THE CHINESE HERB GARDEN - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 158

scented. Not all members of the ginger family are edible, so don't sample an ornamental
ginger without carefully checking whether it can be eaten.
CULINARY USES
Ginger is equally good in main dishes and desserts, hot or cold, in salads or stews. It
does wonders for roasts and soups, and in beverages. Ginger lends zest to many bland
meat dishes. It eliminates the fishy odors of seafood without spoiling the delicate nat-
ural flavors of the fish.
A piece of ginger keeps in the refrigerator for at least a week. Don't put it in the
vegetable compartment, where the moisture encourages mold. Store in plastic wrap on
a shelf. For longer storage, keep a piece of the root in the freezer; grate as much as you
need while still frozen. Or it will keep almost indefinitely if you put the root in a small
jar, cover with sherry or vodka, and refrigerate.
WITH RICE . A simple rice pilaf cooked with ginger, scallions, and sautéed garlic be-
comes a company dish.
AS A HOT DRINK . On a cold wintry afternoon offer guests a nineteenth-century English
tavern drink. Sprinkle a little freshly ground ginger on top of a mug of ale (not beer),
mull with a hot poker, and serve.
GINGERBREAD . That old standby gingerbread is still beloved by both children and
adults. Try serving it with whipped cream spiked with a bit of finely minced, candied
ginger.
RAW GINGER . Use raw ginger with discretion:
• Grate into a dressing for a fruit salad.
• A thin slice added to honeyed hot tea makes a healthful and delicious beverage.
• Substitute grated ginger whenever dried ground ginger is called for, using about
half the quantity indicated.
MARINATED GINGER . In Japan the baby roots (green ginger) are marinated briefly in
rice vinegar and sugar. Pickled ginger is called “sour ginger” in Chinese (in Mandarin,
suan jiang ; in Cantonese, syun geung ).