With a dash of yellow

Fresh turmeric root Photo Prabalika M Borah

The benefits of turmeric is no mystery to most Indians. Mention a common cold or cough, and within seconds, someone will suggest drinking warm milk with turmeric as a remedy. A common cure for minor kitchen mishaps is to apply haldi to the affected area.

The use of turmeric for health purposes varies from region to region. In many places, fresh (raw) turmeric root is crushed and a tablespoonful of its juice is mixed with wild honey and is given to children as an immunity builder. So when the turmeric roots flood the market during winter, many households buy them to make their own fresh turmeric powder, but I buy them to extract this turmeric juice; a throwback to our childhood habit.

When I was buying the roots, an elderly lady asked me what I would do with it. As I started explaining, Mahender, the shopkeeper of Rajasthani origin, interrupted and said, “

iska sabji banta hai (this can be cooked as a curry).”

Curry? The lady and I asked in surprise. “Yes, it is grated and tossed in ghee on low flame until the juice dries up. Then we add our indigenous spices, choice of vegetables and cook further. Then, depending on whether we want gravy or not, we add a little water. We relish it with roti,” he explained.

Impressed, I decided to ask around about the other uses of the turmeric root. I discovered it can be used in pureed soups by adding freshly chopped turmeric root to white and yellow soups like carrot soup and cauliflower soup. The flavour of fresh turmeric pairs well with ginger, so any recipe that makes use of ginger is a good shot. Fresh turmeric root can be pickled and made into fresh chutneys as well.

Here is the recipe of

Haldi ki sabji

Ingredients

Fresh turmeric root: 250 gm

Tomato, diced: 2 medium-sized

Ginger, peeled and sliced: 1 inch

Garlic cloves, chopped: 4

Onion, chopped: 2

Green chilli, chopped: 1

Ghee: quarter cup or more

Salt to taste

Red chilli powder: 2 tsp

Coriander powder: 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds (jeera): 1 tsp

Method:

Wash and scrape turmeric and grate. In a blender, grind tomato, ginger and garlic to make a smooth paste. Chop onion. Mix chilli and coriander powder in a bowl. Heat ghee and roast the grated turmeric on medium heat till it turns golden brown.

In another pan, heat a little ghee, crackle cumin seeds, add onion paste and sauté till the paste turns golden brown. Then add tomato paste and mix well. Sauté until the ghee separates from the masala and add chopped green chilli. (Seasonal vegetables like fresh green peas, baby potatoes etc can also be added when the masalas are being sautéed. This is optional.) Add a little water. Now add roasted turmeric and salt and stir well. Cook on medium heat for 7-8 minutes until you see ghee floating on top.

Turmeric curry is ready. Serve hot with chapati or rice.