While ginger tea and ginger candies are easy and common ways of consuming ginger, it can be more beneficial to use fresh ginger in your food. To make this addition to your diet, it is important to understand how to peel and grate ginger. Once you master this, you can use it in soups, various Asian dishes such as curries and fried rice, or to make a warm cup of tea.
Let’s take a look at how to peel, chop, and grate ginger.
How to Pick Ginger?
The first step is picking the right kind of ginger. Depending on where you stay, you can come across broadly two types of ginger rhizomes. One is a fresh, wet type that seems more raw and soft and lighter in color. The other is the mature ginger which is comparatively harder and firmer. More often than not, the drier variety is easier to store for longer durations and offers a stronger flavor. The fresh ginger, on the other hand, is easier to cut and peel.
You can use ginger powdered or grated. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
If you are to use fresh ginger, ensure that you wash it thoroughly under running water to get rid of the dirt in the crevices. Unlike with firmer ginger, it may not be necessary to peel it as the skin layer is not completely formed yet. This ginger is also easier to julienne, chop, or grate.
With dry ginger, it is important to clean and peel it properly.
How to Peel & Chop Ginger?
Cut the ginger at the joints and wash it well. Scrub off the dirt if necessary from each piece. To begin peeling, take a peeler, a spoon, or a knife. Hold the ginger firmly between your fingers and start scraping at the side facing up. Once you peel off the skin-like layer, repeat this on all sides.
To chop it in fine pieces, hold the piece firmly on the chopping board and make lengthwise cuts along the fibers. Repeat this along the adjacent side to obtain julienned ginger. Furthermore, chop the lengthwise cuts into smaller bits to use them in a stir-fry.
How to Grate Ginger?
The simplest way to do this is by using a fine-mesh grater/shredder. Hold the peeled ginger piece at a 45-degree angle against the grater and grate it to achieve finely grated ginger.
Another method of doing this is with a fork. Hold the ginger piece with one hand and start scraping at it with a fork from the other end.
How to Use Ginger?
Here are some of the recipes where you can use chopped or grated ginger:
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Lemon Ginger Tea
- Immunity-boosting Miso Soup
- Easy weeknight Fried Rice
- Healthy Dal Tadka
