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January 2005
A Matter of Taste - Ginger
I had been planning to write about the ginger family long before the tsunami in the Indian Ocean taught all of us exactly where these plants thrive. The interplay of global geophysical and geopolitical events was not on my radar screen when I took up the business of herbs and spices almost 10 years ago. Now when a hurricane decimates a small island in the Caribbean I know to expect nutmeg prices to rise. As my world view has changed, interconnectedness has become an everyday reality.
For botany lovers the family is Zingiberaceae, the ginger family; it includes ginger, turmeric and galangal. I’m sure you know the first, have some idea about the second and are at least curious about the third. The tropics and subtropics of Southern China, South East Asia and India are home to these plants with their beautiful flowers, long tapering leaves and edible rhizomes. The rhizomes are not roots, but rather thick underground stems.
All of these spices can be used fresh, if you can find them. As you would expect, the flavor of the dried and ground version changes much with the preparation. This can easily be seen with ginger, the most readily available. Fresh, grated ginger root adds warm spiciness to Oriental soups and stir-frys, while dried ginger is a mainstay of the baker’s art. Crystallized ginger is prepared by boiling ginger root slices in sugar syrup, then drying. For a savory after dinner treat dip slices of crystallized ginger in melted dark chocolate and let cool. Easy, elegant and a great breath freshener!
My favorite form of ginger is the pickled version found in Oriental grocery stores. The paper thin slices are usually colored pink. They, too, find their way into my stir-frys and a few go directly into my mouth as a treat. I have also been known to lay the slices on top of deli turkey or ham to take a sandwich from mundane to marvelous.
Galangal was new to me until just recently and my life is now the richer for it. Imagine a cross between ginger and cinnamon and you have a close second to dried galangal. A good Oriental market will have it fresh, but there isn’t one in my neighborhood yet. The uses are similar to ginger in South East Asia, but it hasn’t found its way into baked goods just yet. I am planning to remedy that situation by using it as a substitute for ground ginger in my next batch of ginger bread. I’ll keep you posted on the results.
Turmeric is a powerful coloring agent as well as a pungent spice. It is that mysterious something in mustard, pickles, relishes and chutneys and is an essential ingredient in curry powder. The flavor is warm and earthy. It is not commonly used in the fresh form because eating it would stain the teeth and mouth bright yellow. When it was introduced into medieval Europe it was known as “Indian saffron”, as opposed to “Spanish saffron”. Because it is much less expensive than true saffron, it has long been used to impart a rich yellow color to rice dishes and fondly referred to as “poor man’s saffron”. Of course, the flavor can’t compare to saffron, but if you don’t like saffron that’s a plus.
When buying fresh ginger (or galangal), look for plump pieces that feel heavy and moist. You will need to remove the dried ends and outer covering to expose the fibrous body of the rhizome. When I find plump fresh ginger at a good price, I peel it and grate it with the food processor. I place heaping tablespoon-size blobs on a cookie sheet and freeze them; then I put them in a freezer bag for future use. I always have next-best-to-fresh ginger ready for any dish. If you squeeze the “juice” from the grated ginger it makes a potent tonic when diluted in water.
If you are interested in the health benefits of herbs and spices, you are probably already familiar with the use of ginger for nausea and upset stomach. This is also true for the other members of the family. Turmeric, because of its bright yellow color, is especially high in anti-oxidants. Since the chemistry of the essential oils in the Zingiberacae are very similar, all are being studied to document their many heath benefits.
I used to have a recipe for gingerbread that combined ground, freshly grated and crystallized ginger but I lost it somewhere along the way. It was moist and spicy-hot, with the raisin-sized bits of crystallized ginger providing a most pleasant surprise to the taste buds. If you come across it, get in touch with me.
Ground ginger, galangal and turmeric are all available from Burrows Bay Herbs and Spices.
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