Tamarind Powder, Nrf2, and Soup flavoring notes

Really good flavor in today’s batch of soup – notes for the virtual record:

I didn’t measure anything in measuring cups or spoons, so roughly, to one basic batch of soup which includes onion, garlic, celery, carrot, sweet potato and today, pinto beans green beans – written in the order that they are added to the cooking time process:

  • I also used several large bay leaves,
  • approximately 1 tablespoon of Rosemary,
  • 2 tablespoons of ground Cumin,
  • 2 tablespoons of ground Coriander,
  • 1-2 Tablespoons of Tamarind Powder dissolved in some cold water in a small bowl – it tends to clump
  • 1 generous teaspoon Oregano
  • 1 generous teaspoon Sage

All of the ingredients would likely have health benefits and contain beneficial phytonutrients and other vitamins and minerals.

I’ve mentioned a few in the past but haven’t mentioned Tamarind Powder/fruit paste. It has been shown to have medicinal benefits and adds a slightly sweet tartness to foods. It also contains some beneficial fibers which is likely why it tends to clump when I add it directly to a batch of hot soup. It can be purchased as a paste or a dry powder. If purchased in a more whole form the small seeds need to be removed before use. It is a common ingredient in India and can be found in Indian food grocery stores. The paste dissolves better in the hot liquid or sometimes is used to make a sweetened beverage. While the powder may be easier to dissolve in a small bowl where you can continue stir more vigorously until no lumps remain. Tamarind Seed Powder: (1)

Polyphenols in Tamarind Seed Powder have been found beneficial for promoting Nrf2 and reducing oxidative stress. The seeds are edible and are dried and used similarly to lentils/beans. (2) The powder I used is called Tamarind Powder and may just contain the dried fruit. The fruit pulp, leftover from processing, was analyzed and found to contain yellow flavonoids and  polyphenols, (3), both of which are in a group of phytonutrients that may promote our own production of Nrf2 – which can help a variety of chronic health conditions. See this previous post for more information about the potential health benefits and phytonutrients that may promote Nrf2: Nrf2 helps activate beneficial genes that are protective against inflammatory conditions.

The basic bean soup recipe is described in this previous post:   New Year, new recipes.

or at the end of this webpage: G8: Cookies and Bean Soup.

Search result somewhat unrelated to cooking soup – tamarind and pomegranate have low residue tolerance limits for glyphosate (0.2 ppm) compared to wheat, milling fractions other than flour (20 ppm) : https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/galangal – scroll down to the article in the lower right corner – Richard P. Pohanish, in Sittig’s Handbook of Pesticides and Agricultural Chemicals (Second Edition), 2015

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

  1. adachigroup, Medicinal Benefits of Tamarind Seed Powder, Sept. 26, 2013, https://adachigroup.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/tamarind-seed-powder/
  2. Nurhanani Razali, Sarni Mat Junit, Azhar Ariffin, Nur Siti Fatimah Ramli and Azlina Abdul Aziz, Polyphenols from the extract and fraction of T. indica seeds protected HepG2 cells against oxidative stress, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2015) 15:438. https://bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12906-015-0963-2
  3. Larissa Morais Ribeiro da Silva, Evania Altina Teixeira de Figueiredo, Nagila Maria Pontes Silva Ricardo, Icaro Gusmao Pinto Vieira, Raimundo Wilane de Figueiredo, Isabella Montenegro Brasil, Carmen L. Gomes., Quantification of bioactive compounds in pulps and by-products
    of tropical fruits from Brazil., Food Chemistry 143 (2014) 398–404. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82174064.pdf