What Is Turmeric and How Can I Use It?
Turmeric is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 803 recipes to get you started.
What is turmeric?
Turmeric is a spice made from grinding the roots of the Curcuma longa plant, also called curcumin. It is a prime ingredient in curry powder and figures heavily in Asian cuisines. Because it imparts a vivid yellow color to the food it is cooked with, it is often used to color as well as flavor condiments, rice dishes and sauces.
Recently turmeric is gaining a lot of attention for its potential medicinal properties. Traditionally it has been considered a good digestive aid, and some cultures use turmeric as a dietary supplement for this reason.
Since those cultures also traditionally have a lower incident of certain cancers, such as cancer of the prostate,turmeric is now being actively studied as a cancer treatment and/or preventative, particularly for environmental cancers.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 tbsp (6g)Quick facts
Food group: Turmeric is a member of the Spices and Herbs US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
- In Chinese
- 姜黄
- British (UK) term
- Turmeric
- en français
- curcuma
- en español
- cúrcuma
How much does turmeric weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | 6 grams |
| 1 teaspoon | 2 grams |
Related
Spices and Herbs
Recipes using turmeric
There are 803 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Gobhi Paratha
Gobhi Paratha: Indian stuffed cauliflower flatbread made with whole-wheat dough and a spiced filling of cauliflower, cumin, turmeric and green chili. Pan-fried in ghee until golden.
Mattar Paneer (Peas & Cheese)
Matar paneer is a popular Indian dish consisting of paneer (a type of fresh cheese) and peas (matar) cooked in a spiced tomato-based gravy. It combines the soft, creamy texture of paneer with the sweet pop of green peas, all enveloped in a rich, aromatic sauce.
Borani Esfanaj (Spinach-Yogurt Salad or Dip)
Spinach yogurt dip with a touch of kick. Musky and sweet spices compliment the spinach and tangy yogurt.
Natural Easter Egg Dyes
Learn how to make natural Easter egg dyes such as Spring Chicken Yellow and Easter bunny brown natural Easter egg dyes. Quick and easy egg coloring.
Moghul Style Mixed Vegetables with Paneer
Mughlai-style mixed vegetable curry with paneer, cream, pineapple, and golden raisins. A rich, mildly spiced North Indian dish that finishes with a sprinkle of fried nuts for royal-court flair.
Aloo Mathar Paratha (Sides)
The quintessential Indian-Singaporean meal accompaniment. Unfortunately, all too often it is made using highly processed white flour and margarine. Here, the parathas are made with whole-wheat flour (you could also try using spelt flour) and stuffed with peas and potatoes, for a lighter but more wholesome take on the original. Serve hot with yoghurt and herbs.
Spicy, Tasty Chicken Tandoori
Chicken tandoori is basically a snack which can be eaten in the evening or at night. Chicken marinated in tandoori masala, grilled in the oven is a super tasty, mouthwatering dish. Try it now.
Malabar Chicken Curry Recipe
Malabar chicken curry is a spicy and aromatic dish that hails from the Malabar region of India. This curry is made with a unique blend of spices that include cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and fennel, which gives it a distinctive taste and aroma. The tender chicken pieces are simmered in a rich and flavorful coconut milk-based gravy, making it a perfect dish for any occasion. The curry can be adjusted to your preferred level of spiciness, making it versatile for all tastes. Whether you're looking to explore new flavors or simply want to add a bit of spice to your meals, Malabar chicken curry is a must-try recipe for any home cook.
Yummy Falafel
Crispy fried falafel balls with chickpeas, herbs, and warm spices. Classic Middle Eastern vegetarian patties served in pita with fresh vegetables and tahini sauce.
Garlic & Fava Beans Soup
A soup which is a combination of Mediterranean garlic soups with a 17th century East European fava beans soup. Quite good.
Lemon Rice & Pea Chapatis
Indian-style lemon rice and pea chapati wraps with brown rice, mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric, and a bright lemon-tamari finish. Vegan, ready in 25 minutes when rice is pre-cooked.
