Turmeric Chicken and Egg Noodle Stir Fry

Serves 4

Ingredients 

Marinade 

1 long red chilli sliced thinly into rounds

2 Garlic cloves, 1 zested 1 sliced thinly 

3 cm knob of Ginger zested

2 cm knob of Turmeric zested

6 Shallots peeled and sliced

2 tbs of Sesame oil

1 tsp of Fish Sauce

1 tbs sugar

1/2 lime juiced plus zest of lime

1 tbs of Soy Sauce

3 bunches of coriander roots 3 cm long diced

Place all of these ingredients into mortar and pestle and pound until combined. Set a side.

4 chicken thighs cut into 1cm cubes

1 packet of egg noodles, softened in boiling water and drained

4 cups of mixed vegetables of your choice cut into small slices.

3 bunches of Coriander tops

Handful of bean sprouts

Handful of roasted cashews 

2 Limes cut in half 

Let’s get Cooking 

Place marinade into a cold wok. Heat until sizzling add chicken and stir to combine all ingredients. Cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is just cooked. Add vegetables stir to combine add lid and cook for 2 minutes, add noodles that have been softened in boiling water and drained. Toss to combine, warm through and serve with Lime, coriander leaves, bean sprouts and cashews piled on top .... don’t skimp on these if you love them as they add a great freshness to the dish.

Enjoy!

Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow colour. It has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb. Recently, science has started to back up what Indians have known for a long time — it really does contain compounds with medicinal properties These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin. Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant. We love using it in many dishes on Our Dreamtime, it is easy to find at farmers markets and it lasts quite a long time. 

Long used in Indian and Caribbean cooking, turmeric is starting to show up in everything from bottled smoothies to beauty products. Turmeric is getting lots of attention because the active ingredient in it, curcumin, has potent anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to be beneficial in treating symptoms of Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and stomach ulcers.

Ground turmeric

Blend it into smoothies: use 1 teaspoon for a subtle turmeric hit. Add up to 2 teaspoons for a more intense flavour. Include coconut oil in your smoothie to boost the turmeric absorption.

Add 1-2 teaspoons to any soup recipe. It will add a deep golden hue to it.

A natural in curries, turmeric brings warm flavours to any curry or stew. When you sauté the vegetables in oil, add in 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric.

Add a colour pop to rice dishes by adding ½ teaspoon turmeric to the water when cooking the rice.

Boost the healthiness of mac and cheese by stirring in ½ teaspoon of turmeric to your cheese sauce. This works for both homemade and boxed varieties.

When brewing regular tea, add in ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric to your mug before pouring in the hot water. You can also simply combine ground turmeric with hot water for a tisane.

Make golden pancakes: Add ½ teaspoon of ground turmeric to your dry pancake mix. The colour is amazing!

Make a hummus topper: Combine ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric with 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds and sprinkle over hummus.

Cook lentils or other legumes with onions, olive oil and 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric. You can either serve them as is, or combine the cooked lentils with cooked quinoa and make patties out of them.

Fresh turmeric

To use the fresh root, you first need to peel it. Just like with ginger root, I find it’s easiest to peel the skin using the edge of a spoon. Then simply grate with a microplane grater or cut off whole pieces. You can wrap the unused portion tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for a week to 10 days.

Add a 1-inch piece of turmeric root to smoothies. You can also include it in freshly pressed juices.

Use the freshly grated root in marinades for chicken, fish and beef. Simply add 1 teaspoon of the grated root to any marinade recipe for a flavour and colour kick.

Stir freshly grated turmeric into salad dressings.

Intensify the flavour and colour of pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins or a pumpkin loaf. Stir in 1 teaspoon of freshly shredded turmeric to the batter and bake as usual.

Add 1-2 teaspoons of freshly grated turmeric to your stir-fry. You can add it in while you’re sautéing the vegetables.

Sprinkle into egg dishes. It’s easy to add a teaspoon of turmeric to your scrambled egg mixture, or add into a frittata or quiche recipe. The colour of the turmeric will enhance the colour of the eggs.

Make a savoury yogurt bowl: Top plain Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon of grated fresh turmeric, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, a pinch of sea salt and a teaspoon of olive oil. Enjoy!

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