Turmeric Root Chutney / Kachi Haldi Ki Chutney

Kachi Haldi ki Chutney is a healthy, flavorful and appetizing side dish prepared from fresh turmeric root. This coconut based Turmeric root chutney is spicy, tangy and mildly sweet in taste and serves as a delightful pair with idli, dosa, rice or chapati. With a quick and easy to follow recipe this chutney is one of the delicious ways of adding the healthy goodness of fresh root turmeric to our daily diet. The recipe is vegan , onion-garlic free and calls for use of minimal oil. This turmeric root chutney has a shelf life of about a week on refrigeration in an air-tight container.

Root Turmeric is the fresh raw turmeric, a bright orange root-like subterranean stem (aka Rhizome) that is rich in anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal , antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties. A member of ginger family, it has been used for centuries in Indian Ayurveda and Chinese Medicines to heal infections, wounds, inflammation and treat other skin conditions. Turmeric is used extensively in Indian kitchens on daily basis in the dry powdered form as a spice and medicinal herb.

Health Benefits of adding fresh raw Turmeric to our daily diet.

Turmeric is every Indian household's go-to fix for a variety of health ailments. Curcumin, the therapeutic component of turmeric is packed with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. Following are the health benefits of including turmeric in its fresh raw (root-form) in our daily diets. source

• Boosts Digestion: Consumption of raw turmeric may help treat stomach ulcers and provide relief from symptoms like irritable bowel syndrome. It helps to maintain the flora of intestine.
• Maintains Blood Sugar levels:Turmeric in its raw form is known to regulate blood sugar levels.
• Excellent Antiseptic: The curcumin present in raw turmeric is known for its excellent antiseptic properties. Serves as a great ointment on cuts and injuries.
• Acts as a Blood Purifier: Fresh raw turmeric helps eliminating toxins from the blood. It also regulates blood clot formation.
• Reduces Anxiety and Stress: Apart from the above mentioned health benefits, raw turmeric is good to your skin, helps relieving pain and reduces stress and anxiety.

Ways of adding Turmeric Root to Daily Diet:

Fresh Turmeric in the root form is readily available in the Indian markets during Winter months. So i make sure, i use it in every possible way into my daily diet. Let us have a look at the various ways we can add it to our diet.

• Golden Milk / Turmeric Milk : an ancient Ayurvedic drink made from turmeric root and milk, used to treat many ailments. This is our daily bedtime drink especially during cold Winter nights.
  
• Fresh Turmeric Pickle: a healthy and appetizing , no-cook pickle recipe that uses minimal oil.
  
• Fresh Turmeric Curry : a yogurt based rich curry from Indian state of Rajasthan that uses turmeric root as a main ingredient.
  
• Immunity Booster Herbal Tea / Kadha : this humble kadha has been our daily immunity booster during the entire COVID 19 Pandemic.

                                   

What goes into my Turmeric Root Chutney ? The Ingredients:

This South Indian style fresh Turmeric root chutney is very easy to prepare and uses the ingredients that are easily available in the Indian Kitchen Pantry. 

• Turmeric Root: Use fresh, raw turmeric root that is free of any blemishes or black spots for best results. 
• Fresh Coconut: Though the key ingredient of this chutney is turmeric root, Fresh scrapped coconut is the one that gives body and texture to the chutney.
• Kokum: I have used few dried kokum petals. Kokum is a souring agent that is used to aid digestion and gives relief from acidity. Used extensively as a summer coolant in the form of sherbet. You may use gooseberry size tamarind instead for the tangy touch to the chutney if you cannot source kokum. 
• Jaggery: I have used little jaggery which does not make the chutney sweet but balances the flavors. I would recommend not skipping its use.
• Dried Red Chilies: Dry red chilies are used both in the ground form and as a tempering. Gives the chutney the desired spice. you may adjust it as per your spice tolerance.
• Oil: I have used Sunflower oil. You may use any neutral cooking oil of your choice. 
• Mustard Seeds, Curry leaves, Fennel Seeds, and Asafoetida are added to the tempering which makes the chutney aromatic and flavorful. You may skip addition of Asafoetida / hing for a gluten-free version.
• Salt To Taste

Dietary Tips:

• Healthy Side-dish
• Jain recipe / Onion-Garlic free
• Vegan
• Can be made gluten-free by skipping addition of Asafoetida / Hing

Serving Suggestions: 

• The turmeric root chutney can be served with any South Indian breakfast dishes like Idli, Dosa, Pessaratu, Paniyaram etc.
• The chutney can be used as a spread on your sandwiches, paratha rolls, Frankie.
• Pairs well with any Indian flatbread, poori or even rice.

