Too Much Ginger

[mb7o]

This evening I went shopping at Trader Joe's and picked up the rest of what I needed for dinner, including ginger. Those of you who have been there will know that their produce selection is weird in that everything is pre-packed. Ginger comes in an 8oz package.

This is way too much for me; I cook mostly for myself on a somewhat random schedule. What to do with the rest?

Some things I've thought of :

Freeze it. Is this a good storage method or not?

Pickle it.

Cook a lot of gingery things over the next week before I go on vacation for a bit.

[pjs]

Ginger lasts almost forever submerged in sherry in a jar in the fridge.

PJ

[Suvir Saran]

Is it safe to assume bought fresh ginger root?

[nightscotsman]

I highly recommend this ginger cake recipe from "Room for Dessert" by David Lebovitz:

Fresh Ginger Cake

Even though it calls for 4 oz of fresh ginger, it doesn't taste harsh or overly spiced and the black pepper is a great addition.

Edit: fixed link. (damn cut-n-paste)

Edited November 18, 2002 by nightscotsman (log)

[Human Bean]

NSM: At the moment, I don't think that the link you posted is pointing where you think it is.

But here's a link to the same recipe: Fresh Ginger Cake.

I once made a somewhat similar recipe for ginger cake from Joy of Cooking, and it was quite good; you'd think that the ginger would be overpowering, but that's not the case at all.

Edited November 18, 2002 by Human Bean (log)

[Degustation]

You can plant it and have a constant supply or have an interesting plant at the very least.

Grow your own ginger

[Nick]

I keep my ginger (root) and garlic in a very small uncovered crock on a shelf - not refrigerated. It keeps for weeks. If it goes by, it just shrivels up. Doesn't mold.

Edited November 18, 2002 by Nickn (log)

[Six-pack-to-go]

I was wondering if anyone knows the difference between “raw ginger” and regular ginger. Let me explain a little. I recently went the local Asian supermarket seeking out ingredients for a Thai curry. I was looking for Thai ginger a.k.a. Kha a.k.a. Galangal.

Now most things even in the produce section are marked in English as well as Mandarin (I’m jus guessing it’s mandarin) and I came across a section that appeared to be the Thai veggie section (i.e. Thai basil, lemongrass, Thai bird chilies, and other assorted ingredients that are normally associated with Thai cuisine.) There was an unmarked root like tuber that smelled like ginger and kind of looked like it with the exception that it was thicker then ginger normally is and didn’t have the dark brown skin instead it was kind of white, I assumed it to be Thai ginger a.k.a Kha a.k.a Galangal. As western logic would dictate that if it were around other Thai ingredients, it must be Thai. Oh but western logic does not always hold up to eastern practices. So when I got to the check out I ask the clerk and she in turn did not know and ask someone else who shouted out that it was “raw ginger.” When I further pressed the issue and asked if it was Galangal I was brushed off like the guilo that I am. Upon opening it at home and trying a piece, it tasted like ginger with more menthol kind of taste. Wondering if anyone has ever heard the term, “Raw Ginger” or maybe a physical description of what Galangal looks like would help.

[Human Bean]

Sounds like what you got was what you wanted, ie. galangal. Never heard the term 'raw ginger' before. Galangal has a lighter-colored, smooth, almost shiny surface, with small ridges running around the circumference. Some versions are somewhat pinkish colored on the outside.

The smell is very different than regular ginger; I can't describe it, but 'ginger with a more menthol taste' is a reasonable approximation. The smell is very persistent; I can smell it on my wood cutting board for a week or more after using it, no matter how hard I try to clean it, but the taste doesn't seem to get into other food.

BTW, I store my regular ginger uncovered in the fridge; at worst, it dries out a bit, and I cut off the dried part next time I use it. Last time I had galangal, Ms. Bean put it in the fridge in a bowl of water; dunno why, but it didn't cause any harm.

