Food: Winter’s farewell in yellow with ‘kachchi haldi ki sabzi’

Some seasons don’t arrive loudly. They fade. Just before the winter would loosen its hold, when the air would soften but still carry a little chill, raw turmeric would quietly enter our home. It has never been about the cold. It has been about transition.I remember the mandi at that time of year. In small heaps on jute sacks lay fresh turmeric — imperfect, knotted, still smelling of damp earth. Long before ‘curcumin’ became a buzzword, our grandmothers understood raw (fresh) turmeric. My grandmother would pick these up one by one, rubbing off the soil with her thumb, inspecting these the way only someone who understands seasons can.Ever held a raw turmeric root in your hands? At home, there was always that familiar warning: “Haldi lag jayegi, daag nahi niklega.”And maybe that’s why it stays with me. Because some things aren’t meant to wash away. The little crackling sound of mustard oil would fill the kitchen first. Hing releasing that sharp whisper. Jeera dancing in the heat. Then the grated fresh haldi — raw, intense, almost too honest — would touch the kadahi. The aroma wasn’t merely fragrant; it was grounding. Earthy. Healing. Alive. No rush. Just patience. Just presence. This recipe has never been showy. No rich gravies. No heavy spices hiding behind complexity. It tasted real — slightly bitter, deeply warm, strangely comforting. The kind of taste you understand only as you grow older.In Punjab and Rajasthan, the ‘Kachchi haldi ki sabzi’ marked a moment when the body prepared for change. When winter was ending but summer hadn’t begun. It strengthened. It reset. It reminded you that nature moves gently, not abruptly.For more than 4,000 years, turmeric has grown in Indian soil. It has spread its colour in wedding rituals, healed wounds, nourished new mothers, and flavoured everyday meals. Today, turmeric travels the world in new guises — golden latte in New York, immunity shots in Melbourne, capsules in London, luxury serums in Seoul.And yet, somewhere between modular kitchens and microwave dinners, the humble ‘Kachchi haldi ki sabzi’ slipped quietly out of memory.Every year, when I see fresh turmeric in the market just as winter begins to retreat, something in me tightens gently. I see my grandmother’s hands again — stained yellow, steady, sure.Kachchi haldi ki sabziIngredientsCarrots 2Fenugreek seeds (soaked) 2 tbspTurmeric powder 1 tspFresh raw turmeric 200 gmGhee 1 cupAsafoetida/Hing ¼ tspCumin seeds/Jeera ½ tspCloves 5-6Cinnamon stick 1 inchBlack cardamom 5Onions (chopped) 2Ginger (chopped) 1 tbspTomato (chopped) 1 tbspSalt To tasteCoriander powder 2 tspRed chilli powder 2 tspFennel seeds powder 1 tspBlack peppercorn 1 tspDry mango powder 1½ tspWater As requiredGreen peas (boiled) 1½ cupRaisins (soaked) ¼ cupCurd ¼ cupCoriander (chopped) ¼ cupMint sprig For garnishMethodPeel the carrots and cut into small cubes. Drain the soaked fenugreek seeds and boil them in fresh water with turmeric powder for 5-7 minutes to reduce bitterness. Strain and keep aside. Wash, peel, and chop the fresh turmeric. Keep aside.Heat ghee in a heavy-bottom pan. Add chopped turmeric and fry until crisp and golden brown. Add asafoetida, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, and black cardamom. Let them splutter.Add chopped onions and saute until golden brown. Put chopped ginger, tomato and salt. Cook until the mixture becomes soft and ghee starts separating. Add coriander powder, red chilli powder, fennel powder, black pepper and dry mango powder. Mix well. Add chopped carrots and boiled fenugreek seeds. Mix and cook on low flame for 2 minutes. Add boiled green peas and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add soaked raisins. Stir gently.Whisk the curd and add it slowly to the sabzi, cook for 5 minutes. Add dry mango powder and adjust water to desired consistency. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes on low flame.Finish with chopped fresh coriander. Garnish with mint sprig and serve hot.— The writer is a chef & entrepreneur

Food: Winter’s farewell in yellow with ‘kachchi haldi ki sabzi’

Long before it became a global superfood, turmeric marked the shift between seasons at home

Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi

Food: Winter’s farewell in yellow with ‘kachchi haldi ki sabzi’

Long before it became a global superfood, turmeric marked the shift between seasons at home

Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi

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