Turmeric: health giving ingredient of curry

Turmeric, one of the staple ingredients of curry, has been found to have amazing health giving properties.

These stem from turmeric’s magic property of curcumin, an anti-inflammatory, active ingredient that can treat a range of diseases such as Alzheimers, diabetes, allergies and arthritis. Studies have found curcumin to be effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome and, more recently, in preventing bowel cancer.

In India and China, however, the miraculous power of turmeric has been known for over 5,000 years where it has been used first as a dye and then in traditional medicine to treat a variety of complaints including jaundice, haemorrhage, toothache, bruises, and even flatulence (parp!).

Although Arab traders introduced turmeric to Europe in the 13^th century it has only recently become common in the west – mainly because of the growing popularity of curry and Indian restaurants.

With a warm, peppery and bitter flavour, the spice comes from a very beautiful plant, Curcuma longa, a member of the ginger family. This perennial grows wild, mainly in the forests of southern India, and reaches around one metre in height with ribbed leaves, white flowers and cylindrical, aromatic rhizomes.

The spice comes from the rhizomes which are gathered annually, boiled for about 30-45 minutes and then dried in hot ovens. They are then ground into the deep yellow powder commonly used in curries, to give mustard its distinctive colour or used to make chicken soups golden. However, the whole plant is edible – even the flowers can be eaten as an exotic lettuce and the leaves can be used as a flavour imparting wrap.

Historically, turmeric was thought to have spiritual properties because of its yellow-orange colouring which was associated with the sun. Hindu monks were traditionally coloured with a yellow dye made from turmeric. It is also used throughout India in weddings and religious ceremonies. In Bangladesh the Gaye holud (literally,‘yellow on the body’) is a ceremony which takes place one or two days before a wedding. The turmeric paste is applied to the bodies of the couple by (presumably by very good friends) and is said to soften the skin as well as colouring the bride and groom yellow.

The ingredient is especially common in South Asian and Middle Eastern cooking: Iranian fried dishes consist of oil, onions and turmeric followed by other dishes. In Nepal it is widely used in vegetable and meat dishes and in Indonesia flavours the curry base of dishes such as rendang, sate padang. In Maharashtra and Goa, turmeric leaves are used to wrap and cook food, imparting a distinctive taste. The root can also be used fresh, like ginger in pickle. Although turmeric is used mainly to flavour savoury dishes it can also be used to prepare special sweets.

Photos by Peter Renfrew

The Executive Chef at the Hotel Hindustan International in Kolkata, Utpal Mondal, shares some of his favourite Nawabi recipes:  

Murgh Badami Tikka

Boneless Chicken Leg - 280 gms

Ginger Garlic Paste - 15 gms

Cashew Nut - 25gms

Almond -  25 gms

Pista - 15 gms

Amul Cheese - 25gms

Ginger Green Chilli Chopped -5 gms

Salt – To Taste

Double Cream - 25 ml

Sour Curd - 50 gms

Raw Papaya Paste - 15 gms

Butter- 25 gms

Chat Masala - 10 gms

Lemon - 2

Egg - 1

Method:

Take boneless chicken leg, slit it half, flatten. Sprinkle with salt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic paste & raw papaya paste for first marination. Keep in cool place for 1 hour.

Chop half of all nuts, mix this with grated amul cheese & chopped ginger, green chilli . Make 6 small portions, now add each portion into flattened tikka. Roll it make small cylindrical shape, keep it aside.

Now make a smooth paste of remaining nut, cheese & sour curd. Mix cream & egg white with this paste. Add this paste into nut stuffed chicken.

Keep in fridge for 15 minutes. Cook the roll in tandoor till it becomes light brown in colour. Baste with butter. Again put in tandoor for 2-3 minutes, take it out. Sprinkle chat masala on it. Serve with mint chutney.

Dahi Ke Kabab

Hung Curd - 150 gms

Grated Paneer - 50 gms

Ginger Green Chilli Chopped - 15 gms

Roasted Chana Powder - 20 gms

Salt - To Taste

Cardamom  Powder - 5 gms

Saffron - 5 gms

Amul Cheese - 5 gms

Ghee - 25 gms

Chat Masala - 5 gms

Method:

Take a flat container, mix hung curd, paneer, ginger green chilli chop & roasted chana powder together.

Now add salt, cardamom powder, mix well and transfer the mixture to fridge. Take the amul cheese, rub into a smooth paste, add saffron, make 4 small balls for stuffing.

Now, take out the mixture, make 4 equal portions, put cheese saffron stuffing into each portion, make flat patty, shallow fry with ghee in a non stick pan fry till golden brown. Serve hot with mint chutney.

The Poetic Cuisine of Chef Utpal Mondal

A conversation with the corporate executive chef of the HHI group of hotels, Utpal Mondal, is an uplifting experience. He’s a man who is many things – poet, philosopher, chocolatier, polyglot, Hilsa fish aficionado, highly skilled chef and above all, proud Indian citizen, and he exudes a positive energy that’s highly infectious.

