There are few jobs in the kitchen that I detest as much as grating fresh ginger. Maybe it's because it feels like way too much sweat and toil for so little return or maybe the time of day when I need it (close to 6pm aka 'the witching hour') is often when I'm just clean out of oomph. Either way, seeing this ingredient in a recipe list is the food prep most likely to have me running for the hills. Sound familiar?
So here's my Quick Tip. Buy a couple of BIG pieces of ginger. Choose a time of the day (earlier in the day is always better for me) when you're feeling productive, when you're in the mood and when the radio's good and get set to grate. Peel the knobbly ginger first and then grate as if your life depends on it ... the whole lot - yes ALL of it. I use a Microplane (probably one of my most used and loved kitchen utensils).
Now when the feeling has returned to your arm and hand, grab yourself an ice cube tray (or 2 or 3 if you have really gone for it) and pack the grated ginger into the openings. Mine takes 2 heaped teaspoons in each one but sizes vary. Be sure to include the juices too - they contain a lot of the flavour.
Pop the trays in the freezer until they're solid and then decant them into a plastic bag. Don't forget to label them - especially to remind yourself how much is in each cube.
Then the next time your recipe calls for some fresh ginger, grab as many cubes as you need and throw them in - they're small, so they'll defrost at speed.
And here are a few recipes where you can try out your Quick Tip for freezing ginger -
- Sweet Potato, Ginger and Coconut Soup
- Puy Lentil Salad with Ginger & Chilli
- Quick Crunchy Chicken Noodles
- Everyday Stir Fry Vegetables
Bingo - saved from a sprint to the hills ...
PS You can also use a mini food processor to 'puree' up the peeled ginger. For me, the finish is often a bit too coarse (could be a function of my machine?) but more importantly the washing up outweighs the time-saving benefit. You might feel differently. Either way, I hope you'll agree that this Quick Tip for freezing ginger is worthy of remembering - and doing.
PPS Of course, you could also buy grated ginger in a jar, but I find the taste less than gorgeous and all those mystery ingredients in there mess with my head ...
