Monday, November 26, 2007

Deep fried ginger, ginger fries

In ancient Chinese tradition, after a woman gives birth, she needs to stay at home and rest for at least 40 days. Ginger claims to create "heat" in the mother's body to warm her up when she feels cold and weak after giving birth. Ginger aids in digestion, and helps balance the mother's mental and emotional state. Ginger also contains zinc and vitamin C which helps increase immunity.

Different forms of ginger used for various cooking infuse different flavors

Healing powers aside. My attention to ginger is all in cooking and in WHB #111 with Kalyn at Kalyns Kitchen.

Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be stewed in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added as a sweetener.

Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice in Chinese cuisine to flavor dishes such as seafood or mutton.

While thinly sliced ginger can be added to vegetable and meat stir-fry dishes, thin strips of ginger can also be deep-fried. Hey, ginger fries! Move over...french fries and whatever sweet potato fries :P


This will be THE perfect golden to look our for, in deep-fried ginger strips. The trick is to julienne to thin strips, and deep-fry them in medium-high heat till they turn golden. Do not turn your eyes away while deep-frying - monitor them carefully and strain them out of the hot oil once these ginger strips turn color.



Perfect as a garnish and adds a hint of spice in chicken and pork dishes.

Guess where will these ginger garnish strips appear?

(P.S. Folks, I'm in the midst of a temporary move and has been so very busy with a tight schedule these days. That accounts for my "missing in high-activity blogging action" recently. I apologize. However, I will still be updating my blog whenever possible and of course, visiting yours. :D Just keep your comments coming. It will sure make me less grumpy - something which I have been guilty of ever since the need of the temp. move :p)

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