On a casual dance floor, for example, a high school prom, youâre apt to see couples doing a hug and sway to slow music. The couple is squared-off. The guy puts his hands on her waist and she puts her hands on his shoulders. Thereâs copious body contactâitâs more hug than dance.
The general rule of thumb for converting dried herbs or spices to fresh in a recipe is 1-to-3, so 1 teaspoon of dried spice is equal to 3 teaspoons -- 1 tablespoon -- of fresh. Roughly 2 inches of fresh turmeric root will yield 1 tablespoon of the freshly grated spice.
As with ginger, the turmeric spice is obtained from the root of the plant. The root consists of a number of finger-like rhizomes, smaller than ginger and light brown in colour. Inside, the rhizome has a bright orange flesh. The roots are harvested after which they are boiled and then dried for about a week. Occasionally the rhizomes are then polished before being sold on the market. Turmeric is also available in the ground form and some of the rhizomes are ground to a powder after drying. The dried ground powder is bright yellow in colour. Fresh turmeric may be hard to come by in European markets, but if you do happen to find some, it is easy to prepare. As with ginger, the turmeric rhizome must be peeled and then it is easily chopped or sliced with a knife or ground down by using a pestle and mortar.