Fresh Turmeric in Thai Cooking

Fresh turmeric looks like a smaller, knobbly ginger root, with a startling orange inside. It is the signature of southern Thai cooking, where it turns curries and marinades a deep yellow and gives them a fresh, earthy flavour that dried turmeric cannot quite match.

Pronunciation	ka-min
Flavour	Earthy, peppery and slightly bitter, with a fresh, gingery edge
Used in	Southern curries, kua kling, gaeng lueang, marinades, khao mok
Substitute	Ground turmeric, about ½ tsp for every 2 cm fresh

How it is used

Pounded into southern curry pastes for gaeng lueang, kua kling and gaeng tai pla, into the marinade for grilled chicken and fried fish, and into sai oua in the north. Thai-Muslim dishes such as khao mok gai use it both fresh and dried.

Preparing it

Scrape off the thin skin with the edge of a spoon, then chop finely before pounding. Turmeric stains hands, boards and plastic yellow: wear gloves or rub your fingers with a little oil first, and use a glass or steel board.

Buying and storing

Look for firm, plump roots with no soft or shrivelled spots, in Asian grocers and health-food shops. Wrapped in paper, it keeps for two to three weeks in the fridge, and it freezes well whole: grate it straight from frozen.

Cook’s tip
If a curry tastes flat and dusty with dried turmeric, add a few slices of fresh ginger with it. It brings back some of the fresh root's brightness.

Recipes with Fresh Turmeric