4 Bites: Turmeric, ginger and orange

The health benefits of ginger, orange and turmeric make these dishes power-packed for winter wellness.

Turmeric coconut rice

1. Gently fry 1 small finely chopped onion, 1 stalk chopped celery, 1 grated thumb-sized knob each of ginger and turmeric in 1 Tbsp oil until onion is soft. Add 1 cup basmati rice and stir to heat (3 minutes). Add 400ml coconut water (or water), and the juice of 2 oranges. Stir, cover and boil, then turn heat to low and simmer gently until all the liquid is adsorbed. Turn off and rest for 5 minutes.
2. Fluff rice with a fork, add ⅓ cup desiccated coconut or slivered almonds, a little orange zest and sea salt to taste. Serves 4 as a side dish.

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Curried baked pumpkin

1. Make a spice mix by toasting 1 Tbsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp each of cumin and coriander seeds and 1 tsp peppercorns until fragrant. Cool, then grind to a powder. Store in airtight jar.
2. To a mortar add 1 large Tbsp of the spice mix, ½ tsp salt, 1 knob each of grated ginger and turmeric, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 2 chopped red chillies. Grind mixture into a smooth paste and remove to a bowl. Mix in the zest and juice of 1 orange.
3. Slather paste over roughly chopped pieces of winter squash (buttercup, butternut or pumpkin) and roast in a hot oven until tender.

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Winter chicken sandwich

1. Into 1 cup buttermilk whisk a finely grated thumb-sized knob each of fresh turmeric and ginger, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 tsp each of coriander and curry powders, the zest and juice of half an orange, and season with salt and pepper. Add 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, place in a ziplock bag and marinate overnight in the fridge.
2. Grill or barbecue chicken until cooked. Rest for a few minutes, slice and serve with a fresh slaw on 4 buttered slices of dark sourdough bread to make 4 open sandwiches.

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Coconut, turmeric and grapefruit upside-down cake

1. Heat oven to 190C. Grease and line a 22cm cake tin and cover bottom with thick slices of grapefruit (or orange). Finely grate a large piece of ginger, squeeze the juice over the fruit slices (discard the solids), and sprinkle with sugar.
2. Sift 1½ cups self-raising flour, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp cardamom and ¼ tsp five spice into a bowl.
3. Beat 4 eggs, 1 cup caster sugar and the seeds from ½ vanilla bean pod, until pale and ribbony.
4. Bring ½ cup whole milk and 2 Tbsp freshly grated turmeric to the boil, then strain.
5. Sift the flour mix into the eggs, mixing until smooth. Gradually fold in the milk and 1 cup melted unsalted butter. Add 1 cup desiccated coconut, pour into cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted in to the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool a little before removing from tin.
6. Serve warm with quince syrup and fresh cream, or cold with a dollop of yoghurt.

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