What to do with ginger: uses and popular recipes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Today we will talk about what to do with ginger. In cooking, this spice began to be used not so long ago. For a long time, ginger has been known as a medicine. They discovered the beneficial properties of spices in Southeast Asia, as well as in China. There, the root of the plant was used as a remedy for nausea and in general to normalize the functioning of the digestive tract. Ginger helps against colds, strengthens the immune system.

The fairy tale "A Thousand and One Nights" directly states that the spice is an effective aphrodisiac. In medieval Europe, ginger became the most expensive spice. Therefore, they used it in cooking only on special holidays. This is how Christmas gingerbread cookies were born. Now the spice is not as expensive as in the Middle Ages. And below you will find a selection of the most common ginger recipes. The root of the plant is used in cooking. It goes on sale fresh and dried, whole and powdered, pickled and candied fruit.

Useful properties of the plant

Before we start talking about what to do with ginger, let's talk about its use in traditional medicine. Modern doctors are rather skeptical about herbs, preferring synthetic, concentrated substances. But even they recommend their patients to actively consume ginger. What diseases?

Firstly, ginger warms, relieves chills, lowers fever and boosts immunity. Therefore, during the influenza period, the benefits of spices are invaluable. It relieves sore throat, improves tone. Secondly, ginger enhances the flow of gastric juice, eliminates nausea, and normalizes digestion. It can be used by pregnant women to neutralize toxicosis and other unpleasant side effects.

The fact that ginger root is a powerful aphrodisiac is not idle conjecture at all. It really increases male potency. And women appreciate it for its fat-burning properties. Losing weight with ginger is easy and simple, because it speeds up the metabolism. Now scientists are conducting research on the anti-cancer properties of the spice. Perhaps soon there will be drugs with ginger that will be used in oncology.

Contraindications

There is no universal useful substance in this world. All of them have their downside. So is ginger. It should be used with caution in the last trimester of pregnancy and completely excluded from the diet during lactation. Ginger is harmful for those people who have increased secretion of the stomach, especially ulcers. It is extremely rare, but there are cases of individual intolerance to substances contained inplant root. This can be expressed in nausea, vomiting, heartburn. Then you should immediately stop using the spice.

It is also worth remembering the doses. For example, a small amount of ginger is good for the core, as it thins the blood. But in large doses, it can have quite the opposite effect. And finally, it must be recalled that cooking reduces the medicinal properties of the root. The benefits of pickled ginger for the human body are less than fresh. Therefore, when going to the market for a spice, choose elastic (not dry) whole roots.

How to use ginger for healing

The root of the plant is hard and tasteless. To get the most out of it, you need to take 3 teaspoons of ginger juice per day. How to make this product? Very simple. Peel off the skin and chop the ginger root on a coarse grater. We spread it on several layers of gauze and wring it out. Do not rush to throw away the cake - it can be added to various dishes.

You should know that pure ginger juice cannot be drunk. It is too concentrated and can negatively affect not only the walls of the stomach, but also the oral cavity. We dissolve a spoonful of juice in other drinks. It can be either plain water or tea. Warm milk with honey will also work. You can mix ginger juice with peach, banana, multifruit and other sweet fresh juices. To protect yourself from a possible allergic reaction, you should first take the drug carefully - a few drops a day.

Delicious ginger tea

Thai scientists have recently discovered another useful property of the plant root. It turns out that ginger enhances the cognitive functions of our brain. It not only tones, but also increases concentration. Therefore, in the morning, ginger tea can completely replace traditional coffee. But how to make a drink from a dry, like a piece of wood, root? We will tell you how to make tea with ginger. It takes longer to brew the drink than camellia sinensis leaves. And to keep the tea warm in half an hour, we need a thermos.

1. One and a half liters of boiling water will require a piece of fresh ginger root three centimeters long.
2. Clean it and cut it as small as possible or three large chips.
3. First, pour boiling water into a thermos, and then pour in ginger.
4. Add a sachet or two of green, black, herbal, or fruit tea for complexity.
5. Screw the lid and leave for half an hour.
6. Now you can sweeten the drink with sugar or honey.

Slimming tea

The previous recipe allows you to prepare a delicious, warming, tonic drink. But it has little effect on the metabolism of the body. How to speed up the metabolism, what to do with ginger for weight loss? Need to brew tea in a different way:

1. Cut fresh ginger root into 2.5 cm pieces.
2. Put in a saucepan.
3. Pour two cups of cold boiled water.
4. Put the saucepan on the fire.
5. After boiling, cook for another 10 minutes.
6. If you want to achieve a tart taste of the drink, we continue the heat treatmentthe same amount of time.
7. Straining the tea.

