Tumeric, which comes from a plant that belongs to the ginger family, has become all the rage lately because of possible health benefits, including easing arthritis, heart burn, and stomach bloating. That's great, but I use tumeric because it tastes good. It gives an interesting, if subtle, flavor to dishes as well as a characteristic bright yellow-orange color. I especially like to use tumeric with rice dishes. The tumeric provides a warm, slightly acidic taste. The spice marries well with onions, carrots, and peas, if I decide to toss those into the rice pot and avoid extra vegetable dish washing. Best of all, the tumeric dresses up rice, elevating it beyond bland to provide a worthy accompaniment to many savory main dishes.
Tumeric Rice -- Serves 4+
2 1/2 cups of water
1-2 teaspoons of ground tumeric
1-2 teaspoons of "Better Than Bullion" low sodium chicken base
1-2 tablespoons of minced dried onions
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 cup of quick cooking brown rice (not instant)
In a medium saucepan, heat the water to boiling over high heat and stir in the ground tumeric, "Better Than Bullion," dried onions, and olive oil. Stir in the rice. Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the rice cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork and replace the lid, letting the rice sit for about 5 minutes. Fluff the rice again before serving it.