Turmeric finds its way into whatever I’m making.
In the morning. To your surprise, I sometimes add it to eggs or warm rice, turmeric and a bit of ghee. I love it. I don’t like it as a dominating flavour in the morning, just enough for colour and flavour. Actually when the turmeric is good, you don’t need more than that.
Most things I cook are learnt from my mother and grandmother, so you can imagine that Turmeric (Haldi) is an integral part of my daily recipes. For years I kept complaining to them that when I cook, it never tastes the same as theirs. And they would say, add more Haldi. But you know what. It was not the quantity. It was the quality.
Turmeric is like a base note that holds everything together.
In recent years, I have also gotten hooked on to Turmeric Latte for my night cap. Seriously. I love it. Warm milk, a pinch of turmeric, a bit of black pepper, some jaggery. Oh! Heaven!
(Exact recipe next time.)
It truly feels so settling. And the best way to slow down. What I’ve come to understand over time is that turmeric was never meant to be used on its own. It’s always part of something. Cooked in fat, paired with other spices, used regularly but in small amounts.
To be honest I don’t think of it as just something with “benefits” anymore. I just use it. The same way I’ve learnt it should be used by my family. The only difference now is that I pay a little more attention to where it comes from.
At Baanar, that’s really the only thing we’re trying to do. Find ingredients that feel the way they’re supposed to. The kind you don’t have to second guess once you start using them. A lady recently told me that this was the best turmeric she had had in a very long time, and that it really reminded her of her childhood. Which is really a big compliment for us at Baanar.
Because when something is right, it doesn’t need much explanation. It just becomes part of how you live.
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Until next time.
Y
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