A member of the ginger family, turmeric (Kamin) is an underground stem or rhizome. It grows in clusters of small stubby fingers with a dull, brown skin hiding its gorgeous fluorescent orange meat. It has a faint, earthy taste, but colour is the point here. Since colour is what matters in cooking with this herb, ground dried turmeric works fine. Turmeric, a relative of ginger, is used in many different dishes both for it's yellow colour and flavour. It's available fresh, frozen or powdered.