Curcumin is taking the Western world by storm. While Indians have been using it daily in their curry and dishes. But there is one essential information missing to the Western people, which I am sure we Indians will soon copy and lose the benefits of Haldi or Turmeric.
In Indian curry masala and dishes, we add a lot of various garam masalas in powdered or seed, flower, fruit, bark or leaf form. We add one teaspoon and we are done. Thank God for the ancient cooking in India. Such knowledge and richness passed down to generations without having to worry about healthy food.
But ever since we globalized our cuisine and food recipes, we are adopting Western recipes too which lack the essential benefit of Garam Masalas. All they add is a bit of salt and pepper. A little more enterprising chef may try adding parsley and garlic.
Jai Ho our traditional gyan of recipes that we were blessed with different masalas that must be added with different vegetables, pulses, and non-vegetarian dishes.
Off late the latest fad in West is to consume Turmeric. I was quite surprised to read that they add haldi in their coffee and tea. Well its stupid to add a good ingredient with a bad one like coffee and tea. But I will not discuss tea and coffee in this post but how to not copy the western way to consuming haldi.
So we Indians need not worry as we take atleast one teaspoon haldi per day in our food.
But if you want to increase your intake for health benefits like fighting cold, cough, inflammation, joint pains then you must know the right way to consume.
If you want to drink Haldi in Milk with honey or sugar, add one teaspoon of Ghee. Haldi is absorbed faster when it has an oily friend along with it. Else most of haldi will be down the flush.
And now the most important ingredient that will ensure that haldi is absorbed by maximum percentage and not flushed out by the liver or kidney is Kali mirch powder or black pepper powder. If you have to drink one tsp of Haldi in warm water, you must add a pinch of kali mirch powder. Black pepper is proven to increase the absorption of curcumin in Haldi by tenfold.
I boil lots of ginger and haldi and add a pinch of pepper whenever I sip a glass of this powerful anti-inflammatory drink. Give it to elderly people especially.
Though I have not yet gotten my sons to develop taste for this awesome drink, I guess when they are grown up they will read my blog and drink the power drink.