Lemon Turmeric Rice

Ya know that itchy, restless-leg feeling when you’ve sat too long and you just feel the urge to scream and run and possibly dance on a table…and you’re sitting in a half-finished meeting and think you might die in 3.2 seconds if you don’t MOVE? And who is this guy droning on and on, and doesn’t he realize I’m freaking out back here? Okay, that feeling.

That’s pretty much how I’m doin’ in general right about now.

School’s almost out, summer’s almost here, but not quite because it just keeps raining and getting all cold on us. And I’ve got itchy feet. Got the feeling I need to escape somewhere exotic, just hop on a plane to Timbuktu and see what’s out there. Yup. Juuuust have to finish the laundry first. And maybe clean a bathroom or two. After I get out of this darn meeting. (Very long, loud sigh inserted here.)

Turmeric just makes you feel like you’ve gone somewhere exotic, doesn’t it? It originated in ancient Asia and has been around forever, has all kinds of incredible health benefits, and let’s just say, makes any dish look amazing, with its deep yellow color.

A couple years ago, when I was in Turkey, I went to the spice bazaar in Istanbul. Oh wow, it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Row upon row upon row of spices, heaped up in colorful little mounds, colors I had no idea even existed, alongside little jewels of dried fruits and nuts, piled high by the hundreds.

And the smells! That pungent mix of cinnamon, saffron, paprika, cumin and mint was unforgettable. If you can’t hop on a plane to Istanbul at this moment, just do a little cooking instead. Lemon Turmeric Rice takes the lowly white grain to a definitely more exotic place. Beautifully bright yellow, its fragrant blend of spice and coconut is stunning.

And it’s basically as easy as making, well…rice.