On the cutting board: Fresh turmeric
How to use one of the world's most marvelous ingredients. With recipes, natch.
Happy Friday, anti-inflammatory cook! And happy Valentine’s Day!
Have you noticed fresh turmeric in the produce section? Did you wonder what it’s all about and how to use it? Wonder no more!
Turmeric, in its fresh form, is a knobby root, specifically a rhizome, like ginger. It’s browny-tan, with a coral-colored tint blooming through. Break off a knob, and you can see that inside it’s vivid coral-orange.
Its flavor is vivid, too — peppery and warm, like turmeric in powdered form, but brighter and, well, fresher.
Use it like ginger. Peel it, then chop, slice or grate, and add it into a dish at the same point you’d add fresh ginger. Where you’d normally use 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, substitute 1 tablespoon grated or finely chopped fresh turmeric.
Fresh turmeric happens to go beautifully with ginger, too, so if turmeric sounds great in a recipe that calls for ginger but not turmeric, go ahead and use both. Also add a generous dose of freshly…