Topic: Good ginger and garlic purees?

[currychris]

Can anyone recommend some good ginger and garlic purees? The ginger purees I have used in the past haven't been that good and so now I always use fresh ginger, which is excellent, but it is nice to have a puree to fall back on - and easier - not that I'm lazy of course

[DARTHPHALL]

This is how i make my Ginger & Garlic puree.
Peel & skin Ginger & Garlic.
Get a Cheese grater (the old fashioned type with the holes cut in it).
Grate the G & G on the side with the second largest holes, as you grate on the underside you will see the puree, simple as that & 100% homemade & pure.
hope this is of use to you.
all the best,
.....DARTHPHALL.....

[Jeera]

Laziza brand is fantastic with a really fresh taste and smell. They do pastes for garlic, ginger or both combined. It works out cheaper than buying bulbs too and *much* less hassle.

[currychris]

That sounds excellent Jeera!....can you tell me where I can obtain the pastes?
Cheers,
Chris

[Jeera]

Chris, try this link http://www.simplyspice.co.uk/garlic-paste-p-852.html

Good asian grocers stock them also.

[johnboy]

This is how i make my Ginger & Garlic puree.
Peel & skin Ginger & Garlic.
Get a Cheese grater (the old fashioned type with the holes cut in it).
Grate the G & G on the side with the second largest holes, as you grate on the underside you will see the puree, simple as that & 100% homemade & pure.
hope this is of use to you.
all the best,
.....DARTHPHALL.....

Darth, do you just do this as you need it or do you do a load and store it?

[DARTHPHALL]

Hi John.
I usually freeze the Base portion size puree's, i do 2  bags, in each bag i put 2 Tablespoons of Garlic puree & 2 Tablespoons of Ginger puree.
When making second stage recipe's i just  puree a Teaspoon of each portion as i go but you can also freeze them in little portions if time is of the essence.

All the best.

   .....DARTHPHALL.....

[CurryCanuck]

Great idea... thanks Darth - super tip ... wish that I could take credit for it  ( probably will )
 ;D - plagiarism is alive and well in the colonies . 

[Cory Ander]

Hi CurryChris,

I use "Big L" bottled pureed garlic and ginger.  You can get these in separate jars or as a garlic/ginger blend.  I use the separate jars.  They seem fine to me (but the ginger is more iffy). 

I think that bottled pureed garlic and ginger have a very different smell and taste than fresh garlic and ginger..... no doubt because of the oil, vinegar, salt and (particularly) acidity regulators in them. 

I use both fresh AND bottled pureed garlic and ginger in my curries because I believe the bottled stuff (particularly the garlic....the ginger less so) helps develop that "BIR restaurant taste"..........and I'd be staggered if BIRs use fresh all of the time......

Just expanding on Darth's suggestion....maybe try freezing the fresh pureed garlic and ginger in an ice-cube container.  Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a sealable plastic bag.  This way, they will be available in handy curry-sized chunks......."one lump or two!" 

Coriander can also be frozen this way (but it is nowhere near as good as fresh).

Personally, I simply peel fresh garlic and ginger and whiz it into a fine puree in an electric blender (adding a little oil, if necessary).

Hope this helps 

 

[Chilli Prawn]

For what its worth here's my twopennyworth.  The  preparation, storage, and cooking of Garlic is quite a large subject on its own, and I was thinking of putting it in the hints, tips etc topic.  It is a well known fact that Garlic does not freeze very well, the process releases all the bitter acid as it defrosts, so if you have to freeze it, they do so in small portions and add it frozen to the dish you are cooking, don't let it defrost.  Being a business I have access to the wholesale outlets, so I buy Schwartz catering jars of pureed garlic (as most chefs do).  It is not as good as fresh Garlic (its has a gassy smell and slightly acidic taste from the preservatives), but it suffices for bulk cooking. 

Ginger freezes well, but you should never peel it when you use it fresh or frozen.  Just wash it well and remove any dodgy bits.  All the flavour of Ginger is concentrated just under the skin.  Again you should add frozen Ginger straight from the freezer, don't thaw.

If you grate I recommend a Microplane, which will shave rather than rasp the Ginger; better still use a mini-blender.

Similarly, you can freeze Coriander quite well.  Just wash well, remove the leaves and discard the stems, dry it very well, and freeze it.  Don't thaw you must add it completely frozen.

Happy cooking
C P