How to grow turmeric from store-bought rhizomes

1. Fresh turmeric rhizomes

The edible part of turmeric are the leaves, rhizomes, flowers and inflorescences. The whole plant is aromatic. However, the long, thin roots visible in the picture above are not used in cooking.

Young turmeric rhizomes are light orange while matured ones are a darker orange in colour. Thinly sliced/finely grated fresh young rhizomes can be eaten raw as "ulam" (herbs and vegetables eaten raw, usually with rice and sambal belacan for health and beauty). It is an ingredient in "jamu" (traditional Malay herbal remedy) for beauty (anti-aging) and health after delivery.

To make turmeric powder, the rhizomes are boiled and dried before being pounded into powder form.

Turmeric rhizomes are grated/pounded/juiced and used in marinades and seasoning for meat dishes before roasting, grilling, frying or cooking. Turmeric is also used to flavour meat in kebabs and satay. For convenience many modern cooks have switched to using turmeric powder made from pounded dried turmeric rhizomes. But we believe that the secret to excellent taste lies in the freshness of the ingredients used. Frozen/refrigerated/preserved turmeric can never achieve the authentic taste of our Asian cuisine because the fresh aroma is missing.

 Long ago, before the invention of the refrigerator, turmeric used to season meat also helped as a natural preservative.

Turmeric impart a natural yellow colour to rice, glutinuous rice, meat, sauces and other dishes. So if you come to Asia and get hold of a packet of spice powder with turmeric as an ingredient, the yellow colour that stains you fingers and utensils may not be the toxin/poison you worry about. Turmeric stains are yellow and temporary, it can be washed off with a dishwasher.

How to grow common ginger from store bought rhizomes

1. Common Ginger sprouts

I am growing common ginger (Zingiber officinale) from store bought rhizomes. I use old ginger, meaning matured ginger that has been stored for some time, hence store bought rhizomes will be just fine. Freshly dug out rhizomes do not sprout as readily.

How to grow galangal (Alpinia galanga) from store bought rhizomes

1. A hand of galangal rhizome

Galangal is used as a herb cum spice in Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. Galangal is an ingredient in chicken and fish curry dishes and also my favourite Hari Raya delicacy, the rendang. The Chinese call it "blue ginger" while in Malay, it is "galangal" or "lengkuas".

As it is readily available at any wet market in this region, we are never short of galangal. We also keep stock of galangal rhizomes in the refrigerator, ready to be used whenever the need arises.

Do you know that galangal can grow into a beautiful plant with showy foliage?
Even if you don't intent to harvest galangal for cooking, you can grow galangal plants just for their beautiful and cool-looking foliage. The whole plant is mildly aromatic. This is a cheap and low maintenance plant. Today I'll show you how to grow galangal from store-bought rhizomes.

This post is dedicated to Ash of Houris in the Garden blog. She's a new blogger, hence do visit her blog to give her your encouragement. Her enthusiasm and diligence in maintaining a little "garden by the window" has inspired me to blog on. Sometimes you can see and appreciate many things from a fresh perspective.