I spoke to him in Mythh restaurant at the 5-star Hotel Hindusthan International in Kolkata where, quite frankly, the day would not be the the same without the chef’s beaming presence as he offers a friendly handshake and a warm welcome to customers.  

Chef Mondal’s pioneering creativity has overseen the opening of several iconic venues at HHI including the award-winning Mythh, the banqueting hall Topaz, the famous Underground, and more recently, a many accoladed Italian restaurant, Valentino. He has also introduced a highly popular pastry shop and has even developed a chocolate bar.

At the Taste of Britain Curry Festival with Curry Life team

Described by the influential writer Rajen Bali as “one of the best three chefs in Kolkata”, chef Mondal has been likened to one of the “rare and dwindling breed of hands-on thinking chefs who, though thoroughly steeped in tradition, has the courage, knowledge and expertise to create stunning new dishes.”

Creativity and originality are important concepts to him. Married, with one daughter, Utpal is fluent in four languages and has an abiding interest in literature and the arts. In his childhood he was a poet “because it was a creative thing,” he says. Now in his forties, he still writes poetry - when he gets the time.

When deciding on a career however, cooking offered a more lucrative outlet for his skills. After graduating from the National Council of Hotel Management in Kolkata with a BSc, Utpal was selected for the prestigious Taj group of hotels and assigned to his home city, working with such luminaries as Chef Durgaerasad, Dennis Lambard and Curry Life Consultant Chef Partha Mittra.

“I grew up with the Taj because it opened in 1989 which was when I first went there,” he explained, “ I always say that the Taj is my second home; it taught me what cuisine is all about; I am what I am because of that experience”

For two years Chef Mondal trained in Indian and French cuisine, specialising in steak and fish. He worked within the famous Esplanade coffee shop and Indian restaurant Sonargon, before being transferred to the banquet kitchen serving eight banqueting halls. Busy from morning till night, he often prepared over 90 covers a day.  

He became proficient in Lebanese, Mexican and Italian cuisine under the famous chef Dennis Lambard; “He was the best Italian chef I ever worked with. He was tremendously innovative and gave me ideas that I still use now. My recipe for Italian mud pie is based on his ideas. I started learning my skills in the Indian cuisine but my second favourite is Italian – I’m a great fan of Italian cuisine. ”

Banqueting cuisine offered an outlet for his unusual creativity and innovation: “In banquets the menu is not fixed,” he says, “So I could use new ideas to make dishes inspired by international cuisine.

“But in these parts most clients are Marwaris and vegetarian. To make Marwari vegetarian dishes without using garlic or onion was (and is), a huge challenge. It’s a tough job! Here in Kolkata Bengalis and Marwaris love food. They don’t eat to live, they live to eat!”

He went on to develop two cuisines within the hotel and scored maximum points in staff evaluations, becoming the Taj’s highest achiever over two years. After 15 years and one month he was headhunted by the HHI in 2004. Now he is very happy in his work where he is permitted to give full rein to his creativity, actively encouraged to do something “a little different.”

HHI Kolkata

He says his creative skills were tested to the limits at the recent festival devoted entirely to the Hilsa fish. The Hilsa is about two feet long and has 2,000 bones – Chef Mondal knows –he has counted them! Although Bengalis don’t have the same squeamish attitude towards bony fish as many westerners believing the improvement in flavour is well worth the minor inconvenience of getting a bone stuck in the throat, chef Mondal was set the task of creating 12 different dishes featuring the Hilsa, making sure that each one was filleted to perfection. “I took it as a challenge. I did the dishes, baked, poached, roasted or smoked and served with Hilsa oil as an accompaniment – it’s the most beautiful fish the world has produced, with a tremendous flavour and the festival was a great success; I was so happy.” 

He believes in innovation and invents in the world of poetry and cooking. I sampled a delicious Chocolate pan; essentially pan wrapped in chocolate - a curious combination but one that was delicious and distinctly memorable. Constantly experimenting with different cuisines and ingredients, Chef Utpal has also developed an interesting sorbet made with a liqueur and Betel leaf to aid the digestion.

Has he ever been tempted to take his talents further afield?

“I had many opportunities to go to England or Australia,” he says, “I might earn more money which can give me comfort but I am not happy about whether I could get peace.

“To me, peace is much more important than comfort and other countries may not give me that. In India I am a first-class citizen, even if I just eat bread and potatoes. As a human being and as a chef, I’m recognised within my society and industry. If I’m not respected, how can I live elsewhere?

“Ever since childhood I haven’t had much faith in God; to me mankind is the last word. After I die I want to be brought to mind for something that I have created and leave a legacy for another generation of chefs. Being a chef is a bit like being a film director – he does not act, but ultimately, a great film is known and remembered by its director.”

Hotel Hindustan International, Circus Avenue, Bhawanipur, Kolkata, West Bengal, India Tel: 033 22802323