Creamy turmeric salad dressing
Creamy turmeric salad dressing
Turmeric has always been a part of Indian kitchens since time immemorial. So much so we tend to take it for granted as a spice, as an ingredient and as a medicinal food. We eyeball some ground turmeric into most curries and savoury dishes we cook, and don’t even think much of it. The hues of turmeric are so integral to Indian cooking that it’s simply business as usual. We feel a sore throat coming on and we naturally reach out for turmeric, simmer it with milk, sweeten it with honey and gulp it down.
In the last couple of years of so, turmeric has caught the attention of the people outside the Indian subcontinent and how. It is a superfood, a magic spice and a darling of the health conscious people across the world. And we Indians nonchalantly mumble, our ancestors always knew this 😀
But to give credit where credit is due, the new lovers of turmeric around the world are opening our eyes to the number of ways we can put it to use, apart from just curries and a sore throat remedy.
If you just go a search ‘Turmeric’ on Pinterest, you’ll come across a visual feast of foods that people are preparing using this spice – from cocktails to golden cocoa to smoothies. The creativity here is mind boggling. It’s indeed wonderful to have a multitude of ways to consume this spice that is SO good for your body.
The one thing to remember while using turmeric in any recipe, is to be guarded about how much you are using. While it is good for health, even a slight excess can add an unpleasant bitterness to a dish and may put you off for good.
So, I tried using ground turmeric in this salad dressing that I was preparing to go over a platter of roasted vegetables. I was surprised at how thick and creamy it turned even though the dressing is water based – possibly something to do with the chemistry of tahini, honey and lemon juice, may be? If you want this to be a vegan turmeric dressing, simply avoid honey and use maple syrup, agave nectar or liquid jaggery instead.
Creamy turmeric salad dressing
You can really taste (and of course, SEE) the turmeric in this dressing but not in the bitter, unpleasant way. The ginger, lemon zest and lemon juice add tons of flavour. The honey balances it all out.
If you don’t have tahini, almond butter would be a good option too. Otherwise, prepare your tahini paste first and then proceed to add all the remaining ingredients in the mixer jar.
Salads you can use this turmeric dressing on –
- Seasonal roasted vegetables
- Leafy greens and grain salad
- Fruit and veg salad
Equipment needed: A mixer or food processor
25 Aug 2017 – Please read!
The recipe has been edited after I got feedback via comments that the dressing was too runny. I have tested the recipe 3 more times, to confirm the quantities and the measurements have been modified a bit. But do note, that you need to use a high powered blender to blend all the ingredients into a creamy dressing. It may not turn out as thick as you see in one of the pics (inside the mixer jar), but more of a pourable consistency as you see in the picture just above this note.
It also depends on the thickness of the tahini, mine has a high sesame seed paste to oil ratio, if yours has more oil and less sesame seed paste, then you may get a thinner dressing as the sesame seeds contribute a lot to the thickness of the dressing. You can separately grind toasted sesame seeds into a thick paste and then add the rest of the ingredients to blend and get the creamy turmeric dressing.
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[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Creamy Turmeric Salad Dressing – Recipe for an easy 2 minute creamy turmeric salad dressing to add that boost of superfood goodness to your salads [Vegan option included] – ground turmeric (level), tahini (heaped), honey, lemon juice, grated ginger, salt, ground pepper, water, Place all ingredients in the small jar of a mixer or a food processor and blend until thick and creamy.; This dressing keeps getting thicker with time, so whisk in some water to dilute it, if required.; If you don’t have tahini, then grind 2 tsp white sesame seeds with a touch of oil until you get a fine paste and then add the remaining ingredients and process until thick and creamy.; This dressing can be saved in an airtight container for 3-4 days. If it gets too thick, whisk some water in before using.; [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
Creamy Turmeric Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp tahini
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsps lemon juice (also add zest of the lemon)
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the small jar of a mixer or a food processor and blend until thick and creamy.
