Ginger Paste

This ginger paste will save you a lot of time in the kitchen, especially if you cook a lot of Indian food.

When it comes to cooking Indian food, I am all about saving time without compromising flavor. There are a few things I almost always have in my fridge to help me cook faster: onion tomato masala, garlic paste, and this ginger paste.

As someone who cooks a lot of Indian food, these three things are essential for meal prep. It allows me to throw together nutritious, delicious, homemade meals even when I am short on time or just too tired to cook from scratch. I don’t need to mince ginger or garlic – I can just toss a bit of paste into a hot pan along with protein, veggies, and some spices. And just like that, I’ve made a fresh, flavorful meal.

What is Ginger Paste?

Ginger paste is exactly what it sounds like – blended ginger with a bit of oil. Store it in the fridge or freezer and use as needed.

Some people combine ginger and garlic into one paste, and while you can do this, I suggest keeping them separate. That’s because not all recipes call for both ginger AND garlic. Also, I like to know exactly how much of each ingredient I am using in a dish. Additionally, having them separate allows me to use these ingredients in non-Indian recipes as well.

How to store and use Ginger Paste:

You can store the ginger paste in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or you can keep it in the freezer and store it for around six months (if not longer).

I like to store the paste in 1 teaspoon cubes. I like using this tiny cube silicone tray for ginger paste, garlic paste, and green chilli paste. Knowing that each cube is equal to 1 teaspoon makes it easy to use in recipes.

I use 1 teaspoon of ginger paste per 1-inch knob ginger.

Why make Ginger Paste?

I always prefer homemade to store-bought. I think the minimal effort you’ll spend making this paste is well worth it. Yes, you’ll be sacrificing a bit of convenience, but in the long run, your food will taste much better and fresher. Store-bought ginger paste tends to have other ingredients mixed into it and doesn’t taste anywhere near as fresh.

Also, by making the paste yourself, you can adjust the amount of oil to taste – though I do suggest using at least the amount called for in the recipe as that will help preserve the ginger paste.

Help! My Ginger Paste is stringy! Why is my Ginger so fibrous?

The fresher the ginger, the less fibrous it’ll be. Ginger becomes more fibrous as it ages. Unfortunately, unless you have ginger growing in your backyard, you’re going to be at the mercy of whatever is available at your local grocery store.

If you have older ginger, then it’ll be more fibrous than fresh ginger – not much you can do about this. My suggestion would be to puree the ginger for a longer time period and to try adding more oil when blending.

Do I need to peel the ginger first?

This is up to you. I stopped peeling ginger a few years ago. Why did I stop peeling ginger? Truthfully, out of laziness. But I’ve found that it doesn’t make a difference in the outcome of a dish, at least not to me.

The frozen ginger cubes you see here were made with the peel on.

This ginger paste will work in any recipe calling for ginger. After making it once, you’ll see how convenient it is to have on hand – it helps make cooking a breeze.

I hope you find that this saves you time, and I also hope you’ll be cooking more Indian food as a result!

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