Ginger-Garlic Paste

The best thing you can keep ready in your fridge or freezer. You may have noticed that ginger-garlic paste often becomes pungent or becomes green when you store it in the fridge.

The greening and odor development is due to oxidation. Adding water to it while making the paste, fuels the oxidation process and makes it even worse. I perfected these tricks, to make this time-consuming process worth the time spent making it and it will last you for 3-4 months!! Really, ginger-garlic paste making is a quarterly process in my kitchen pretty much 🙂

When I find good fresh ginger or have the time and enthusiasm to peel loads of garlic, I make it. I refrigerate a portion that will last me about a month and freeze the rest which lasts me an entire quarter!

Its pretty straightforward really. Very convenient and amazingly fresh tasting.

You will need:

Equal amounts (by weight) of ginger (peeled and cut into small pieces) and garlic (also, peeled and cut into pieces)

Procedure:

grind the ginger and garlic pieces with salt in a grinder into a fine paste, do not add any water. If you need some liquid to get your blender going, add some oil. If you must add water (sometimes the ginger and garlic is too dried out), add a few drops at a time.

• To refrigerate:
  • to an airtight container or glass jar or tight closing steel box (dabba).
  • Top with a layer of light cooking oil.
  • stays very well for up to a month – just make sure to use a clean spoon to scoop out every time

Below is a picture of my 2 week old GG paste stored in a steel box with a layer of oil to preserve freshness:

• To Freeze:
  • Lightly grease ice trays with cooking spray (this will make the contents come of clean as well as help keeping the smell off the plastic trays.
  • Alternatively, you can also grease a silicon mat and spoon the paste onto it
  • Add a teaspoon of the paste in each ice cube compartment (this way you don’t have to measure it when you use it, You’re welcome – I know that’s smart 😉 )
  • Freeze the trays/ mat for at least a few hours
  • Remove the chunks of frozen paste and coat each chunk with oil (either dip in canola/ peanut oil or use a spray) and store in a ziploc bag.
  • The oil coating will prevent the chucks from sticking together as well as prevent them from freezer burn and will stay fresher longer.
  • The frozen version stays good for 3-4 months!

• The freezer technique is IQF freezing, you can read my other post about how I use this technique to store other pastes and ingredients.

You can make this paste with any herbs. I also make similar chunks of cilantro-green chillies, Mint-cilantro, ginger-garlic-chillies-cilantro, etc!