Healing Turmeric-Ginger Broth

This healing golden broth is like medicine in a bowl—warming, soothing, and deeply restorative. It makes a delicious chicken noodle soup, like the one pictured above, but can be endlessly adapted with your favorite nourishing ingredients. Think of foods that naturally complement turmeric. Chicken, fish, lentils, chickpeas, brown rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, kale, spinach, carrots, zucchini, lemon, green onions, cilantro, and parsley are all wonderful additions to this broth. We begin this recipe by gently sautéing turmeric powder, fresh turmeric, and fresh ginger in oil to awaken their healing properties and enrich the flavor. Then the broth is slowly simmered for hours, allowing these potent compounds to fully infuse and become more bioavailable. Look for fresh turmeric near the ginger in your local health food store. There’s no need to peel the turmeric or ginger, just rinse and slice. The rice noodles pictured here are Thai-style and only need to be soaked in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. I like to keep a few packs in the pantry for quick Pad Thai or curry-noodle soup nights.