Turmeric in Chinese Cooking: Jiang Huang and How to Use It
Almost everything written about turmeric places it in an Indian kitchen, and understandably so. But turmeric has a long history in China too, where it goes by the name Jiang Huang and occupies a rather different position: less an everyday base spice, more a specific ingredient used deliberately. This article looks at turmeric from that angle, plus the practical things worth knowing whichever tradition you're cooking in, including fresh versus dried, why fat and pepper turn up alongside it, and how to make a proper golden milk.
Jiang Huang: Turmeric's Chinese Name
The Chinese name for turmeric is Jiang Huang, which translates roughly as "ginger yellow", and that name is more precise than it looks. Turmeric and ginger belong to the same botanical family, and if you've ever handled fresh turmeric you'll have noticed how similar the rhizomes are: the same knobbly, branching shape, the same papery skin, just a startling orange inside instead of pale yellow.
Chinese herbal tradition is unusually specific about turmeric, distinguishing between different parts and related species under separate names. Jiang Huang refers to the rhizome, the part sold as culinary turmeric, and it's the one you'll find in our range as Dried Turmeric Rhizome (Jiang Huang). In the traditional Chinese framework it's described as warming and pungent, and it's classified among the herbs associated with movement rather than nourishment.
Two Kitchens, Two Roles
The contrast with Indian cooking is instructive. In Indian kitchens, turmeric is foundational: a pinch goes into an enormous range of everyday dishes almost by default, providing colour and a mild earthy base note beneath everything else.
Chinese cooking uses it far more sparingly, and more deliberately. It appears in specific regional dishes, in some braises and marinades, and prominently in the herbal and tonic side of the kitchen rather than the everyday one. If you're used to turmeric as background, using it in the Chinese manner means treating it as an ingredient you can actually taste.
That difference matters practically. Turmeric is not a neutral colouring agent, it's genuinely bitter and earthy with a slight pepperiness, and in a dish where it's the main aromatic you'll notice all of that.
Fresh, Dried Whole, or Ground
Fresh turmeric has become much easier to find in the UK, usually near the fresh ginger. It's brighter, more aromatic and noticeably less bitter than dried, with an almost citrusy edge. It grates like ginger, and it will stain your hands, your board and your grater a vivid orange that fades over a couple of days.
Dried whole rhizome is the traditional form in Chinese herbal cooking, and it's what you want for anything simmered. Whole pieces release their character slowly over a long cook without turning the dish bitter, and they can be fished out at the end. This is the form to use in broths, braises and slow-cooked soups.
Ground turmeric is the most convenient and the least interesting, and it goes stale fastest. If your jar has been open a year, it's contributing colour and very little else. Grinding dried rhizome yourself as needed makes a real difference.
Why Fat and Pepper Turn Up Alongside It
Across every tradition that uses turmeric heavily, two things reliably appear with it: fat and black pepper. Indian cooking blooms turmeric in ghee or oil at the start of a dish and pairs it routinely with pepper; golden milk combines it with milk and pepper; Chinese preparations typically cook it in oil or in a broth containing fat.
These are old culinary conventions rather than modern discoveries, arrived at by cooks long before anyone had a laboratory explanation. Whatever the reasoning, the practical advice is the same and it's worth following: cook turmeric in some fat rather than stirring it into water, and add a grind of black pepper. It also simply tastes better that way, since the fat rounds off the bitterness.
Golden Milk, Properly Made
Golden milk has become a coffee shop item, usually made with a spoon of ground turmeric stirred into hot milk, which is why so many people find it disappointing. Made properly it's considerably better.
For two mugs: 400ml of milk of your choice, a 2cm piece of dried turmeric rhizome (or a heaped teaspoon freshly ground), 2 slices of dried ginger, a small piece of cinnamon bark, a good grind of black pepper, and honey to taste.
Put everything except the honey into a small pan. Bring it to a bare simmer and hold it there for 10 minutes, not letting it boil over. Strain into mugs and sweeten. The difference from the stirred version is substantial: gentle simmering draws the flavour out of whole spices in a way that stirring powder into hot liquid never does, and the result is smooth rather than gritty.
Other Ways to Use It
Add whole dried pieces to broths and braises at the start of cooking, including our herbal bone broth, where it adds colour and a warm, earthy background. Use it in marinades for chicken or fish, where it pairs naturally with ginger and garlic. Add a little to rice as it cooks for colour and a subtle earthiness. And it works well in vegetable dishes with some fat present, roasted cauliflower or squash in particular.
Buying and Storing
Dried turmeric rhizome keeps well for a year or more stored airtight, away from light and heat, and holds its aroma far longer than the ground version. Good pieces should be deeply coloured and smell distinctly earthy and warm when snapped. Once ground, use it within a few months.
And a practical warning: turmeric stains permanently. Use a board you don't mind marking, and rinse anything it touches promptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jiang Huang?
Jiang Huang is the Chinese name for turmeric rhizome, translating roughly as "ginger yellow". Turmeric and ginger belong to the same botanical family.
Is Chinese turmeric different from Indian turmeric?
It's the same plant, used differently. Indian cooking uses it as an everyday base spice; Chinese cooking uses it more sparingly and deliberately, including in herbal and tonic preparations.
Should I use fresh or dried turmeric?
Fresh is brighter and less bitter, good grated into dishes. Dried whole rhizome suits anything simmered, since it releases slowly and can be removed afterwards.
Why is black pepper always added to turmeric?
It's a long-standing culinary convention across the traditions that use turmeric heavily, alongside cooking it in fat rather than water. It also improves the taste by balancing the bitterness.
Why does my golden milk taste gritty?
Usually because ground turmeric has been stirred into hot milk rather than whole spices simmered and strained. Simmering for ten minutes and straining gives a much smoother result.
How do I stop turmeric staining everything?
You mostly can't, so use a board you don't mind marking and rinse surfaces quickly. Stains on skin fade within a day or two.
Find turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and the rest of the warming spices in our Dried Culinary Spices collection.
Food supplements and culinary herbs should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet. This article is for general information only and is not intended as medical advice.