Chicken Satay with Coconut Marinade
Chicken satay marinated in a fragrant coconut-turmeric paste with garlic, shallots, and cumin, then grilled on skewers until charred and juicy. Golden Southeast Asian skewers made for peanut sauce.
Spiced Hummus
Spiced chickpea hummus blended with cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, and tahini. Food processor makes it silky smooth. Chill before serving with pita or vegetables.
Andy's Murgh Kurma (Chicken Curry)
Andy's murgh kurma: Indian chicken curry with a yogurt marinade, whole cardamom and cloves, and a deeply spiced tomato sauce. Serve with rice and chapati for a fragrant home-cooked dinner.
Quick Lemon Rice Soup
A vibrant, healthy lemon rice soup with kale and aromatic spices, ready in under 20 minutes. Perfect for a light, flavorful meal. Vegan, low-fat, and packed with nutrients.
Tikka Chicken
Chicken pieces marinated in spiced yogurt with ginger, garlic, turmeric, and coriander, then grilled on skewers until charred and tender. Authentic Indian chicken tikka at home.
Instant Idli Dhokla
Here's a delicious, tempting dhokla recipe that can be made within no time and served to your guests. Learn how to make instant dhokla.
Gulai Daun Singkong Tumbuk(Grilled Fish with Greens)
Indonesian grilled fish simmered in a fragrant coconut milk curry with turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, and fresh greens. A traditional Gulai recipe that brings bold Southeast Asian flavors to your table in 35 minutes.
Betty Carter's Refrigerator Pickles
Betty Carter's refrigerator pickles use a no-cook cold brine of vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seed, mustard seed, and turmeric. Five days in the fridge and they're ready. Last a year in the jar.
Green Lentil Dhal with Tomatoes & Cinnamon
Aromatic dhal with soaked green lentils, fresh tomatoes, and cinnamon sticks simmered in spiced ghee for a warming vegetarian curry that pairs perfectly with naan.
Indian Stuffed Tomatoes
Stuffed tomatoes or bharva tamatar is a good recipe for potlucks, picnics and very easy to cook. They look very pretty and delicious. These go well with naan, plain parathas or pulao (aromatic fried rice)and some raita as a side dish
Tomato Chutney
Mango chutney sounds very familiar with us, but you can make tomato chutney as well, and the savory flalvor goes well with all kinds of dishes. Here it is.
Banda Kopir Tarkari (Vegetables Stir Fried with Spices)
In Bangladesh, cabbage is usually available in the market during the winter season, as are tomatoes, peas and carrots. So this dish appears quite frequently at Bengali dinner tables during the winter. In the markets where such vegetables are available year round, banda is a popular standard.
Thai Curry Squash Soup
This delicious Thai curry soup is packed with goodness and great flavour. It warms you up instantly. Perfect for a cold winter supper when served with a bowl of rice.
Creamy Navrattan Korma
Vegetable Korma is a delicious combination of several vegetables in a creamy sauce. It is often served in Indian restaurants. Korma can be served with any Indian bread or rice.
Sindhi Curry
One of my favourite things to have for a meal is Sindhi curry with plain boiled rice accompanied by crispy vegetables. The Sindhi Curry is by far the nicest curry I’ve had. Sour, spicy and tangy – some of the flavours I’m especially biased towards. This is also good because I end up eating a variety of vegetables.
Barbecued Chicken
Grilled chicken rubbed with a bold homemade spice blend of paprika, chili powder, and garlic, brushed with a sweet ketchup-brown sugar BBQ sauce with a hint of orange. Crispy skin, juicy meat, zero fuss.
Rajasthani Aloo Baingan (Potato & Eggplant)
I have never met an eggplant I didn't love! Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. The nice thing is you can make it so many ways. This recipe is really easy and turns out a delicious dish that tastes great when served with hot Chapatis.
Matar Paneer (Peas with Paneer)
This Punjabi dish, with some variation in spices, is eaten over all of northern India. Paneer is a fresh milk cheese with an interesting, slightly chewy consistency. It's easy to make, but requires planning ahead. You can substitute a diced 6- or 8-ounce cake of pressed tofu for it in this recipe.
