Ginger

ginger (gin¦ger).Pronunciation: /ˈdʒɪndʒə/. Noun [mass noun]. 1a hot, fragrant spice made from the rhizome of a plant, which may be chopped or powdered for cooking, preserved in syrup, or candied.

Ginger- some of us love it, and some of us hate it. I personally think its hotness and tanginess makes it stand out from the rest and is a wonderful addition to any pantry. You can crush it, preserve it and ground it- I dare you to name another food that can produce such a range of tastes and textures. It is even this blog’s name stake. So naturally I thought it appropriate to do a profile on this magnificent spice.

For the first dish I went for a savoury choice to showcase ginger’s versatility. You regularly see Asian recipes with the trio of garlic, chilli and ginger- you really can’t go wrong. This easy dish can be thrown together with some cupboard essentials.

Ginger Prawn Broth

Serves 2

100g noodles (I used Udon)
400ml can light coconut milk
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons grated ginger
Couple of pinches chilli flakes
12 prawn cutlets (or as many as you want)
2 spring onions, finely sliced
Soy sauce, to taste
1 lime, to serve

Cook noodles according to packet instructions.

Place coconut milk, garlic, ginger and chilli flakes in a saucepan and bring just to the boil.

Add prawns and spring onion, then simmer for until prawns are cooked.

Add noodles and stir to combine. Season with soy sauce and serve with lime to squeeze over.

Once eaten, I found the recipe a bit bulky (I lied- actually used a 200g packet of noodles). It’s a fragrant and hearty meal if you’re in a hurry. Maybe a bit more ginger though?

Now for something a bit sweeter. I can never go past a good ginger crunch, the sweet and spicy tastes draw me in every time. But let’s be honest, too much and you feel it shortly after. This recipe appealed because it just sounds healthy... well, healthier. The very easy recipe has been taken from Jo Seagar’s The Cook School Recipes.

Wholemeal Ginger Crunch

Makes 24 pieces

For the base:

150g butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

¾ cup soft brown sugar

¾ cup long thread coconut

1 ½ cups rolled oats (I used wholegrain oats)

¾ cup wholemeal flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons ground ginger

1 cup chopped crystallised ginger (one packet of Tasti Crystallised Ginger)

For the icing:

100g butter

6 tablespoons golden syrup

2 ¼ cups icing sugar

3 teaspoons ground ginger

Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a baking tin/dish.

For the base, melt the butter, golden syrup and sugar in a large saucepan. Take off the heat; mix in the rest of the ingredients for the base. Add to prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.

To make the icing, melt the butter and gold syrup. Then whisk in the icing sugar and ginger.

Once cooked (will have slightly risen and be brown on top), remove base from the oven and top with icing. Chill before cutting into 24 pieces.

The result was addictive. Although it could do with less butter and I would recommend putting it in the fridge to set. Definitely one that will go down well if you’re making morning tea for the office!