Indian Cooking Basics 101 -- The Goodness Of Ginger Garlic Paste

I am starting this new section 'Indian Cooking Basics 101', where in you can find the basic items that are frequently used in indian cooking. Here you can find the spice powders, pastes, and basic sauces. These are like building blocks of the Indian cuisine. Here goes the first one in the list -- Ginger Garlic Paste.. Indian cooking is incomplete without the mighty GG paste aka GINGER-GARLIC paste. Whether you are making chana masala or biryani , Ginger Garlic paste is a must for authentic Indian flavor. The ginger garlic paste has that earthy taste that raises the flavor quotient of many(Indian) dishes. In almost in every kitchen you will find GG paste stored in large quantities. It is very handy when you have GG paste in store as most of the recipes in indian cuisine calls for this paste. Since it takes time peeling the garlic and ginger , i would like to make a lot at once.

For centuries Ginger and Garlic are the most popular of the home remedies. These when used for cold and flu are considered to be better options than over the counter medicines. Ginger proved to be effective in reducing cold, flu and headaches.

Coming to the garlic, through the regular use of garlic in cooking you can lower LDL cholesterol levels and triglycerides, while increasing the beneficial cholesterol or HDL. A laboratory evidence says that garlic can shrink cancers of the lungs, breasts and skin. Both Ginger and Garlic work similarly in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. With the benefits like these when consumed some will result in ones health surely improving, or being well maintained in many respects.

For Ginger Garlic Paste you need:

• 1 cup of peeled garlic
• 3/4 cup of peeled and chopped ginger
• 3-5 tbsp oil
• a pinch of turmeric

Method of preparation:

• Clean garlic and let it air dry or wipe off the water. Make sure theres no moisture left on the skin after cleaning with water.
• Peel ginger( use spoon for thin peels ) and chop into 1 inch cubes
• Peel garlic cloves and chop into half if they are large
• In a blender add ginger and garlic and grind to a smooth paste
• Add oil instead of water for it to grind easily( if water is added use it in 1-2 days )
  
• Once its done to a fine paste, store in an airtight container

GG paste is just nearly equal amounts of peeled ginger root and garlic grind together to a fine paste using oil and preserved with a pinch of turmeric. You can substitute oil with water, but then the paste wouldnt keep as long. Make sure you store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in the freezer.

Storing in freezer :
When storing it in the freezer if you save the paste as it is in a jar it would become a big blog and would be hard to use a little bit of it. Try this way instead, fill a freezer safe ziploc bag with the ginger garlic paste and pat the bag to make a thin layer of the paste and then freeze, so whenever you want you can just crack it and use.

Tags: Allam vellulli paste, Allam Yellipaya, GG paste