Turmeric

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By Naomi Duguid

Published 2012

  • About

Like ginger and galangal a rhizome, turmeric (Curcuma longa, also called Curcuma domestica) is usually sold in the West in its powdered form, a bright yellow to orange powder that stains everything it touches. The Burmese word for it is hsa nwin. In this book, turmeric powder is used in many recipes; in only one, from Shan State (Fish Stew with Aromatics) is turmeric rhizome called for. Whole turmeric is sold in Southeast Asian and South Asian groceries. It is smaller than most ginger, about a baby finger size in thickness, with a dull orange skin and brilliant orange flesh that is crisp and firm. You can stir-fry it, treating it like a vegetable, or mince it like ginger. Turmeric has medicinal properties, being antibacterial (hence the powder is often rubbed on meat or fish before cooking), antiflatulent (hence usually added to dals and legumes of all kinds in South Asian cooking), and anti-inflammatory (hence currently prescribed in the West as an “anti-aging” food). Turmeric powder is shown in the upper right of the photograph on.