Recipes with Ginger

Ginger is among the most widely used aromatics in Asian cooking — a knobbly underground rhizome with golden skin and pale, fibrous flesh that delivers a warm, peppery heat and a clean, citrus-fresh lift. It works hand in hand with garlic and spring onion as a foundational trio in Chinese kitchens, and it appears everywhere from delicate steamed fish to robust braises, dipping sauces and even sweet drinks.

What it is and how it tastes

The rhizome grows in branching, knuckled hands and is harvested firm and juicy. Its flavour is a balance of gentle heat and brightness: there is a peppery warmth that spreads slowly across the palate, lifted by a sharp, almost lemony freshness. Younger ginger is milder, juicier and less fibrous, while mature ginger is more pungent and stringy. It cuts through richness and tames strong, fishy or gamey flavours, which is why a few slices so often go into a meat or seafood dish to keep it clean and fragrant.

How to prepare and cook it

Scrape away the skin with a teaspoon where needed, then cut to suit the job: grate for maximum juice and even distribution, slice into coins or matchsticks for gentle pockets of flavour, or bruise large pieces to perfume a broth and remove later. Ginger can take more heat than garlic, so it often goes into the oil first in a stir-fry, sizzling until fragrant before the other aromatics follow. In braises and soups, larger chunks simmer slowly to release their warmth without harshness. Grated ginger and its juice also brighten marinades and dressings raw.

Buying and storing

Look for firm, plump roots with smooth, taut, shiny skin and a fresh, spicy smell at a cut end. Wrinkled, soft or light pieces have dried out and lost both juice and flavour. Avoid any with mould at the knuckles. Stored loose and dry in the fridge it lasts several weeks, and it freezes beautifully — grating straight from frozen is fast and saves the fibrous waste that comes with fresh.

Where it shines

Ginger is essential to the aromatic base of pork gyoza and to the comforting depth of miso soup, and it sharpens the glaze on teriyaki salmon. Where it is bruised and steeped, a strip of galangal can push a dish in a similar direction, though nothing matches ginger’s particular brightness. It rewards keeping a knob always on hand; for more on building the essentials, see the Asian pantry guide.