Besides being a wonderfully colourful fragrant spice and excellent with eggs cooked any way, Turmeric has more benefits than just being an essential ingredient in Indian curries. Research has shown that this incredible spice could potentially deter ailments such as dementia and cancer. With its anti-inflammatory properties, it also fights off cold and flus, aids digestion and has been used in Chinese Medicine for centuries. Turmeric is one powerful spice indeed, not just in the kitchen.
I have a musician friend who swears by Turmeric and it’s health benefits, carrying it with him at all times eating a teaspoon full undiluted at various times during the day. I tried this, and it’s a bit tough at first but you get used to the taste. You need a glass of water straight after as it cakes around your mouth a bit though. 🙂
If you can’t bring yourself to eat the powder directly, there are many alternative ways to get your Turmeric hit. One of my favourite breakfasts is a tablespoon added to peeled boiled eggs, salt and pepper and a splash of olive oil. Oh yes. You may think one tablespoon is a bit much, but considering the above mentioned health benefits, I don’t believe you can eat too much of Turmeric, ever. Because I love it so much, I decided to add it to the egg mixture to make a Frittata, I hadn’t tried it this way and along with last nights left-over roast vegetables, it was delicious. And also with……
Edamame. You know, those tasty soy-beans you get in Japanese restaurants that I was originally introduced to ten years ago in Tokyo. We were in a bar and they were placed in little bowls as bar-snacks, a great idea indeed and I much prefer them to the generic variety of salted peanuts. You can get them in Asian Supermarkets frozen for about $2, boil them up for a few minutes, sprinkle with Sea Salt and savour those lovely little juicy beans you pop out of their skins with your mouth. I also recently discovered you can roast them too. More on that later. For this recipe, the Edamame is boiled, beans are removed from the skins and then they are added into the Frittata mix giving it a lovely nutty, crunchy texture.
Turmeric, Roast Vegetables and Edamame Frittata:
Last nights left-over roast vegetables (See post on ‘What about Celery?’) or whatever ones you want to use, they all work.
1 Cup Edamame, boiled and beans removed from skins
6 Eggs
1/3 Cup Milk
2 Tbs Turmeric
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbs grated Parmesan Cheese
1) Evenly spread all vegetables in a lightly oiled baking dish and scatter Edamame over
2) Whisk eggs, milk, turmeric, salt and pepper
3) Pour egg mixture over the vegetables and sprinkle the parmesan on top
4) Bake in 200 C oven for 25 minutes, or till starting to go golden
5) Serve with a simple rocket salad and any kind of chutney on the side
CLARE O'MEARA 