This is a Super Fruit + Super Spice recipe! While fresh pomegranates are still available, I love to eat them for their anti-oxidants, crunchiness, and sweet flavor. It’s especially great added to a recipe with a super health spice in it…Tumeric. Turmeric powder is used for cooking extensively in South, Southeast Asia and especially in Indian cuisine for thousands of years. It comes from a tropical plant that grows wild in the steamy forests, but it can also be grown in zone 9 in Central California. It’s somewhat bitter and pungent, so a little goes a long way. It’s considered a super spice because it is so valuable for ongoing research for medicinal purposes. Now, Western Medicine is catching on. It is said to guard against breast and prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s, and pain relief, among others, but, it requires to be eaten with a bit of fat to gain it’s fullest beneficial affects. Olive oil, coconut oil or ghee (clarified butter) are good for this. That’s why tumeric consumed in capsules are not as effective.
Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric. It is what gives turmeric its beautiful yellow/orange color. Research has found (and is continuing to find in study after study) that curcumin has important healing properties for many areas of the body. Turmeric is one of the most important herbs in Ayurvedic medicine where it is considered to be effective against a wide variety of diseases and ailments. A multitude of studies have found many of the purported health benefits of turmeric to be genuine.
- 2 T Olive oil
- ½ C Scallion, minced
- 11/2 Garlic, peeled, minced
- 1 C White Basmati rice
- ½ t Ground Turmeric
- 1½ C Reduced sodium chicken broth
- ½ C Pomegranate seeds
- ⅓ C Green Onions, Thinly sliced on the bias
- ½ t Kosher Sea salt, or to taste
- ¼ C Freshly ground black pepper
- Garnish with shelled, chopped, toasted Pistachios, if desired
- In a medium saucepan, warm olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened and golden brown; about 3 minutes.
- Add rice and turmeric and stir to coat. Add broth and bring nearly to a boil.
- Reduce heat to med-low and cook, partially covered, until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes, then fluff rice with a fork.
- Fold in pomegranate seeds, and scallions.
- Season with salt and black pepper.
- Garnish with pistachio nuts, if desired.
