Herbs and Spices - Curry Blend
Curry Blend
In the UK, when we talk about curry powder, we usually mean a blend of spices from East Indian cuisine. The details may vary but we’re talking turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried chillies, black pepper, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, peppercorns and bay leaves.
Benefits:
1.Reducing inflammation: Turmeric has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to help treat inflammation, pain and rheumatoid arthritis.
2.Fighting cancer: Curcumin (active ingredient in turmeric) could help to prevent or treat cancers, including prostate, breast, skin and colon cancer.
3.Combating Alzheimer’s disease: Because of curcumin’s powerful antioxidant properties, it’s thought to help prevent and treat diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. But turmeric also contains another chemical, turmerone, which could also help with these kinds of neurodegenerative conditions by stimulating stem cells to make new brain cells.
4.Boosting your bones: Some studies have suggested turmeric could increase bone regrowth, connectivity and repair.
5. Aiding digestion: But it’s not just turmeric that’s fighting the good fight inside your body after a curry. A cocktail of spices is helping your tummy, with black pepper great for relieving gas and promoting stomach acid, bay leaves and cumin known as digestion helpers, cinnamon soothing diarrhoea and vomiting, while coriander is kind to upset stomachs.
6. Looking after your heart: Both cardamom and sweet basil are often included in curry powder and they’re known as vasodilators. In other words, they can lower blood pressure, which means reducing the chance of developing cardiovascular conditions, including atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes.
7. Battling bacteria: Coriander is well-known for its antibacterial qualities. Experts have recommended using coriander oil in the fight against foodborne diseases and hospital infections, so regular curries could help protect you against nasty bacteria too.
Serving way:
• Curried parsnip soup
• Curried rice with seafood
• Curried lentil soup
• Spaghetti with tofu and curry
• Pumpkin soup with apples, curry and thyme
• Cranberry chutney