Storage Instructions:

• The turmeric root chutney stays good up to a week on refrigeration when stored in an air tight container.

Related Event: 

This healthy and delicious turmeric root chutney is featured in the Facebook gourmet group, A to Z recipe challenge , where I post every month with a key ingredient having a particular alphabet. Going by the alphabetical order, for the month of  January, we have to cook a dish starting with the alphabet "T". I chose Turmeric as my key ingredient and made this healthy and flavorful chutney, using the turmeric root. This is my 18th contribution towards the the group. The other recipes that i have shared here so far are

• Pearl Millet (Bajra ) Crackers with Sesame Seeds for Alphabet "S"
  
• Vegetarian Khao Pad / Vegetable Thai Fried Rice for Alphabet "R"
  
• Mexican One-Pot Quinoa for Alphabet "Q"
  
• Potato Cheese Sandwich for Alphabet "P"
  
• Bhindi Do Pyaza - Okra stir-fry with Onions for Alphabet "O"
• Baked Nigella Seed Crackers for Alphabet "N"\
• Kadhai Mushroom for Alphabet "K"
• Lemon Crinkle Cookies for Alphabet "L"\
• Minestrone Soup with Kidney Beans for Alphabet "M"
• Aliv Kheer / Garden Cress Seeds Jaggery Pudding for Alphabet "J"
• Ivy Gourd Stir-Fry for Alphabet "I"
• Horse Gram Idli /Kulthi Idli for Alphabet "H"
• Punjabi Kadhi pakora / Gram Flour Fritters in Yogurt Gravy for Alphabet "G"
• Ankurit Methichi Usal / Sprouted Fenugreek seeds Stir-Fry for alphabet "F"
• Achari Baingan / Eggplant in Pickling Spices for Alphabet " E"
• Dates and Walnut Muffins for Alphabet "D"
• Coconut Curry Leaves Chutney for Alphabet " C"
• Broccoli Paneer Paratha for Alphabet "B"
  

                                

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time:5 minutes

Serves: 1 cup chutney

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 Cup = 240 ml

• 1/4 cup fresh root turmeric
• 1/2 cup fresh scrapped coconut
• 4-5 dried red chilies
• 3-4 dry kokum petals / gooseberry size tamarind 
• 1-2 teaspoon jaggery
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• Fat pinch of asafoetida / Hing
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and peel the turmeric root and slice it roughly. Transfer the turmeric root slices to a grinder jar along with dry red chilies, kokum, and jaggery. Grind it without adding any water.

2. Add scrapped coconut to it along with 1/4 cup water and grind again to a lump-free paste.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a sauce pan and transfer the ground chutney to it. Stir- fry and cook the chutney until the raw taste of turmeric root is no more. It will take around 3-4 minutes on medium flame. This step also increases the shelf life of the chutney.

4. Now heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small tempering pan. Add mustard seeds to it. Once the seeds splutter, add Asafoetida followed by fennel seeds, curry leaves and broken dry red chilies. Fry the spices on low flame for 30 seconds or so and put off the flame. 

5. Pour this tempering over the chutney and give a good mix. Our healthy and flavorful turmeric root chutney is ready to serve ! 

                                     

Recipe Notes:

• Turmeric root stains everything it comes in contact with. So use gloves while peeling and chopping the turmeric root if you do not want your hands and nails getting yellow. Make sure you wash the cutting board and grinder jar immediately after use to prevent it from getting yellow stains. 
• Use fresh, blemish free turmeric root fo best results.
• If you cannot source kokum, you may use gooseberry size tamarind as a souring agent instead. You may directly add the seedless tamarind or soak it in hot water for 10 minutes and later add it to the grinder jar with turmeric root for easy in grinding.
• Addition of jaggery is optional but I recommend it's addition. Adding little jaggery balances the flavors of the chutney without making it sweet.
• For a gluten-free version, skip addition of Asafoetida / Hing in the tempering.

Would Love to Hear from You !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Turmeric Root Chutney. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

Regards 

Poonam Bachhav 

For more recipes with fresh Turmeric Root, check out the following links from this blog

• Turmeric Milk:     

• Fresh Turmeric Pickle

• Kachi Haldi Ki Subzi

• Immunity Booster Herbal Tea / Kadha