Topic: Garlic and Ginger paste.

[Razor]

I have made the Ashoka GG paste on quite a few occasions now, and whilst it is very good indeed, I really don't like making it.

Now I know that the Ashoka GG paste is a genuine restaurant ingredient, as Panpot has discovered and kindly published for us all to enjoy but I do wonder actually how many restaurants really do make their own?

Can you imagine the effort it would take to prepare enough paste for a nights service?

Now I think Rajah do a 2.5kg pot of gg paste, which I think cost's around a fiver.  Assuming that 5g goes into each dish, that equates to roughly 1p per serving.

Would I be alone in thinking that it's seems reasonable to suggest that very few actually make their own and go for the catering size tubs instead?

I know Dipuraja claims to make his own and yet, his establishment is exactly the type of place that I would put money on,  using prebought!

Any thoughts?

Ray

[Peripatetic Phil]

Any thoughts ?

Yes : now that I know that Rajah make it, I shall be off to my local Indian grocer's as soon as the snow has cleared !  Test reports will, of course, follow.

** Phil.

[Razor]

Hi Phil,

I've used it lots and lots, and think that it works just fine.  The only reason that I ever make the Ashoka GG paste is out of guilt really  :

It's another one of those cheats that really work well IMO.

Now, that cheat wouldn't have been available back in the "good ole days", so there is one ingredient that we can safely assume, is an addition of the 90's - 00's


Ray

[solarsplace]

Hi

This is a tricky one!

Not made the specific paste you are talking about Ray, but this is indeed a subject that I have pondered for quite some time as to what would happen in the real BIR kitchens.

In most I think, as you would suspect (like Dip's) they would use any tool to give them economy and speed.

However, having personally tried several brands of the G and G&G pastes - nothing beats fresh. Its close! but no cigar. I use it when I'm being lazy, but don't under estimate one of the foundation pieces of the whole dishes importance - the G&G is a cornerstone.

Fresh every time, unless you are trying to cook down to the local TA's standards or you are pissed

Regards

[Razor]

Hi SP,

Fresh every time

And I agree, or at least I agree that 'fresh is best' but how confident are you, in that your favourite restaurant uses fresh?

The only way that I would be confident is, if they didn't peel anything, and just blended it with oil and water.

It's the peeling of the garlic that gets me everytime, I hate it.  Even soaking it in boiling water for a minute or two, although it helps tremendously, it's still a pain.

Guess I'm just a lazy sod ;D

Ray

[Stephen Lindsay]

I make it all the time, just my own view but I'm not keen on using pre-bought pastes, including spice pastes, it's just a step too close to using Lloyd Grossman sauces for my liking. I know people way say yeah but restaurants use them and that's fine but it's just not for me.

[Peripatetic Phil]

It's the peeling of the garlic that gets me everytime, I hate it.  Even soaking it in boiling water for a minute or two, although it helps tremendously, it's still a pain.

Do you whack it with the side of a chef's knife or cleaver before trying to peel ?  Place the knife/cleaver, edge away and flat side down, on the garlic clove, then thump with clenched fist.

** Phil.

[Razor]

Hi Stephen,

I know people way say yeah but restaurants use them and that's fine but it's just not for me.

I totally agree mate, fresh has to be best but, is it so much superior to the jarred stuff?

So, with you making your own then, you are perfectly positioned to answer, do the restaurants make their own, or used jarred?  Think of how much they would need to prepare for a night/weeks service?

Do you think that they would go to all the trouble?

All the gg pastes that I have seen in the videos are really bright white but whenever I have blended it with just water, within no time at all, it turns green, and I mean proper green.

I do believe that blending with oil prevents this but I'm also conscious of ending up with 'garlic and ginger mayo' lol

Ray

[Razor]

Hi Phil,

Yes I do crush each clove in it's skin before peeling, it's still a sticky, messy affair.

Ray

[Secret Santa]

It's the peeling of the garlic that gets me everytime, I hate it.  Even soaking it in boiling water for a minute or two, although it helps tremendously, it's still a pain.

But why do you do that?

Remove clove from bulb, cut root end off, bash with the side of a knife, skin comes off easily.

Or, if you're in a rush, just cut the whole of the root end off the garlic bulb, lightly bash the bulb with the heel of the hand, and as above for each individual clove.

No?