This story first appeared on Food52, an online community that provides you with everything you need to make your kitchen and family happier-this means tested recipes, a store full of beautiful products, a cooking hotline, and Everything in between!
I grew up in the kitchen with a steady supply of fresh ginger. When some children woke up in the smell of pancakes or eggs and bacon, I was awakened by the sweet and slightly spicy fragrance of my mother’s ginger tea. A cup of ginger tea warmed me up in the cold winter morning and settled my stomach. Eat breakfast d Prepare yourself before going to school (I am a very picky eater). Nowadays, my morning starts with a cup of strong coffee, but I always have some fresh ginger on hand, in case I feel like drinking tea or brewing something that can use a little extra charm. But occasionally I reached for the fresh-keeping box of the refrigerator, and found that I had forgotten to replenish my collection: all that was left was a shriveled, moldy knob, which went straight to the trash can.
If you find yourself there, there is hope! When it comes to the best ginger substitutes, certain recipes are definitely easier than others. For example, apple pie biscuits can be substituted, but in ginger-flavored cakes (or my mother’s tea!), ginger plays a major role, and you may just need to go to the store. In any case, there may be some items knocking around your storage room that can help.
If the recipe calls for fresh ginger, the simplest exchange is grated ginger because it is the same ingredient in different forms. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that grated ginger is more effective. If you exchange at a ratio of 1:1, your dishes may be hotter and more earthy than expected. Instead, use ¼ to ½ teaspoon of ginger powder for every 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger needed.
Crystalline ginger is fresh ginger, boiled in a mixture of sugar and water, and then rolled in sugar. It is best used as a substitute for grated or fresh ginger in sweets. For each bite, in order to increase the taste and a bit of ginger, enlarge the pieces a bit. Otherwise, cut it very finely. Be sure to throw in the pieces that may be stuck in the batter together with the dry ingredients to separate them.
Galangal and ginger are both rhizomes, and the stems spread underground to grow new rhizomes. Ginger and galangal are very similar in overall flavor, so if you can buy it at a grocery store, the two can be interchanged 1:1. The same goes for galangal powder and ginger powder. But please note that galangal has rosin and citrus flavors, while ginger does not; if your alternative recipes include citrus or lemongrass and ginger, then galangal is a good choice.
4. Five spice powder, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg or nutmeg
Of course, none of these spices really tastes like ginger. Instead, think of them as substitutes rather than direct substitutes: in recipes that require grated ginger, you can substitute an equal amount of any of these spices — or a mixture of them. This method is most suitable for instant bread and other baked goods.
If you need a hearty stew like Jamaican beef stew instead of ginger, five-spice powder is a good choice. It will provide the sweet spice that ginger will add. Turmeric, cardamom and ginger are all flowering plants in the ginger family. The difference is that we eat the pods and seeds of cardamom instead of the root, just like we eat ginger and turmeric. Cardamom adds sweetness, pungency and citrus flavors to beverages such as cakes, curries and mulled wine. Warm and earthy turmeric is a great addition to rice, soup and smoothies. Cinnamon and nutmeg are sweet and woody, making them a good substitute for ginger, especially in custards, cakes and pies, such as this pear gingerbread. Because the rich flavor of nutmeg includes the flavor of cloves, it can be added with the popular pepper flavor to replace the spice of ginger. Maybe you need a substitute? Nutmeg is the skin around the nutmeg seeds, which has a slightly lighter taste and does not have the subtle sweetness of nutmeg.
Copyright © 2021 Salon.com, LLC. It is strictly forbidden to copy materials from any salon page without written permission. SALON ® is registered as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Associated Press Article: Copyright © 2016 The Associated Press. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.