Uses for young ginger

[ElainaA]

I found this beautiful young, stem ginger at our local farmer's market this morning. Now I have to decide what to do with it.  I still have ginger jam left from last year's batch, so not that. I'm thinking of pickling at least some of it but I wondered if anyone had any other suggestions.

[huiray]

Stir-fry w/ beef - slice the ginger thinly, use it almost like a vegetable.  (see here as an example; scroll down)  Almost any other sort of "quick-cook" dishes (stir-fries especially) where one might use ginger.  (With slow-cooked or braised dishes or long-simmered soups old ginger would be preferred, for me anyway)

[heidih]

Used also as a vegetable in a Thai salad. David Thompson has one in Thai Food where the other components are just shrimp and squid and the dressing is the standard fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, chile style.  In the uncooked application I would taste it first to test fiber level. 

 

I have pickled it and have found that it has a lovely pink color when young. 

 

Huiray's suggestion s/f with beef was what first sprang to mind. I like the play of deep beef with super bright ginger. Though a fresh salad is not typical I like that combo with a bit of a watercress salad simply dressed with lime or lemon, salt, walnut oil and a few bits of toasted walnut. If nothing sugary is in the stir fry a hint of sugar in the salad works for me. 

[liuzhou]

I too, often use it as suggested above.

 

Frequently, I use it to make crystallised ginger. This gives me something delicious to munch on and also provides me with with lovely ginger syrup to use in my favourite salad dressing (here- first recipe)

[ElainaA]

liuzhou - That salad sounds incredibly wonderful. Thank you.

Elaina

[huiray]

Used as both a flavoring agent and as a vegetable - steamed cod fillets w/ sliced young ginger & other stuff: details here.  It is not obvious from the picture but there is also a layer of ginger slices underneath the fillets.

[liuzhou]

liuzhou - That salad sounds incredibly wonderful. Thank you.

Elaina

 

You are welcome. It is probably the best thing I've eaten all year. Enjoy.