Degchi
Haldi (turmeric)
Also written: turmeric, halud, haldi powder
- Urduہلدی
- Hindiहल्दी
- Banglaহলুদ
Haldi is turmeric, the dried and ground root that gives daal and curries their yellow colour. It tastes earthy and a little bitter, and it is almost never the star. A recipe adds it early and in a small amount, because it works as a base note under the chilli and coriander.
In our library it shows up in two main ways. For daal it goes into the pot with the lentils and salt: our Dal Tadka pressure-cooks the lentils with turmeric for about 15 minutes. For fish it is a rub: Macher Jhol coats the steaks with turmeric and salt, shallow-fries them for about 4 minutes, then adds more turmeric with red chilli and cumin to the same oil for a minute. Jorda Polao uses it differently, in the boiling water to colour the rice.
Raw turmeric tastes dusty. Give it a minute or so in hot oil with a splash of water, or a long simmer in liquid, and the flavour rounds out. Do not leave it dry in a hot pan, because like all ground spices it scorches fast and turns bitter.
Turmeric stains plastic, wooden spoons and light countertops, so wipe spills straight away. Keep the jar closed and away from the stove; an old, pale, flavourless powder is a common reason a curry tastes flat.
Recipes that use it
94 of our 247 recipes call for haldi (turmeric). Here are a few to start with.
- Dal Tadka
- Macher Jhol (Everyday Fish Curry)
- Jorda (Sweet Yellow Rice)
- Vegetable Fritters
- Aloo ki Bhujia (Dry Spiced Potatoes)
- Achar Gosht (Pickle-Spiced Mutton Curry)