Homemade Turmeric Powder

Homemade Turmeric Powder

Turmeric is native to India. It has lot of medicinal properties besides being used extensively in our cooking. It is also used during religious functions in India. It's considered very Pius in Hindu tradition. I have seen my mom use in nearly all her recipes.

I have always bought the turmeric powder from the store, even when I was in India. Since I started my food blog, I have begun to experiment with cooking a lot. I have started to make spices at home. Just recently I made Garam Masala which was a huge hit on my blog as well as my home. So this time I chose to make organic Turmeric powder at home. I had heard horrendous stories about the ones available at stores, that they add color to make it look more authentic, it's not organic, etc etc. Hence I knew that I had to make it myself to be genuine.

This is fairly the most simple recipe I have made. It is just a 3 step process. Boil - Dry - Grind! However it spreads across a week! Let me tell you how.

Ingredients
1 pound Turmeric roots yields 1/4 cup of powder. So choose a quantity you want.

Method
Wash the roots thoroughly. Boil water in a pan, immerse these roots and let it boil for 45 minutes.

Drain the water. Now you need to work with gloves and disposable plates and it could stain your hand and utensil. Chop the roots once they are cooled down. Place a kitchen towel over a disposable plate to soak in excess water. Spread the chopped roots over it.

Do not crowd them, use multiple plates if needed. Spread them out evenly. You need not keep it in sunlight all the time. A well lit, ventilated area by he window should do the job. Leave it for a week. Keep tossing it every other day.

Over the week, you will notice the roots completely shrinking and getting dried up. That is what we want. I forgot to take a pic post the week. Apologies!
Grind these dried roots to a fine powder using a stainless steel mixer grinder. If you use a plastic/glass grinder, it could stain it. If using the latter then immediately wash it off to avoid staining the vessel.

The aroma in your kitchen will reaffirm why you did this! It is just so pure and authentic. It looks or tastes nothing like store bought. I am so glad I made it.

Preserve this in an air tight container and it stays good for months. Use them in seasonings, curries, gravies, smoothies or any other way you like. Enjoy!!