Fresh Turmeric and Ginger Pickle Recipe | Kachchi Haldi Aur Adrak Ka Achar

Learn how to make Fresh Turmeric and Ginger Pickle or Kachchi Haldi Aur Adrak Ka Achar ~ Pickled fresh turmeric and ginger in salt and lime juice

There's something soul satisfying about working with fresh ingredients which takes you down the memory lane and warms your heart with nostalgia! Especially when it something that’s difficult to source when you are thousands of miles away from home, like this fresh turmeric roots. After making a unique winter dish of Rajasthani Raw Turmeric Curry (do check this recipe and cook some if you haven’t already), I decided to make another favourite recipe that takes me back home, to the carefree days which coloured my hands and heart with sunshine yellow hues... I am talking about a very simple and easy to make Kachchi Haldi aur Adrak Ka Achar or Raw Turmeric and Ginger Pickle.

The word ‘pickle’ comes from the Dutch pekel or German pókel, meaning salt or brine, two very important components in the pickling process. Throughout history pickling was a necessity, as it was the best way to preserve food for a long period of time before canning came into picture. Pickles are created by immersing fresh fruits or vegetables in an acidic liquid or saltwater brine until they are no longer considered raw or vulnerable to spoilage, hence extending their shelf life to months and some for years. Pickles have been around for thousands of years, dating as far back as 2030 BC in India. It is believed that pickles originated in India and the cucumbers were the first to be pickled in the Tigris Valley. As one of the earliest mobile foods, pickles filled the stomachs of hungry sailors and travelers, while also providing families with a source of food during harsh cold winter months when fresh produce were hard to grow or source. (Source: History in a jar)

Rajasthani Haldi Ki Subji Recipe | Fresh Turmeric Curry Recipe

Learn how to make Rajasthani Haldi Ki Subji or Fresh Turmeric Curry ~ Fresh turmeric and green peas cooked in a spicy, creamy tomato and yogurt curry

Curry lovers all over the world are familiar with one ingredient without which you can’t imagine cooking curry! I am talking about one of the most popular spice turmeric which leaves yellow stains on everything which it comes in contact with. It’s one spice that’s been traditionally used as a spice in Indian, Asian and African cuisines for more than 4,500 years! So what made this quintessential ingredient for curries and stews to migrate to fancy (not) things like Turmeric Lattes, cold pressed juices, smoothie bowls etc? What is it about this stone age staple that suddenly graduated into some kind of super food in the last couple of years?

Turmeric has always found its way into our dinner plates every single day. There isn’t a savoury dish in our home that goes untouched without a sprinkle of this gold dust. I grew up hearing about the healing properties of turmeric since I was a toddler. One sneeze and my grandma would run to her kitchen to make me a cup of Turmeric Milk or Kashaya with a generous pinch of turmeric. According to her there isn’t a cold or sore throat can’t be healed with a warm cup of turmeric milk. A scratch, a cut or deep wound was healed with a coat of turmeric paste either prepared by grinding the fresh turmeric root or by mixing ground turmeric with water. Pimples, skin problems? No problem. Ground turmeric from fresh roots or powdered form mixed with sandal wood paste or gram flour or milk or fresh cream had always been our choice of face mask for any beauty treatments. The trust we have on this golden hued spice was not born a year or couple of years ago, but since over 4,500 years ago which is now backed with scientific researches making turmeric one of the most admired super foods of the century.