- This dressing keeps getting thicker with time, so whisk in some water to dilute it, if required.
- If you don't have tahini, then grind 2 tsp white sesame seeds with a touch of oil until you get a fine paste and then add the remaining ingredients and process until thick and creamy.
- This dressing can be saved in an airtight container for 3-4 days. If it gets too thick, whisk some water in before using.
This could become completely vegan if u replaced honey with date syrup.
@radha have given a few vegan options in the post – didnt think of date syrup though
Explanation of the recipe is so detailed and step by step great
What am I doing wrong if it comes out really runny and not thick?
Thank you for your feedback, J. I have edited to add these notes today:
The recipe has been edited after I got feedback via comments that the dressing was too runny. I have tested the recipe 3 more times, to confirm the quantities and the measurements have been modified a bit. But do note, that you need to use a high powered blender to blend all the ingredients into a creamy dressing. It may not turn out as thick as you see in one of the pics (inside the mixer jar), but more of a pourable consistency as you see in the picture just above this note.
It also depends on the thickness of the tahini, mine has a high sesame seed paste to oil ratio, if yours has more oil and less sesame seed paste, then you may get a thinner dressing as the sesame seeds contribute a lot to the thickness of the dressing. You can separately grind toasted sesame seeds into a thick paste and then add the rest of the ingredients to blend and get the creamy turmeric dressing.
This came out very thing when I made it. Is the tahini meant to be 1 tablespoon instead of 1 tsp?
tsp is good 🙂
this came out so runny and i did follow the recipe step by step……..you are misleading with the picture…..what a disappointment!!!!
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. Did you use a blender to do this, because it turned out as thick and turned even thicker after sitting on the counter for some time.
Hello Michelle, I’ve been blogging for 12+ years, the last thing I would do is to mislead my valuable readers. I appreciate your feedback. I have tested the recipe 3 times and have edited some of the measurements. It may be something to do with the tahini I used that it looked that thick in the picture. The other picture in which I show the dripping consistency is how the recipe turns out.
Please check the note added today.
Warm regards!
I followed exact directions and it was very thin and runny.
sorry about that, did you check my edits in the post? I am supposing it is something to do with an ingredient that is possibly giving it a different consistency due to a temperature difference or something? I plan to retest this recipe for the 4th time and post an update.
Hello Martha, I have retested the recipe a few times and have edited to add these notes today.
The recipe has been edited after I got feedback via comments that the dressing was too runny. I have tested the recipe 3 more times, to confirm the quantities and the measurements have been modified a bit. But do note, that you need to use a high powered blender to blend all the ingredients into a creamy dressing. It may not turn out as thick as you see in one of the pics (inside the mixer jar), but more of a pourable consistency as you see in the picture just above this note.
It also depends on the thickness of the tahini, mine has a high sesame seed paste to oil ratio, if yours has more oil and less sesame seed paste, then you may get a thinner dressing as the sesame seeds contribute a lot to the thickness of the dressing. You can separately grind toasted sesame seeds into a thick paste and then add the rest of the ingredients to blend and get the creamy turmeric dressing.
I made the dressing last night! I love it! I’m making more to share with family. Its so nice to find a recipe that is super healthy and delicious.
Note: i added very little water as my tahini was rather runny. Came out perfect consistantsy
Thank you!
Delicious! Still runny following recipe and tips, even after refrigerating. Used an organic tahini that’s not too oily. I’d Half the Water and/or add more oil to thicken. My guests loved it so much they asked for the recipe. Will definitely make again! Thank you. 🙂
I love tumeric but never thought to put it in a salad dressing. Found your recipe and absolutely loved it! It’s my new favorite- served it with a bed of greens and roasted chickpeas the other night. Thanks!
thank you so much Kate for trying it out!
Wonderful recipe. The consistency was perfect and everyone loved it!
thanks a ton!
Flavour was wonderful