My husband brought a 2 pound container of ginger from Costco. Why? He just saw it and grabbed it. Now we need to consume it somehow… can you please share your favorite recipes that use fresh ginger? Preferably, food not beverages! Thanks!
Oh, and while my husband was not aware of this, ginger might be a superfood!
I’ve shared this recipe before - everyone loves them.
Sesame Noodles (Best when made day before serving)
INGREDIENTS:
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. fresh ginger, grated
2 T. sesame oil
6 T. vegetable or canola oil
6 T. light rice vinegar
8 T. soy sauce
1 T. chili oil
3 T. white sugar
6 scallions
1 lb. vermicelli, cooked
Saute first four ingredients, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the remaining ingredients and boil for a few seconds, stirring constantly.
Mix sauce into the cooked vermicelli; refrigerate overnight (I let it sit out for half an hour or so before refrigerating to continually toss the noodles).
I like to bring to room temperature before serving; toss noodles and garnish with the chopped scallions.
I buy ginger by the pound. You can always grate the excess and freeze in ice cube trays to be used in marinades or any recipe that calls for fresh.
For our New Year’s Day dinner, I made gingered carrot purée (just what it sounds like, no recipe needed). I add fresh ginger to a lot of things. I think gingerbread is a superfood.
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, spoon lightly into cup or weigh (280 grams)
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (170 grams)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar (210 grams)
¼ cup molasses (75 grams)
1 large egg, room temperature
2 tsp ground ginger
1 ½ Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
½ cup finely chopped candied ginger
Method
Sift or whisk together: flour, baking soda, salt and ground ginger. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended, scraping sides of bowl several times.
Add egg and molasses and beat until blended, then stir in the dry ingredients until just combined (flour mixture).
Add in the chopped ginger and candied ginger & mix until just combined.
Cover bowl and chill for at least 2 hours (or up to 36 hours).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and arrange 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are browned (do not underbake).
Remove from oven, let cool 1 minute on baking sheet, and transfer cookies to a wire rack.
Notes: My preferred kind of candied ginger is the one that comes in chunks, not the thin slices that are coated in sugar; Trader Joe’s makes a great “uncrystallized candied ginger” that’s around $2 a bag in their dried fruit and nuts section.
I will usually add extra of both fresh and candied ginger!
I was intrigued as well. From the description: “Cut the chopping time by adding the sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor and use deboned chicken cut into pieces if you cannot chop through the bone.”
Our well-worn, deeply stained copy of The Silver Palate Cookbook has lived on our counter since early married days and contains my go-to gingerbread recipe that I mentioned above.
Ginger IS superfood. Good with chicken and pork. Recipes don’t need two pounds tho. It is a lot to use up in cooking alone before it dries up unless you grind and freeze as @ChoatieMom does. How about slice and pickle it in Japanese style? Or slice and preserve in honey and make a spicy ginger tea? That will be really healthful. It does all kinds of good things, they say.
You said no beverages but I’m sort of not listening….
I like to make a ginger simple syrup and keep the ginger pieces in the syrup. I keep it in the refrig in a jar and then use it blend with hot water and lemon for a tea-like drink with a kick. Especially good for an upset stomach or to nurse a cold. Or just to drink!
Ginger is also great in dressings and teriyaki sauce. Just combine soy sauce and sugar or honey and grated or minced ginger and your favorite oil to taste. You can add a splash of sesame seed oil as well.
I love ginger. I’m the person who eats all the leftover ginger after a sushi meal (I mayyyyy even have a jar of pickled ginger in the fridge just for snacking….)
If you like curry this one uses fresh ginger and is really nice. We normally add a few quartered potatoes in (with the tomatoes) and 1/4 cup raisins (with the chicken), and simmer for about 40 minutes (not the 15-20 they say, so the chicken is close to falling apart) to make it more like the curry where I grew up.