Did you know that fresh ginger is considered a really healthy spice to use?
Yes, fresh ginger contains lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and a big benefit is the boost it will give your immune system. Make a hot and comforting drink with warm Rooibos, without any milk or sugar and add a slice of lemon and fresh ginger each. The rich earthy flavour of fresh ginger works wonders when you feel fluish, have a sore throat or just feel a bit under the weather. Ginger is also known to be great for countering nausea, to give your metabolism and gut-health a boost and to manage your blood sugar levels.
All of these sound like enough reason to add this tasty root to as many savoury or sweet dishes as possible, from marinades, sauces, soups, stews or curries to even desserts and baking.
Here are Heleen Meyer’s TOP TIPS when cooking with fresh ginger:
- You don’t need to PEEL ginger. If you really have to, make sure that you waste as little as possible, by only scraping away the thin skin with the edge of a TEASPOON.
- DON’T throw away leftover ginger. Do you also sometimes buy a bigger knob of ginger than needed? Or have you left it in the fridge or forgotten about it in the veggie drawer, only to find it much too late, shriveled up or moldy? Rather FREEZE any leftover GINGER in an airtight bag or container. When you need some, remove a piece of frozen ginger, allow it to thaw for a minute or two and then GRATE it very successfully – so easy!
- Use a grater or specialized small-hole grater to easily GRATE fresh OR frozen ginger to add to your cooking. The special grater looks like the rasp of a woodworker and is called a microplane. This is actually the name of a well-known brand of this type of grater. However, the smaller holes on an ordinary grater work as well – just don’t frustrate yourself with the spikey side of a normal grater – that’s quite a struggle to clean.
Visit Heleen’s website (www.heleenmeyer.co.za) for some recipes where she uses fresh ginger in a variety of ways. Just use the search function on her site and type in ‘ginger’.
Image: Adel Ferreira