryani. Next, into the scorching hot fat go the potatoes. Sure the potato frying process could be skipped. But to miss out on that magic golden orange ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Bombay Duck (It's actually a Fish)

In Mumbai, everyone waits for June. It’s the start of the monsoon, giving Mumbaikars a much needed break from the sweltering summer. But for me, growing up in the coastal suburb of Bandra, June was a different experience. That’s when I would intentionally stay away from the sea facing areas, because of the stench. June is the start of Bombay Duck season, and the process of salting and drying this fish would fill the air with an aroma that could cause a fainting spell right on the spot in the middle of the street. You wouldn’t be the only one mistaken if the name Bombay Duck made you think of poultry. This name is given to a peculiar species of fish found primarily in the coastal waters of Mumbai and Gujarat. It’s quite an ugly fish with an uncharacteristically large and gaping mouth. The high water content makes the flesh rather gelatinous, almost slimy, causing it to spoil rather easily. The primary method of preserving this fish is salting and drying. Rudimentary bamboo structures ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Spices: To Toast or not to Toast

Have you ever heard the saying, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”? I recently understood the full meaning of that statement during my most recent cooking contract. My job is to design Indian food offerings for Employee dining programs, and my clients are mostly large tech firms in Silicon Valley. Now that the Pandemic is mostly behind us, Employee dining programs are slowly coming back on line. And wherever there is a requirement for Indian food, that’s when I get a call. It isn’t an easy time for food service companies right now. When the Pandemic hit, most companies had to shut down, and furlough their staff. These trained cooks found work elsewhere and are not so keen on coming back to the hard life of Kitchen work. Bay Area Food service companies have to depend on Contract laborers through apps like Qwick, Tend and Instawork. You can say contract laborers are like a box of chocolates. You never know which ones you are going to get. Some are great. Some, not so much. And so...
Post a Comment
Read more