Fresh ginger root is an incredibly versatile ingredient to add to any dish, which is why learning how to peel, chop and grate this spice can be beneficial. Once you have mastered this new kitchen skill, you can transfer the actions and experiment with other ingredients. Learn the fundamentals of how to peel, chop and grate ginger, then try it out for yourself with our selection of recipes. We are sure you can master this technique in no time!
How to Peel, Chop and Grate Ginger
Learning how to peel, chop and grate fresh ginger can be done in as little as 4 steps. The simple steps you need to follow are:
- Scrape the ginger with a spoon
Peeling ginger with a spoon means you can remove every little piece of skin and get into all the tricky nooks. To use the spoon method, get a teaspoon and start to press firmly on the ginger and begin to scrape off the skin. If you find you can not remove all the knobbly bits with a spoon, you can use a knife to cut them off, or you can leave them on.
- Finely slice the ginger
Take your peeled ginger and place it portrait on the chopping board. Being careful of your fingers, take your knife and begin to cut the ginger lengthways into thin strips.
- Finely chop the ginger
With your strips of ginger, place them on top of each other in a pile on your chopping board. Using a rocking motion with the knife, begin to cut the slices of ginger into thinner strands. This technique is called ‘julienne’ as each part is in nice thin strips. You then want to gather the ginger strips together, and rotate them horizontally. Begin to perform julienne again to create very fine chunks of ginger.
- Grating a piece of ginger
To grate a piece of ginger you will need to have a box grater. Pick up your whole ginger and find the finest grater holes available on your box grater. Using the smallest size means your ginger will be very fine and small to use in your cooking. Be careful not to grate your fingers, gently rub the ginger up and down on the finest holes until you just reach your fingers. Using the back of your knife, remove the built up ginger inside the grater and place on your chopping board. This is then ready to use.
How to Store Fresh Ginger Root – 3 Ways
Fresh ginger root may seem like it can last for ages thanks to its tough exterior, but in fact if not stored correctly, this spice can deteriorate quickly! Learn how to store fresh ginger properly with our 3 top tips:
- On your countertop: If you know you will be using the whole of your fresh ginger root within a few days you can leave the spice on your countertop. The only exception to this, is to ensure you do not store it in direct sunlight. Instead it wants to be in a cool dark place, similar to how you store potatoes.
- In the fridge: Whole ginger is best stored in an airtight container or bag inside the fridge. By doing this, your fresh ginger root can last up to one month! If you have already peeled or chopped your ginger, you can store it in the same way (an airtight bag or container) but it won’t last as long as the whole ginger, maybe two or three weeks max.
- In the freezer: Storing your fresh ginger root in the freezer is a great way to avoid waste if you know you don’t need the spice for a couple of weeks. To best store your ginger in the freezer, peel, chop or grate the spice and place it in a freezer bag or container. When you need it, you can re-grate it to the quantity you need. Alternatively, puree the ginger and freeze in an ice cube tray. Once frozen you can pop into a freezer bag to avoid freezer burn. When you want to use them, you can place the ginger cubes directly into your soups, noodles or stir frys!
Health Benefits of Ginger Root
Fresh ginger root can be extremely good for your body to help fight off colds and infections. Being used for many years, ginger is named one of the healthiest spices in the world and originates from Southeast Asia. Not only can you use it fresh, but you can use it in other forms such as:
- Dried ginger
- Powdered ginger,
- