Most people will be familiar with the bright yellow of dried, ground turmeric " a warm, earthy spice ubiquitous in commercially produced curry powders and an essential ingredient in Indian cuisine " in all its rich variants. What is less common is the fresh root of the turmeric plant, from which the ground powder is made.
The flesh of the root, rather than being yellow, is a deep orange colour and when cooked the colour turns the distinctive yellow. It's not the fluorescent rave party yellow of the ground turmeric " it's a little earthier.
The plant itself is reminiscent of the ginger, with exquisite flowers, which are also edible. Add them to salads. The leaves make a fragrant wrapping for steamed fish.
To produce the ground turmeric, the roots are boiled, dried and ground. The taste of fresh turmeric is more complex than the ground. The tubers freeze well and I like to keep some frozen, along with chillies, galangal, curry leaves and kaffir lime leaves, so I don't need to source the ingredients every time I want to make a curry or curry paste. Fresh turmeric also stores for weeks in the refrigerator. At the market, look for firm, unwrinkled tubers and choose them as you would ginger. Look for the orange skin and the distinctive finger-like appendages.
A good tip for removing the skin of both fresh turmeric and ginger is to scrape it off with the lip of a tablespoon. You'll be surprised how well this works, and it's much better than cutting the skin off and losing a great deal of flesh.
The dried whole lemons or limes used in this recipe might be a little difficult to source. They are commonly used in Iranian cooking, and should be available from specialty grocers that stock Middle Eastern products and good quality dried fruit and nuts. They are worth sourcing, having an incredible deep citrus flavour. They can be added to curries, soups and stews, and once you have them in your pantry you can use them sparingly: they are potent.
For this curry it's best to use a whole chicken. The bones give a rich flavour and can be removed before serving as the meat will be so tender, falling off the bone. The turmeric is the driving flavour of the curry, but there will be that lovely zesty citrus in the background. Serve with the best basmati rice you can find " ask for the longest grain at your Asian grocer " and chutney.
Turmeric and chicken curry
1 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 birds eye chilli, seeds removed, diced finely
4 cloves of garlic, diced finely
A thumb-sized piece of raw turmeric, grated finely
A thumb-sized piece of raw ginger, grated finely
1 large onion, diced roughly
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp vegetable oil or ghee
1 large organic free range chicken, sectioned
2 cans coconut milk
3 dried whole lemons or limes
Juice of half a fresh lemon
Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pot. When hot add the mustard seeds and place the lid on the pot. The mustard seeds will pop loudly, pinging against the lid. When the popping has slowed, remove the lid and add the chilli, garlic, raw turmeric and ginger, and the onion. Fry on medium until the onion is golden and translucent. Add the dried spices and fry for a minute or two, scraping them off the bottom of the pot. Turn up the heat, add a little more oil and brown the chicken pieces. When brown, turn down the heat and add the coconut milk. You don't want to boil the coconut milk, it should just gently simmer. Add the whole dried lemons or limes. Stir.
Cook the curry gently for an hour until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone. Add the fresh lemon juice before serving.
Serve with steamed basmati rice.