Who arguably was the most popular woman who took that
fateful 3 hour trip on the S.S. Minnow? It definitely wasn’t Mrs Lovey Howell.
Some may say it was Mary Ann though I believe because of that slinky evening
gown, it was Ginger. However, that’s not the ginger I’ll be highlighting but
that fleshy rhizome of Zingiber
officinale.
The culinary ginger is part of the Zingiberaceae family
which also includes turmeric, cardamom and galangal and is thought to have
originated in Southeast Asia spreading westward through Sri Lanka and India
eventually ending up in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. It also spread
easterly throughout Polynesia ending up in Hawaii. Though it’s used medicinally
in some cultures, its main application is lending its pungent flavor to a wide
variety of dishes or sometimes just as-is in the case of pickled gari and beni-shoga.
The primary flavor and aroma of ginger comes from a
couple of volatile oils in the form of gingerols, shogaols and zingerone giving
a flavor sensation and heat not unlike capsaicin found in chili peppers. That’s
why a little goes along way. It’s a necessity in teriyaki sauces and marinades and though you may assume that due to
its frequent appearance in Japanese cuisine that Japan is a top producer of
ginger, it’s #9 worldwide with India #1 (over 1,000,000 tons) producing about a
third of the planet’s ginger though the Motherland still produces over 51,000
tons of ginger.
Basic Culinary
Applications
For starters, using the rhizome as is either in the
pickled form (gari or beni shoga) or simply mixed with a
solitary partner like green onions for the classic Chinese ginger-green onion
sauce used on steamed chicken is as basic as it gets. When my local farmer’s
market has an abundance of fresh ginger, I’ll often purchase a bagful and since
they always sell green onions, I’ll make a batch of ginger-green onion sauce
right at home. The only other accoutrements needed are salt, white pepper and a
food processor. And I don’t limit the sauce just to steamed chicken. I’ll also
used it as the base sauce for an Asian inspired pizza in place of the usual red
sauce with additional Asian flavors like hoisin
or black bean sauce topped with diced chicken or pork and plain mozzarella.
I also add ginger to bottled mayonnaise for a tasty
sandwich spread either by smoking rakkyo
(pickled scallions) and beni shoga
then mixing in a food processor with the mayonnaise or simply adding some of my
ginger-green onion sauce to the mayonnaise. Other than creating a delicious
sandwich spread, these ginger based mayonnaise are also tasty on their own with
potato chips!
My Go-To Ginger Sauce
I originally found this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine
and modified it to my own taste though I kept the original quantity of minced
ginger as its pungent flavor nicely balanced the earthy black beans and equally
pungent minced garlic. I’ve also been known to flavor my cilantro with food so
the fresh cilantro was raised from a simple garnish to a significant flavor
component.
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp shoyu
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
Mix all five ingredients into a smooth slurry and set
aside
2 tbsp macadamia nut oil (or other vegetable oil)
2 tbsp fermented black beans, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp chili-garlic sauce
1 bunch green onions (white and green part), thinly
sliced
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Stir fry the black beans, ginger, garlic and chili sauce in
oil for 1 to 2 minutes then add the protein of your choice. I frequently add a
block or two of firm (or extra firm) tofu though ground chicken, turkey breast
or lean ground pork also works just as well. Once the proteins are cooked, add
the liquid slurry to the pan and stir until it thickens (corn starch needs to
come to a boil to thicken) then add the sliced green onions and chopped
cilantro, mix and remove from the heat to keep the pronounced herbal flavors at
the forefront.
Liquid Ginger
You can steep fresh ginger in vegetable oil then strain
for ginger flavored oil to finish dishes. However, whenever I steep fresh herbs
in oil, I store the unused oil in the refrigerator. You can also infuse vodka
with fresh ginger but I find that purchasing pre-flavored ginger liqueur – and
there are quite a few brands on the market – is a lot simpler. There’s also a
Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur created with fresh Vietnamese baby ginger,
cognac and a host of other spices that makes great cocktails. This is my
version of a pear and ginger martini that I first sampled many years ago at
celebrity Chef Mourad Lahlou’s Aziza (which still hasn’t re-opened) which was
one of the many libations meant to savor with dinner.
1 ounce pear vodka
1/2 ounce pear liqueur
1/2 ounce Canton ginger liqueur
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 tsp of fresh lemon juice
Lemon twist for garnish
Simple syrup simply is made by dissolving sugar in an
equal amount of water – for this cocktail, I steep the hot syrup with fresh
ginger and pear slices for additional flavor. Add the first five ingredients in
a cocktail shaker filled with very cold ice (the type that sticks to your
fingers). Cover and shake like there’s no tomorrow (the cocktail shaker, not
yourself). Strain in a martini glass and garnish with the lemon twist.
The sweet pear flavor complements the sweet spices like
cinnamon, nutmeg and clove while the tangy ginger flavor complements the
earthier spices like coriander, cardamom and turmeric found in Moroccan cuisine
at Aziza but there’s no reason they can’t balance the sweet and spicy flavors
found in Asian cuisine.
Dessert Ginger
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