What is Turmeric in Kuning Seperti Kunyit?

"What is turmeric?" "What is kunyit?" Anyone who asks this question most probably does minimum or no cooking.

Kunyit is a kind of ginger. Skinnier than ginger. The kind that is mentioned in the Malay language simile "kuning seperti kunyit", often stains my hands whenever I peel and crush them to make my favourite asam fish. Kunyit is considered a lousy dye for fabrics but it is an excellent natural colouring for food and... my poor fingers. My fingers look jaundiced for the rest of the day.

Turmeric yellow is reserved for Malay royalty, viewed as a special colour that is difficult to imitate. Turmeric yellow symbolizes the king as a human, also a symbol of power and dignity. But Wan's little brain thinks of something else...

While other folks pay through their noses to acquire that brilliant yellow in their special rice dishes by using saffron, Malay folks make their also very brilliantly yellow pulut kuning and beras kunyit with the cheaper turmeric. So turmeric can be a substitute for saffron.

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