Hello, hello and welcome back. It’s been a while, but we are back on track and ready to cook some more delicious food.
If you have had or seen Caribbean dishes you will notice that most of the time they have a vibrant color. That is because we add color to every meal: stews, rice, beans, etc.
I understand it might be a struggle finding new ways to elevate your meals. There are many ways to give your food color, and in this post I will mention just five of the ones I use.
Ps. There are links in this post but they are NOT affiliate products, just products I use that you can reference.
Turmeric powder
Turmeric is a spice used to add color, flavor and nutrition to foods. My mom used it for its health benefits and then one day she decided to add it to food as well. After that, when I ran out of other color seasonings, I added turmeric to the food.
Benefits of turmeric:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Increases antioxidants in your body
- Lowers your risk of heart disease
I buy THIS powder. This ingredient is useful for recipes like beans, yellow rice, and stews. The color is on the bright yellow side, so don’t use too much turmeric.
Paprika powder
The benefits of paprika are similar to those of turmeric. Plus it can help maintain a healthy weight.
Because its flavor is not too strong, paprika is a great ingredient to use to add color to your food. I would use this option for yellow rice, beans, and stews. But I would use it along with sazon.
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Sazon (no salt added)
A staple to many Caribbean kitchens is sazón. Not only does it add color, but it adds flavor.
There are many different brands, but the tropical sazon I use is THIS one.
This option can be used for any meals, but it’s my go-to for beans and stews.
Achiote oil (annato seed oil)
Mix your favorite oil (vegetables, canola, mazola) with annato seeds (my recipe link here starts at around minute 2 of the video). Heat until annato seeds give color to the oil. Don’t overcook as you don’t want to burn the oil. I usually leave the oil in medium heat for about 5 minutes. You can save the oil for later use.
This is a great option for yellow rice and pasteles.
Tomato sauce and/or tomato paste
Tomato sauce does not add a lot of color on its own, but it you add it with the achiote oil and a little bit of the sazón, you’ll get the perfect Caribbean food color.
Tomato paste is also a great option for adding color to your food. Mix it with a little bit of achiote oil, and you’ll get the color you’re looking for. I use these mainly for beans, and stews.
What ingredients do you use that add color to your food? Let me know in the comments!
There you have it. I hope that these 5 ingredients that add color to your food gave you some ideas for your next meals. If you try them, I’d love to hear it. I will see you next time. Make sure you sign up so you don’t miss the upcoming posts. Thank you for taking time to read this.
Sincerely,
