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Ginger |
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Ginger is often classified as a spice, but is actually a root.
Not only does it add a wonderful spicy flavour to food, but it gives your energy levels a boost and is believed to have valuable health benefits.
If you can get hold of it, fresh ginger has a wonderful flavour, but dried ginger will also work well, particularly in biscuits and cakes.
Go straight to ginger recipes.
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About Ginger |
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Ginger root comes in many different varieties. There are over 50 in India alone, each with a varying level of flavour and pungency!
Ginger juice or grated fresh ginger root makes a delicious addition to spice up fruit juices and smoothies. Try breakfast juice for a tasty recipe.
Fresh ginger and ground ginger have slightly different flavours and you should use dried ginger sparingly, because it's very strong. Fresh ginger is best used in "stove-top" cooking and dried ginger works well for baking.
It's another so-called "superfood" because of its 2000 year history of being used in herbal medicine.
It doesn't really matter how you eat it - raw, cooked, powdered, pickled, crystallised, it's still full of health benefits.
Did you know...?
Ginger is said to be excellent for both travel sickness and morning sickness (during pregnancy).
Some people swear by eating ginger biscuits. Others like to finely chop 1/2 inch of fresh ginger and steep in boiling water for 5 minutes, to make a ginger tea.
The fresh root is also thought to be effective against colds, flu symptoms, coughs, headaches and digestive problems.
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How To Choose |
Choose fresh ginger with skin that isn't wrinkled and avoid any that have mould on the broken surfaces.
You'll want to peel the roots before using, so chunkier ginger with larger sections is easier to use than smaller ginger with lots of "knobbly bits"! |
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How To Store |
 Ginger that is fresh, in root form, will keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge.
Dried, powdered ginger keeps for several months in an airtight container.
Pickled ginger keeps for ages in a jar in a cool, dark place.
Crystallised or preserved ginger keeps almost indefinitely in a sealed jar, in a cool dark place. |
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How To Use |
Fresh ginger:
Peel the root either with a potato peeler or a sharp knife.
Then grate, chop finely or slice, before cooking.
Dried, ground ginger:
Keep in an airtight container and add sparingly to cooked dishes and baked recipes. |
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Suggested Recipes | |
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| Banana And Ginger Biscuits |
Faced with an opened banana that my toddler had insisted on, but then refused to eat, I decided to experiment with this recipe. I wanted to use it in some biscuits, with some root ginger, to see if you could reduce the amount of fat and sugar in them. And the result lasted less than 24 hours... That counts as a success in our house!
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| Breakfast Juice |
If you have a juicer, this recipe takes just a few minutes to make. And it's a great way to boost your energy levels for the day.
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| Ginger And Garlic Pak Choi |
Pak choi goes really well with ginger and garlic – which are both so-called “superfoods” and immune system boosters. So this recipe is not only tasty, but good for you. Whatever next?!?
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| Honey & Ginger Poached Pears |
This is a delicious recipe, ideal for entertaining. It takes very little preparation, then you just leave it to cool for 4 hours, so you can make it well in advance and whip up some cream at the last minute to impress your guests!
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| Jerusalem Artichokes With Pine Nuts |
This is a lovely way of serving Jerusalem artichokes. The garlic and ginger give the dish a spicy, warming feel, while the toasted pine nuts beautifully compliment the flavour of the artichokes.
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| Parsnip And Chickpea Curry |
This is a great way to use winter root vegetables. Cooked slowly, they can develop a lovely sweet flavour, which works well as a curry.
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| Pumpkin Pie |
This classic North American dessert was sent in by Gramma Julie. Over the years, she's developed short cuts that make this pumpkin pie as easy as possible.
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| Rhubarb And Ginger Ice Cream |
Great for a sunny afternoon treat, this recipe works well as an ice cream or a frozen yoghurt. Ginger and rhubarb are a delicious combination and using them in an ice cream is an unusual treat.
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| Rhubarb, Ginger & Orange Crumble |
A delicious alternative to the classic rhubarb crumble recipe. See the variations for using ginger & orange.
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| Runner Bean Stir Fry |
A deliciously quick and easy recipe for runner beans. The ginger and soy in the sauce go well with the sesame seeds and the kidney beans add a wonderful colour and extra protein.
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| Spiced Rhubarb |
Spiced rhubarb makes a great warming dessert.
It's a lovely way of enjoying fresh rhubarb and works well with the delicate, early-season forced rhubarb, as well as the stronger-flavoured later season variety.
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| Sweetcorn Fritters - Thai Style |
Whether you've got some spare sweetcorn cobs or a packet of frozen sweetcorn, this is a great way of enjoying sweetcorn. As long as the oil is hot and you drain the fritters afterwards, don't worry too much about the calories...!
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| Thai Style Squash Curry |
This curry is easy to make and pretty quick. Just make the paste, chop the veggies and cook it all in a wok (or large frying pan) with the coconut milk. Works well with pumpkin, too.
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| Wimbledon Juice |
Classic early summer ingredients combine to make this Wimbledon celebration juice. So if you can tear yourself away from strawberries and cream with Champagne, you might want to give this one a try!
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Got one? Send us your ginger recipe!
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