Ginger

Fresh and ground are different ingredients

Ginger's pungency comes from gingerol, which converts to shogaol when heated or dried. Shogaol is hotter and sharper, and the bright fresh aroma is gone.

So ground ginger changes the direction of the flavour. Roughly 1 tbsp grated fresh ≈ 1/4 tsp ground, but where the freshness is the point, do not substitute.

Ways to use it

• Grated — the most aroma and heat. Marinades, Bulgogi, Jeyuk Bokkeum.
• Sliced — gentle aroma only. Stocks and simmered dishes like Samgyetang and Suyuk.
• Minced — as a stir-fry aromatic, alongside garlic. Add it slightly before the garlic so the garlic does not burn.
• Juice only — where fibre must not be noticeable: grate and squeeze through cloth.

Ginger and meaty odours

Ginger does not simply mask the smell of meat and fish; its protease (zingibain) actually changes the compounds. Which is why it works particularly well in long-simmered dishes like Suyuk and Samgyetang.

That same enzyme softens meat over time — reduce the amount in marinades left longer than half an hour.

Choosing and prepping

Smooth, firm, heavy for its size. Wrinkled skin or give under pressure means it has dried. Young ginger has skin thin enough not to peel.

Scraping the skin with the back of a spoon wastes less flesh than a peeler.

Storing

• Room temperature — ventilated, one to two weeks.
• Fridge — wrapped in paper towel and sealed, three to four weeks.
• Freezer — the easiest option: freeze it whole and grate it frozen. The broken fibres actually grate more cleanly. Six months.
• Peeled and submerged in rice wine or vodka in the fridge, it keeps for months.

Substitutes

• Galangal — a Southeast Asian relative, sharper and more woody. Used in Green Curry.
• Ginger syrup — sweetened, so reduce the sugar elsewhere.