Ginger is good for you and adds a pow of flavor in the kitchen. It can be stir fried, sautéed, baked, grilled, used in soups, etc.
Its history as a spice and medicinal food goes back to fourth century B.C. It was used as a remedy for nausea, stomach issues, coughs and colds.
There are many schools of thought on the best way to store fresh ginger. Some freeze it, others like to place it in a bottle full of sherry, vodka or water. I'm not a fan of freezing, I find that it changes the texture of the ginger. I use leftovers or wrinkled older pieces of ginger for making ginger tea (see recipe below) and use the tea or freeze it in tea form.
When shopping for ginger, choose roots that feel heavy, have smooth skin and are not overly wrinkled. Soft, moldy or wrinkled ginger indicates old age.
Store ginger in the refrigerator. Some like to store it in a plastic bag with all the air pushed out. The ideal is to keep the ginger dry; some wrap it in paper towel inside the vegetable bin of the refrigerator. It should keep for up to a month.
Crystallized ginger is green, pink, spring or young ginger that is candied in sugar syrup and rolled in sugar. It is often used in baking. I love using crystallized ginger thinly sliced to flavor and decorate cupcakes, cakes, muffins or sprinkled over yogurt and granola. You can also add chopped crystallized ginger to bread, cake and muffin batters.
Shallow Fried Tofu in Ginger Broth with Stir Fried Greens
Ginger is used in several ways with this soothing dish. A block of firm tofu is lightly coated in cornstarch and shallow fried so it develops a nice crust on the outside and is custardy and soft inside. Greens are stir fried with chopped ginger and ginger slices, and a ginger broth is made on top. Serve with white or brown rice.
Serves 2.
Ingredients
The Greens and Ginger Broth:
The Tofu:
Instructions
Crabmeat and Ginger Dumplings
Making dumplings at home is not nearly as difficult as you might think. Here, a mixture of fresh crabmeat and ginger is stuffed into premade wonton wrappers and pinched together into a dumpling. A simple dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and scallions is served with the dumplings.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
The Crab-Ginger Dumplings:
The Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce:
Instructions
Ginger Tea with Honey and Lemon
You feel a tickle in the back of your throat. Is that a cold coming on? Ginger tea to the rescue. Make a double batch and keep it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
Instructions
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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