Kitchen Tip That Will Shave 10 Minutes Off Most Indian Recipes
FROZEN GINGER ROUNDS
Ginger is one of the most commonly used ingredients in Indian cooking, next to garlic and onion of course. Buying and peeling a whole ginger root when your recipe calls for just a tablespoon or two is such a pain. Chopping ginger can also be a sticky, messy nuisance. Did you know that ginger actually freezes really well? So a really easy way to save at least 10 minutes when making an Indian recipe is to do a little prep ahead of time. Grind a big batch of ginger using a food processor and freeze it into tablespoon sized portions so you'll always have it ready to use whenever you need it.
Here's how you do it.
NEEDED:
- One medium-sized ginger root
- Food processor (or an all-purpose blender like a Magic Bullet)
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Ziploc bag or tupperware container
Peel your ginger root and chop into small cubes, about 1 or 2 inches in diameter. You don’t have to be too precise, they’re all going to be minced up anyway. Throw these cubes into the food processor.
Pulse or blend until the ginger is completely minced. Turn off the food processor and take off the lid to give it a quick mix by hand, with a spatula or spoon.
Then, using a tablespoon or small measure, spoon out the minced ginger and place onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Make sure keep each round separate - if they’re touching when they go into the freezer, they’ll stick together.
Then, throw this baking sheet into the freezer and leave for about 2 to 3 hours. Once the rounds are fully frozen, you can transfer them all into a ziploc bag without them sticking together too much.
And that’s it! You now have minced ginger ready for your next recipe. Simply throw a round into your frying pan, soup stock, or casserole dish whenever you need it. You can make as much or as little of this mixture as you’d like, so theres no need to be too precise! You can freeze garlic in the same way - just throw some peeled cloves in the food processor. You can even buy pre-peeled garlic cloves in bulk at produce markets, which is perfect for this recipe.
Freezing certain ingredients and foods are a great way to keep in moisture, preserving their freshness. Try freezing fresh sauces like pesto, tomato sauce, curry sauces, or salad dressings in an ice-cube tray, or mix and mold unbaked doughs for biscuits and scones in individual portions so you can throw them right into the oven and bake from frozen.
What kind of things do you make at home that you could freeze? Let us know by commenting below!
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