Edit: Here's a drawing of what galangal looks like:

Edited November 18, 2002 by Human Bean (log)

[Six-pack-to-go]

That's it! I think it had something to do with a language barrior or jus shutting me up and keeping the line moving. Any which way it turned out downright scrumptous and I can't wait to devour the leftovers tonight. You didn't have to go to the trouble of drawing an artistc rendition for me, though it is appreciated. wink, wink

Edited November 18, 2002 by Six-pack-to-go (log)

[Stone]

I've always felt that galanga has a mustardy smell.

[mb7o]

I guess I'll have to make some ginger cake now... and leave the rest around. Should probably get a crock pot for garlic and ginger, I tend to leave it in a dark corner right now.

I also had a weird 'is this galangal' experience in a Chinese market. I think it was labeled as 'young ginger'. And may or may not have been galangal, it sure wasn't quite the same as galangal I've had elsewhere. I think they sell both 'young' and normal (dried???) ginger in some stores here, in addition to galangal under its various names.

The package I have claims to be fresh ginger from Hawaii, Brazil, or China, depending on season.

[Suvir Saran]

I put some ginger in a pot with dirt. Keep it moist... Leaves come out... the ginger begins to grow.. and everytime I need fresh ginger, I cut some of the tuber... and leave the rest growing....

[oraklet]

human bean, was that watercolour made by you? very nice, really.

funny thing is, i only knew the "whitish" kind of ginger. very good fine-coarse chopped and stirfried with carrot batonnets and chopped garlic.

[Human Bean]

human bean, was that watercolour made by you? very nice, really.

Oraklet, I take no credit for the pic; it's several thousand times better than anything my non-existent artistic abilities could create. It was snagged from the web after a very quick search.

But, to add some actual value to this post, here's a link to the article containing the pic, as posted by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. It's a sort of 'Galangal for Dummies' article, with some info on galangal along with a couple of nice-sounding Thai recipes; they seem petty generic, but would be tasty if you had the Asian ingredients. (Also included is a recipe for black tea w/ galangal; that one seems a bit weird to me.)

[Suzanne F]

Getting back to the freezing of ginger -- When I've done that, all I can use it for afterwards is juicing; it gets very soft and wet when thawed. Anyone else have the same experience?

[torakris]

Getting back to the freezing of ginger -- When I've done that, all I can use it for afterwards is juicing; it gets very soft and wet when thawed.  Anyone else have the same experience?

I usually cut it into slices before freezing then I can take out how many I want and just throw them into the pot.

I have some slices of galangal in the freezer as well, but next time I get my hands on it I am going to try planting it.

[Shermar]

I highly recommend this ginger cake recipe from "Room for Dessert" by David Lebovitz:

Fresh Ginger Cake

Even though it calls for 4 oz of fresh ginger, it doesn't taste harsh or overly spiced and the black pepper is a great addition.

Edit: fixed link. (damn cut-n-paste)

This is a terrific cake. I've made it so many times that my newspaper clipping of it has almost faded. Thanks for the link. Now I can print a fresh copy.

Steep some slices of unpeeled ginger, with a few cloves and some strips of lemon peel. Strain and add honey. You'll have a lovely ginger tea. Great when you have a cold and the process perfumes the whole house.

Edited November 20, 2002 by Shermar (log)

[Nick]

Steep some slices of unpeeled ginger, with a few cloves and some strips of lemon peel.  Strain and add honey.  You'll have a lovely ginger tea.  Great when you have a cold and the process perfumes the whole house.

That sounds like a great tonic, with some power.

[Shermar]

Very powerful!!! Keep adding water and steeping for a couple of hours. Watch out for the cloves...a few go a loooong way !

[annchang]

Dear All,

I am Chinese an live in Taiwan now. My english is not very good so please kindly bear it with me . My family keep the excess ginger in the sand. You could just get any kind of box and fillit with the sand and then put the ginger in. The ginger will be in very good condition all the time.

