Ginger (Athrak)

Using Ginger (Athrak) in Indian Cooking

Root ginger has a characteristic fresh almost citrus like aroma. It adds a distinct freshness, a little spicy heat and a fan of warmth. It has a fibrous nature which can catch on the bottom of your pan so just be careful. It is used in dishes both savoury and sweet and as a powder it tends to be used in desserts.

Ginger is known to have many beneficial health properties such as being a natural remedy for colds and headaches. It is also know to alleviate sickness and has known blood thinning and cholesterol reducing properties.

An absolute basic for Indian cooking and sits along side onions and garlic as the third musketeer for Indian masala sauces.

Top tips:

1. Don't spend ages peeling ginger - I wash it and coarsely grate it when I am cooking. If it's fresh the skin grates with it but if it's a slightly older piece the skin will come away in your hand and you can throw it away.

2. you can buy ginger paste and many Indian chefs tend to use this but I prefer the fresh stuff.

3. Grate ginger in bulk and put it into ice-cube trays then freeze it. It freezes really well and you can just pop out one cube when you need it. 

More Information

For even more fun facts about ginger have a look at my blog for Zesty Ginger.

Infographic provided by Hari Ghotra