We are all trying to keep our immune systems strong to fight off the coronavirus.
One of the most recommended foods to eat to boost our immune system is turmeric. But in order to get the maximum benefits from eating turmeric, it needs to taken in combination with some fat and some ground black pepper.
Turmeric and especially its most active compound curcumin have many scientifically-proven health benefits, such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer.
It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis. We should really find more ways to incorporate turmeric into our daily meals!
Turmeric is available locally and is called luyang dilaw. It is very affordable, about P20-25 for 1/4 kilo – that’s a lot of turmeric! It looks like a finger-sized ginger that is orange inside.
We had some green papaya that was meant for tinola, but we just had tinola last week and didn’t feel like eating tinola again so soon. This was leftover green papaya and I was worried that it might ripen before it was used, so I decided to include it in this dish instead.
We also have some malunggay that we are growing in pots. It really is one of the easiest and most useful plants to grow — instant leafy vegetable! It is also considered a superfood that is rich in antioxidants and minerals the body needs 🙂 The leaves are full of vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and amino acids. They also pack flavonoids like quercetin, which can stabilize histamine production, and chlorogenic acid, which has been shown to have a balancing effect on blood sugar.
A neighbor was cutting down his malunggay tree because it had grown too tall, and he gave us parts of the trunk. We just stuck the malunggay trunks in soil, and after a few days, they started sprouting leaves. This was just 2 months ago, and the malunggay are now almost 8 ft tall with many leafy branches.
As for the turmeric, we still have some fresh turmeric in the ref. Amazingly, they keep for a very long time in the vegetable drawer. These were peeled and grated. Use some gloves or your hands will turn orange 🙂
You can also plant turmeric. Just bury them in a pot of soil and in no time, they will start to sprout leaves.
We also have a chili plant. We just planted this from the seeds of a chili! This plant is also very easy to grow and doesn’t need a lot of care.
Here’s the recipe for Turmeric Chicken that I made today! I’m also blogging this for my own reference so I have my own recipe to follow ? I often forget what I did and check my blog for my recipes, too.
Turmeric Chicken w/ Green Papaya and Malunggay Recipe
I made a big batch good for 2 meals for 6 people. Feel free to halve the recipe 🙂
- 1.5 kilos chicken (we used chicken drumsticks, chopped into 2 pcs)
- Fish sauce (patis) or salt, to taste
- Oil (just enough to brown the chicken)
- 1 large onion, diced small
- 1/2 head of garlic, finely chopped
- Turmeric, total grated amount should be around 2 Tbsp (or you can use turmeric powder)
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 green papaya, sliced ala tinola
- Coconut milk (I used 1 big pack of Coco Mama)
- Brown sugar, to taste
- Chili, I just use 1
- Malunggay leaves, cleaned and separated from the stems. Use a lot for more health benefits 🙂
- Season the chicken with salt (or patis). Leave it to marinate while preparing the other ingredients.
- On medium heat, brown the chicken in some oil.
- Add the onions and the garlic. Add turmeric. Mix.
- Add a some water, just enough to reach halfway up the chicken. Season with salt or patis and some ground black pepper. Mix.
- Cover and let the chicken cook. When the chicken is about half cooked, add the chopped green papaya. Cover again and let the green papaya and the chicken cook until tender enough to your liking.
- Add gata.
- Add brown sugar, to taste. I ended up adding maybe a bit more than 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Taste and balance the flavors with patis and salt. The sauce has to be malasa so it will go well with rice 🙂
- Add chili, to taste. I wanted just a hint of spice so I removed the seeds from one chili by slicing lengthwise and scooping out the seeds.
- The sauce should not be watery. If the sauce is watery, let it boil and let some of the water evaporate. Take note that this also concentrates the flavors of the sauce.
- Check the seasoning again, adjust if needed.
- Add malunggay leaves. Mix. Turn off the heat.
- Decorate with 1 more chili. Serve 🙂
I hope you liked this healthy but delicious Turmeric Chicken recipe! 🙂
