HOW TO MAKE ORGANIC TURMERIC POWDER

Turmeric powder is the one essential spice in Indian cooking. My grandmother makes this powder every year during the peak summer in bulk quantity and stores it for a year long. Usually, she sends me the powder every year, this year I thought of making it by myself.  The shelf life of this powder will be more than a year. It should be stored in the dry container and moisture-free place in your kitchen or pantry. Today I will show you how to make organic turmeric powder at home.

For making organic turmeric powder, you need organic turmeric roots which you can find easily at your local Indian store or you can find them online(Amazon, ETSY, Herbal food websites).

I brought from local Patel brothers – An Indian grocery store. The price listed in-store is 4.99/lb.

This procedure involves cleaning the roots, boiling the turmeric roots, drying them until they are completely shrunk and dried, grind them into a fine powder.

Cleaning turmeric roots for making turmeric powder:

Remove any twigs on the roots and wash them under the water until they are clean without dirt. I’m not peeling them, but definitely, you can peel and chop them. Cut turmeric roots into small circular pieces or long strips.

Boiling fresh turmeric before making powder

In an Instant pot add the turmeric roots and fill the water until roots are immersed. Now set it on MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK mode for 8 min. Do a quick release and drain the water. This water can be used for taking steam.

Drying boiled turmeric for making turmeric powder

Drying in dehydrator

Place a parchment sheet on the drying rack, so when the roots shrink they don’t fall down. Spread the turmeric onto the trays of a dehydrator and dry for 12 hours at 122 degrees Fahrenheit or 50-degree Celcius. You can definitely increase the temperature up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit or 60-degree Celcius, dry for 5-6 hours. I tried both and there is no difference.

Drying indirect sunlight

This is how roots are dried traditionally in India. Spread the turmeric pieces on to the tray and keep the tray in direct sunlight for about  3-5 days, until they are dry and shrink. Keep tossing them once in a day. If your making in bulk I would suggest preparing during the peak summer season.

Grinding dried turmeric to make powder

Grind turmeric roots to powder. Sieve the powder to get the fine powder and reprocess the larger bit.

Store this powder in an airtight container and moisture-free place. It will last for a year.

This powder is so pure and aromatic and the little time invested in making this powder is totally worth it. I used 233 gms of turmeric roots and got 35 grams of powder.

Now use this turmeric powder in making these RECIPES

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