In order for extra pounds to leave you quickly and never come back, you need to include this drink in your diet on an ongoing basis. And the daily dose should be at least 1.5 liters. But don't drink ginger tea before bed. It has powerful tonic properties, and you won't sleep a wink at night.

Christmas smoothie

Cookers first of all appreciated the warming properties of ginger and included it in winter drinks, mulled wine in particular. But they can also be made cold, refreshing. This ginger drink recipe will help you make a delicious milkshake:

1. We take a large and very ripe banana (you can even have a soft fruit), peel, cut into pieces.
2. Kiwi peeled.
3. Also cut the pulp.
4. Fruits are put into a blender bowl.
5. Add honey to taste and two pinches of grated ginger.
6. Pour 300 ml of cold milk.
7. Beat in a blender for about a minute.
8. Pour into glasses.
9. This recipe can be modified. For example, instead of a banana with kiwi, you can take persimmon and tangerine.

Pickled Ginger

The fresh root of the plant is of course more useful. But it is spent a little, and spoils quickly. Therefore, manufacturers either dry it or pickle it. The latter option is often used for sushi. However, any appetizer or salad with pickled ginger will acquire a piquant oriental hue. And such a blank is stored for a long time, provided that you putjar in the refrigerator. And if you do not know what to do with ginger root, then pickle it for the future:

1. First, peel off the thin crust.
2. Grate the roots with s alt.
3. Let's leave it overnight at room temperature.
4. In the morning, wash off the s alt under running water.
5. Dry the roots with towels and cut into thin slices.
6. Let's put an enamel pot of water on the fire.
7. When it boils, add ginger.
8. Blanched it for literally 2-3 minutes, after which we recline it in a colander.
9. Preparing the marinade. Combine in a glass jar one and a half tablespoons of sugar, 3.5 tbsp. l. water and 100 milliliters of rice vinegar (it can be replaced with wine).
10. Stir until the crystals are completely dissolved.
11. Dip ginger into this marinade. Let's wait for the complete cooling.
12. Let's seal the jar tightly and put it in the fridge. Ginger is ready when it changes color from white to pale pink or yellow.

Lemonade

Everyone knows about the warming properties of ginger. But this spice is also very refreshing. Treat your loved ones to some ginger lemonade on a hot summer day. To enhance the taste, you can add lime to the drink.

1. First we make the syrup. We need half a glass of peeled and grated ginger.
2. Pour it with a liter of water and put the saucepan on the fire.
3. When it boils, add a glass of sugar. Stir until the crystals dissolve.
4. Turn off the syrup, let it cool completely, after twostrain through cheesecloth for an hour.
5. Add two cups of boiled cold water and juice from lemon and lime halves to the liquid.
6. Stir and refrigerate.
7. Cut the remaining citrus fruits into thin circles.
8. Fill tall glasses with ice cubes.
9. Pour some syrup and sparkling mineral water.
10. Decorate glasses with circles of lemon and lime.

Gingerbread recipe at home

Those who were in Europe for Christmas must have tasted fragrant delicious cookies in the shape of little men, hearts, houses and other figurines. It was with such pastries that they decorated the Christmas tree when there were no glass balls. Such gingerbread cookies were painted with icing. The latter can be given some color with food coloring. They painted the pastries, like we have pysanky for Easter. Decorations were not only geometric and other patterns, but also inscriptions. Can't travel to Europe? Here is a homemade gingerbread recipe:

1. Sift a pound of flour.
2. Mix it with two tablespoons of grated orange zest, ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
3. Add spices to taste.
4. 150 grams of butter cut into small cubes. Mix with flour until crumbs.
5. In a separate bowl, beat two eggs with 150 grams of brown sugar.
6. Add three tablespoons of liquid honey.
7. This cocktail will be combined with dry crumbs.
8. Knead brownish glossy dough.
9. Wrap the gingerbread man in cling film and place for an hour inrefrigerator.
10. Then we roll it out on a table covered with parchment into a layer 5 mm thick.
11. Cut out the figures.
12. Transfer parchment with gingerbread to a baking sheet.
13. Bake at 180 degrees for a quarter of an hour (until the products become golden).
14. We make icing from protein with sugar. We paint completely cooled gingerbread cookies with them.

Ginger Cookies

1. Sift flour (one and a half cups), mix it with a teaspoon of baking powder for dough.
2. Butter (100 grams) rubbed with 150 g of granulated sugar.
3. Add one egg.
4. Mix two teaspoons of ginger, one of cinnamon and a pinch of ground cloves. These spices are added to the oil mass.
5. Start to gradually add flour and knead the elastic dough.
6. Roll it into a thin layer, cut out figures with a mold.
7. Lubricate the baking sheet with margarine. We spread cookies with ginger on it.
8. Sprinkle it with coarse sugar.
9. Bake products for half an hour at a temperature of 180 degrees.
10. Take out the baking sheet and cool a little.
11. Three on dark chocolate cookies.