There is also a very famous Chinese dessert called ginger custard. You can find it everywhere in HK. It is so declicious that you won't believe it is only made of milk and ginger . I will try my best to write down the receipe :

Ginger custard

Full-Fat milk 200CC

Ginger juice (freshly extracted) 20CC ~40CC

suger

1. Grind the fresh ginger , you have to obtain at least 20 CC clear ginger juice . Leave the ginger juice in the bowl

2. PLease heat the milk and sugar together ( stirring all the time)until your thermometer reach 90 Cº

3. Immediately pour out the milk into one clean bowl and let it cool for a while until the thermometer register 70Cº

4. Immediately pour the milk into the bowl with giner juice. and leave it untouched for at least 7 minutes. The mixutre wil turn into a custrd-like.

5. You can eat it hot or cold. However, when you want to taste it, please always spoon the surface (do not stir it and dig straight into it) to keep the texture firm.

ps1: This dessert is not as easy as it seems, however, it is still worth trying once you have taste it. If the ginger-milk mixure do not thicken like custard, please discard it .

ps2: This dessert is extremely good foe the women during period or after birth.

[nightscotsman]

Welcome annchang and thanks for the recipe. I'm really interested in trying it. How much sugar do you recommend using? Also, about how much ginger does it take to produce 20CC of ginger juice?

Thanks

[annchang]

Due to the milk already has the natural sweet taste, I recommend you to add probably no more than 1 tablespoon sugar per 200 CC milk. As for the ginger juice, it will take you a large chunk of ginger to extract 20 CC juice, therefore it is quite a good way to use ginger when you have plenty of them. A very important point, Only at the time you want to make this dessert, you can start to make ginger juice. Do not make it beforehand, it will no work. Also , please always use the "old" ginger (with yellow brownish skin), not the "young" one. The young ginger in Chinese cooking is for making vingear preserving ginger. It is a great chuntney for summer dish.

Ann

[Suvir Saran]

Due to the milk already has the natural sweet taste, I recommend you to add probably no more than 1 tablespoon sugar per 200 CC milk.  As for the ginger juice, it will take you a large chunk of ginger to extract 20 CC juice, therefore it is quite a good way to use ginger when you have plenty of them.  A very important point, Only at the time  you want to make this dessert, you can start to make ginger juice. Do not make it beforehand, it will no work. Also , please always use the "old" ginger (with yellow brownish skin), not the "young" one. The young ginger in Chinese cooking is for making vingear preserving ginger. It is a great chuntney for summer dish.

Ann

Thanks for these great posts annchang.

Looking forward to reading your other posts.

[mixmaster b]

I also had a weird 'is this galangal' experience in a Chinese market. I think it was labeled as 'young ginger'. And may or may not have been galangal, it sure wasn't quite the same as galangal I've had elsewhere. I think they sell both 'young' and normal (dried???) ginger in some stores here, in addition to galangal under its various names.

The package I have claims to be fresh ginger from Hawaii, Brazil, or China, depending on season.

I think "regular" or "old" ginger, "young" ginger, and galangal are all very different.

As annchang says, the young ginger can be used for pickling. It is light/white in color, and often has purple-tinged ends. The flavor is softer than regular ginger, the skin is quite thin, and it is less fibrous.

Galangal is woodier and more bulbous looking than regular ginger, and has a strong smell. (I agree with dstone that it has a mustard smell/taste.) I think it would be hard to actually eat because of the woody texture--it is mainly used for flavoring.

Does this sound right? I am by no means an expert.

For your excess of ginger, I would reccomend a simple syrup infusion. Cut up the ginger, boil in a 1 to 1 sugar water syrup for 15-20 mins, and strain it out. Use the syrup to make cocktails. Lime-ginger syrup-gin is lovely, or a ginger Mojito, or lemon/vodka/ ginger syrup. A different kind of tonic!