I make this paste for convenience, but also as a solution for eliminating those little, unusable pieces of dried up ginger root in the cupboard. In working toward this solution I noted that every time I put ginger in a dish, I also add garlic. I keep a tube of garlic paste in the fridge for specific applications, so why not ginger-garlic paste? Using this paste is so much easier than peeling and chopping garlic and grating ginger each time I need it. It also allows me not to waste any of the ginger root.
Ginger Garlic Paste Recipe
Yields: about 8 ounces (amount based on ½ cup garlic and ½ cup ginger root)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Juice from ½ lime
Equal parts (or close) coarsely chopped garlic and peeled, chopped ginger root
¼ tsp. salt*
4 Tbsp. canola oil*
* The salt and oil amounts are based on 1cup of garlic and ginger combined.
Instructions
- Place the chopped garlic and the lime juice in a measuring cup, stir, and let rest for 7 to 10 minutes while you peel and cut the ginger root.
- Drain the garlic and discard the lime juice.
- Add all ingredients to a blender.
- Pulse several times, wiping down sides to incorporate all of the garlic and ginger.
- Blend to a paste. If needed, add more oil 1 Tbsp. at a time until you get a nice paste consistency.
- Transfer into a clean jar and refrigerate. As long as you keep it refrigerated, this paste will last for several weeks or even a few months.
Kitchen Notes
There are a lot of recipes for ginger-garlic paste with slight differences. Some recipes use water while others use oil. I prefer oil because the paste doesn’t splatter when you add it to hot oil, plus I like the consistency better.
According to an experiment run by the testers at Cook’s Illustrated “steeping cut garlic in lemon juice mellows its flavor” (January/February 2011). I tested it myself and found it to be true; therefore, I add lime juice to my ginger-garlic paste to remove some of the bite from the chopped garlic. I chose lime instead of lemon because many of the dishes that I use this paste in, I also use lime.
So how much do you use in a recipe? Whenever a recipe calls for both garlic and ginger, replace with equivalent amount of paste. For example, 2 garlic cloves and 2 slices of minced ginger can be replaced with 1 Tbsp. ginger-garlic paste.
So what do you do with ginger-garlic paste? This paste can be used in any dish that calls for both garlic and ginger – obviously. I’ve used it in Asian dishes, Indian dishes, curries, marinades, and braises. Here are some of my recipes that use it:
Thai Chicken and Vegetables
Kabocha Squash and Fennel soup
Mafe’ – A West African Stew
Grilled Soy Ginger Chicken
Yes, it’s one more item for the refrigerator door, but once you try it, it will definitely get used. Share your ideas on how you would use it.
Ginger-Garlic Feta Dip
Here’s a quick dip I threw together this afternoon for a little snack. It makes about 1/2 cup. The ingredients are the ginger-garlic paste, feta cheese, fresh mint leaves (or other fresh herbs), and crackers.
In a microwave safe bowl, combine 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste and 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese. Stir well to combine the paste and the cheese. Microwave on medium power for 1 minute or until cheese softens and starts to melt. Stir in 8 chopped, fresh mint leaves. Serve with crackers. We had gluten free multi-seed crackers which worked great with this dip.
This ginger garlic paste recipe has been linked to Made from Scratch Tuesday, Traditional Tuesdays, Tuesday’s Tasty Tidbits, Whole Foods Wednesday, Gallery of Favorites, Made With Love Mondays, Allergy-Free Wednesday. Click on these links for more delicious recipes!
This recipe was featured on the March 2, 2012 Gallery of Favorites.
Great idea! I just grated/minced ginger & garlic in an “eggplant with garlic sauce” recipe – your paste would have come in very handy. Sometimes my garlic begins to sprout or dry because I don’t use it fast enough. I don’t usually worry about ginger. I keep it in the freezer and grate when needed.
Great idea on freezing the ginger. There are so many ideas out there! I LOVE eggplant with garlic sauce. I’ll have to make it with this paste, which has lots of uses.
Thanks for your comments.
I substituted 1/2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste for the 1/4 tsp garlic powder in your grilled soy chicken recipe (which I see hasn’t made it to the website yet but is one of our favorites). It was awesome!
P.S. I agree with you about freezing ginger – great idea, Janet!
Very cool! The grilled soy chicken is on my menu for next week with picture (I hope -:) ) so I’ll try it with the ginger-garlic paste. Great idea!
This is a great idea – this happens to me a lot and I add ginger and garlic to almost everything anyway. Thanks for the inspiration!
You are most welcome! In addition to its taste, I love the convenience of it. Hope it works for you.
I keep this ginger garlic paste in my fridge in a steel container. I am sure you know, Why? I am adding your blog to my blogroll. i am not active on face book otherwise I would have added you there.
I was so happy to find this post. I make ginger garlic paste too! Isn’t it fabulous and convenient. I agree most Asian dishes call for both so I love to have it ready to go. I make big batches of it and it makes my cooking life so much easier!
I like your take on it… my version is just equal parts of both with oil. I don’t add salt and lime… gotta try that the next time.:)
I can think of so many things I would use your Garlic and Ginger paste in! The first things that come to mind are my stir fries and various noodle dishes and soups. I like the sound of your Thai Chicken and Vegetables too! Thank you for sharing this post with The Gallery of Favorites.
I often combine ginger and garlic in recipes, but have never thought to make a paste. This is a brilliant idea, I can’t wait to give it a try.
I really like this! So convenient – I don’t know why I’ve never done this before. Wonderful idea – I’ll be borrowing it! Thanks.
This is a great recipe! I’ve been wanting to do this. Thanks! Best from Montecito, CA, Sherry
Another very thoughtful and well-conceived post, MJ – I don’t think I’ve ever used garlic paste before, but this sounds delicious. I love the combination of the ginger, garlic and lime and using oil instead of water makes a lot of sense. Thanks so much for sharing (and I think you may have missed the link-back to Made with Love Mondays =)
Thanks Javelin! This is so convenient to have in the fridge for marinades, dressings, and stir fries. I just love it! Thanks for pointing out my brain fart. Your hop has been linked! Sorry about that.
This is such a fantastic idea…a “why didn’t I think of that” idea! I’m forever wasting fresh ginger, so I NEED to put this into action. And so true that the majority of savory recipes I use ginger in, I also use garlic. Wonderful. Thank you!
Mj – thanks for linking this in to Food on Friday. Hope the New Year is treating you well.