If you have grown up in a household like mine, TURMERIC has been your constant friend… always by your side when you are down, always there for you when you want to look good and always there for you when you are unwell and need a little ‘pick me up’. That is precisely why this tiny little superfood deserves a blog of its own.

• Turmeric is used extensively in cooking. Almost every dish my mother would cook at home would have a pinch of turmeric. Even today, I add turmeric in almost all my recipes.
• Virtually flavourless, it delivers all the health benefits without compromising the taste of the dish.
• Turmeric’s most active compound CURCUMIN has many scientifically-proven health benefits, such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer's and cancer.
• It is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and is also said to help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis.

Check out Mysteeq’s Turmeric and 24kt gold MASTER SERUM – this potent serum delivers all the concentrated benefits of turmeric and much more. It has extremely effective antiaging, skin refining and illuminating benefits.

I have always been looking for an easy way of incorporating fresh turmeric in my daily diet. Try this recipe of fresh turmeric pickle which I find, is not only easy to make, but also tastes good and works well as a condiment for main courses. Fresh turmeric tastes pretty similar to fresh ginger… it’s a bit of an acquired taste, I must say, but your body, your immune system and your skin will thank you for it.

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 cup fresh turmeric roots
2. 3 Tbs oil
3. 1 tsp black mustard seeds
4. 1 pinch asafoetida
5. 1 tsp pickle masala powder
6. 2 pinches salt

Turmeric root and pickle masala powder are available from most Indian grocery stores. Turmeric root looks a little like a small ginger root but is brilliant orange under the skin.

PREPARATION

• Wash and thoroughly dry the turmeric roots. Peel and chop very fine.
• Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. Stir until the seeds pop.
• Cool and pour over the chopped turmeric.
• Add the pickle masala powder and salt. Stir well.
• Cover and store in refrigerator. Keeps for up to 1 month AS LONG AS not a drop of water gets into the pickle, such as using a wet spoon to get the pickle out of the jar. The water will cause fermentation and the pickle will spoil.
• Eat in very small quantities with the meal.

Turmeric is one of those few ingredients which we can carry from our pantry to our medicine cabinet to our vanity table. Be sure to incorporate turmeric in your daily diet and skin care regimen and reap the abundant benefits of this superfood.