Ginger root - one of the most popular spices, came to us from South Asia. It is used in cooking for the preparation of meat, fish dishes, confectionery. Ginger is indispensable in both diet and traditional medicine. Currently, fresh ginger root is sold in many Russian supermarkets. Fresh ginger is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 10 days, then it begins to quickly lose moisture and you can use this root only after prolonged soaking. To preserve the spice for future use, ginger can be dried.
Pick your recipe
You will need
-
- • Ginger root
- • sharp knife
- • Cutting board
- • Baking sheet
- • Parchment or tracing paper
- • Oven
- • Blender or mortar
Instruction manual
1
When choosing a ginger root in a store, pay attention to its appearance. The fresh root should be smooth and dense, with a fresh spicy smell; there should be no wrinkled patches on the ginger. Another useful feature is the size of the root. The longer it is, the richer the essential oils and trace elements.
2
If the ginger root has a fairly dense peel, then cut it off before drying the root. The easiest way to cut the peel along the root from the base to the edge. Branches from the root should be cut off and cleaned separately. Try to cut the peel as thin as possible, because under it are concentrated all the valuable essential oils contained in ginger. It is very convenient to cut the root under a cold stream of water, then the eyes will not watery from the release of ginger essential oils.
3
Put the peeled ginger roots on a cutting board and cut into thin petals with a sharp knife.
Line a baking sheet or skillet with parchment or tracing paper. On top, spread the cut ginger on an even layer of petal from the petal.
4
Ginger should be dried in the oven first at a temperature of no higher than 50C. The cabinet door should be kept slightly ajar so that moisture comes out of the ginger. After two hours, the temperature can be increased to 70C. If your oven is equipped with a convector, then you can dry ginger in convection mode at temperatures up to 75C.
You should constantly check the degree of dried ginger. If it becomes brittle, it means that it is already dried. Remove the pan from the oven and let the ginger cool completely at room temperature.
5
Thus dried ginger can be folded into jars for spices for storage, or it can be crushed in a mortar or in a blender. It depends on how you need it.
note
If you cut the ginger with not too thin petals, then it will be much more difficult to dry it. Unfinished ginger should not be stored for long periods. Such ginger should be stored in a dry place in a spice jar with a tightly ground lid. The shelf life of dried ginger is about six months.
Useful advice
It is advisable not to use wooden boards or utensils for cutting ginger root. The tree absorbs essential oils unnecessarily and then retains the ginger smell for a long time.
If dried ginger absorbs moisture a little during storage, then dry it briefly in the oven before chopping.