Mary's Two Potato Soup
Creamy blended soup combining white and sweet potatoes with curry, turmeric and fresh mint, sautéed with leeks for a vibrant, high-fiber vegetarian soup.
Cauliflower & Savory Soup
I cooked this soup 3 times lately, and the best base is turkey- chicken stock in my opinion. Just a summer soup made of many stems.
Szechwan Curried Chicken
Seventh heaven of taste, aroma and sight. Thanks, I could try it.. thumb up!
Exotic Spiced Pea Pilaf
Flavorful and colorful. A classic Indian dish, the combination of yogurt, tomatoes, potatoes, rice and spices is super tasty and fills you up. Serve it as a side dish with a tangy stew or a main dish with some refreshing chutney.
Spinach & Long White Radish Soup
Spinach and long white radish soup: a clear beef broth scented with juniper and tarragon, loaded with daikon, potato, and spinach, brightened with lemon and turmeric. An unusual, fresh spring bowl.
Chicken & Green Onion Curry
A succulent chicken dish that is served with a delicious sauce everyone will love!
Spicy Yellow Lentil Stew
In traditional Indian cooking, dal refers to any dried peas or beans and to the many dishes made from them. In Malaysia and Singapore, dal refers to a spicy stew made of uellow lentils that typically accompanies Indian bread. The cooking time will vary with the age of the lentil.
Bread & Butter Microwave Pickles
This was my grandmother's recipe and it is to die for. It's a twist on the traditional Pickled Cucumber...nom nom =)
Roasted Spiced Cauliflower with Tomatoes
Delicious! I wasn't sure about the flavor before I made this dish, I was so glad that I made it, and it came out so flavorful and tasty.
Indian Style Lemon Rice (Nimakaya Pulihora)
Lemon Rice is one of the popular and simple dishes made during festivals in India.The Sour tangy taste makes this dish really mouth watering!!!!
Urad Dal Ki Roti
Urad dal ki roti folds spiced black gram lentils right into the dough, then pan-fries into hearty North Indian flatbread studded with green chilies, onion and tangy pomegranate seeds.
Aloo Ko Achar (Potato Salad)
A quick, easy and flavorful salad. I added a bit chopped red onion, and used lemon juice instead of lime juice, and it was very tasty. Next time I will use pickled jalapeno, which I think will make the salad taste even better.
Indian Mango Dal
It's easy to make, and it tastes delicious. There are lots of great flavors in this mango dal. Serve it with Indian naan bread bread or rice, a tasty and nutritious week-night meal. You can make it ahead, and simply reheat it.
Curried Pumpkin & Ginger Scones
Curried pumpkin and ginger scones with warm curry spice, golden turmeric, and chewy bites of crystallized ginger. A savory-sweet fall bake that lands somewhere between brunch and tea time.
Indian Rice Pilaf
Indian vegetable rice pilaf with potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, green beans, and cashews bloomed in mustard seeds, ginger, garlic, and curry powder. A one-pot oven-baked pilau ready in 35 minutes.
Ananda's Palak Paneer
An rustic and authentic version of a very popular Palak Paneer from North India. Out of several version I've tried this Palak Paneer is the best one yet.
Saagwalla Dhal
This is the other dhal we made yesterday, when the cooking was close to the end, added some spinach that was cooked with garlic, dried hot chili peppers and mustard seeds, which gave the dhal extra zing and tang, another delicious dhal recipe, of course another good recipe that you can serve with naan bread and raita :)
Sri Lanka Annasi (Pineapple Curry)
Annasi curry simmers fresh pineapple chunks in coconut milk with curry leaves, lemongrass, and green chilies for a sweet-tangy Sri Lankan side that pairs brilliantly with rice.
Tandoori Tofu
Such a delicious way to cook tofu. Packed with flavor, the tangy yogurt sauce adds extra creaminess. Perfect for your vegetarian family members or friends when summer BBQ party arrives.
