My Favorite Recipes Collection: Fresh Yellow and White Turmeric Relish with Whole Grain Mustard.

Monday, June 19, 2023

Fresh Yellow and White Turmeric Relish with Whole Grain Mustard.

While my father was inspiration for my love of cooking, my mom is the drive behind my passion for cooking. She always set a good example for me to follow on her foot steps. Always trying new things. This was a staple relish in our house with every Indian meal. Good thing about it is it can last at room temp for about good 4-6 wks and definitely for months in the fridge that is if it lasts that long. You get abundance of fresh turmeric in India and now we have started getting it here in local Indian grocers.

There is a variety fresh turmeric which is blend of raw mango flavor and turmeric flavor. It is called Amba Haldar (Mango turmeric) Then you get the plain fresh turmeric as well.

Regardless of what kind, it is quite a chore to peel every rhizome of fresh turmeric and then slice it in to thin julienne strips.

Last time I had made this when I found these in frozen section, which was pretty good.

This time I decided to make it from fresh yellow and white (Amba haldar) turmeric rhizome. Since it is a chore to peel and cut into julienne slices I only bought a small amount. You can make it from the dry split mustard seeds (that you get it from local Indian grocers) but lately I have been making this and green chili pickles with whole grain mustard seeds from jar which you can get it from Walmart or Aldi and it tastes the same or even better.

Turmeric is a flowering plant, Curcuma longa of the gingerr family, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C (68 and 86 °F) and high annual rainfall to thrive. Plants are gathered each year for their rhizones, some for propagation in the following season and some for consumption.

The greatest diversity of Curcuma species by number alone is in India, at around 40 to 45 species. Thailand has a comparable 30 to 40 species. Other countries in tropical Asia also have numerous wild species of Curcuma. Recent studies have also shown that the taxonomy of C. longa is problematic, with only the specimens from South India being identifiable as C. longa. The phylogeny, relationships, intraspecific and interspecific variation, and even identity of other species and cultivars in other parts of the world still need to be established and validated.

Various species currently utilized and sold as "turmeric" in other parts of Asia have been shown to belong to several physically similar taxa, with overlapping local names.Curcuma amada, or mango ginger is a plant of the ginger family and is closely related to turneric (Curcuma longa). The rhizomes are very similar to common ginger but lack its pungency, and instead have a raw mango flavorThey are used in making pickles and chutneys inIndia. It is served as chutney in community feasts in Nepal's southern plains. Mango ginger and elephant foot yam pickle is popular in Nepal's southern plains. T cuisines. Mango-ginger is a popular spice and vegetable due to its rich flavor, which is described as sweet with subtle earthy floral and pepper overtones and similar to that of raw mango. It is a delicious addition to salads and stir fries. It is used in South Asian and Southeast Asian as well as Far East Asian.

Ingredients:

~6 rhizomes of yellow and while Turmeric
Juice from 2 fresh juicy limes
One tablespoon of Kosher salt
2 table spoon of whole grain mustard from jar with its juice.
You can add 1 table spoon of turmeric powder but you really don't need to.
I just made it only with turmeric but you can add slices serrano peppers with this to make green chili turmeric relish you may have to adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Method:

Very easy ! just peel all the rhizomes and slice them with knife to make thin Julienne slices.
Add salt, lime juice and whole grain mustard and mix well.
Store it in airtight jar at room temp for 2-6 days or keep it it in the fridge for 4-6 wks.