Pumpkin soup

Many do not like this garden culture for its sweet inexpressiveness. This quality of pumpkin can be corrected thanks to spicy ginger. It will give the soup a delicious taste.

1. Ginger root (3 cm) rubbed.
2. Peel the onion from the husk and chop finely.
3. Heat olive oil in a frying pan (2Art. spoons).
4. Fry onion with ginger.
5. Add sliced carrots.
6. Fry a little more and pour a little vegetable or chicken broth (literally a few tablespoons).
7. Cover the pan and simmer the carrots until soft.
8. Shift the roast to the pan.
9. Place the diced pumpkin pulp (half a kilo) there.
10. Pour 0.5 l of broth.
11. After boiling, reduce heat and cook pumpkin soup with ginger for about 20 minutes.
12. Cool and strain. Grind vegetables with a blender.
13. The puree is returned to the soup. Add half a glass of cream, s alt to taste.
14. Warm up over low heat. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with peeled pumpkin seeds.

Candied fruits

Before buying bad candies, make homemade sweets. Candied fruits are slightly dried or dried pieces of fruit in sugar. Ginger is a product that will surely appeal to those who are not very fond of overly sweet candies. It has a spicy taste, and it pinches a little on the tongue. Candied fruits can be purchased at the store, but it would be useful to learn how candied ginger is made. We need fresh roots.

1. Peel two hundred grams of ginger, cut into thin slices.
2. Put them in an enamel bowl and fill with water so that it slightly covers the spice.
3. Cook for half an hour. When the ginger plates become soft, strain.
4. Decoction is useful for tea.
5. In a separate container we breed 6tablespoons of sugar in half the amount of water.
6. Dip ginger slices into this syrup. Cook until there is almost no liquid left.
7. Dip each plate in sugar and spread on baking paper to dry.

Beef in ginger-orange sauce

Oriental spice can give the most ordinary dish a savory, new twist. Many housewives do not know what to do with ginger. Meanwhile, this root can be used not only for desserts and drinks. Beef with ginger and orange will be the main dish of the festive feast.

Meat will be washed and cut, as for beef stroganoff. Rub a finely 2-centimeter peeled ginger root into a container, add to it:

• 2 teaspoons of flour;
• 1 tsp vegetable oil;
• 1 tsp sherry;
• 1 tbsp l. soy sauce.

Dip the meat into this liquid. Stir, leave to marinate for half an hour. Then fry in vegetable oil. Three orange zest. S alt, season with pepper. Add another tablespoon of soy sauce. We fry for about five minutes. Serve garnishing the meat with orange slices.

Cabbage salad

Don't know what to do with ginger? Its energizing taste will freshen up any salad.

1. Take 250 g of white cabbage and chop it finely.
2. Remember a little for the juice to start to stand out.
3. Peel a large apple, cut out a box with seeds, chop the flesh into thin plates.
4. Let's prepare the dressing. ATjar with lid mix:

• 6 tablespoons of olive oil,
• 2 tsp honey,
• 2 tsp mustard beans,
• 2 tsp vinegar

Screw on the lid and shake the container vigorously so that all the ingredients of the sauce are mixed to a state of emulsion. We clean the centimeter ginger root, rub it and, in addition, crush it in a mortar. We combine all the ingredients. S alt to taste and season with pepper. Pour over the sauce and let it brew for a quarter of an hour in the refrigerator.

Tincture

And finally, it's time to remember the potency-enhancing property of the plant root:

1. To prepare a ginger vodka tincture for men, you need to finely grate the yellow part of the zest of one lemon.
2. Fresh spice root (30 grams) peeled.
3. Ginger should also be finely grated.
4. Pour the two main ingredients into a jar, add s alt on the tip of a knife.
5. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon.
6. Pour half a liter of vodka and add a tablespoon of honey.
7. Stir. Let it brew for half an hour.
8. Strain through gauze.
9. Drink is ready to drink. It can be stored throughout the year.

And this is not a complete list of dishes in which ginger is used. In the post-Soviet space, this spice is undeservedly unpopular. But ginger will not only increase the "vitamin charge" of any dish, but also give it an interesting taste.

As you can see, this spice is universal. It can be added to salads, soups, main courses, side dishes, desserts, drinks. It must be remembered thatthe maximum of useful substances, rich taste and aroma is contained in a fresh root. In dried it is much less and very little - in powder. Therefore, if you only have grated ginger from a bag on hand, add more of it to the dish than indicated in the recipe.