Kachi Haldi Ki Sabji (Fresh Turmeric Curry) is a Rajasthani winter special dish made using fresh turmeric roots, ghee, yogurt, and spices. Here is my easy recipe to make it.
Once the ghee is hot, add green cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamon and saute for 3-4 seconds.
Add cumin seeds, asafetida, green chilies, garlic, and ginger, and fry for 4-5 seconds.
Now reduce the heat to low.
Add grated turmeric to the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes until the turmeric is softened. Stir frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
Once the turmeric is softened, add plain yogurt, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, and garam masala powder to the pan and mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes on low heat and keep stirring continuously to avoid the yogurt from curdling.
Add salt and green peas to the pan and mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes if using frozen peas or 10-12 minutes if using fresh peas.
Remove the lid. Check for salt and add more if needed. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Peeling fresh haldi leaves the palm yellow and it takes a few days for the color to go. So make sure to wear gloves while peeling and grating the turmeric.Do not reduce the quantity of ghee. If less ghee is used, the bitterness of turmeric doesn’t go away and the curry will not taste nice.Use an old bowl to keep the grated haldi. It will stain the bowl as well.Do not use a white pan or white spatula to make this sabji.The taste of raw haldi is bitter and that is why it is cooked in lots of ghee. Do not skimp on the amount of ghee to make this sabji.You can also add 50 g (1.8 oz) of Amba Haldi (Mango Ginger) along with turmeric to give this curry a tangy taste.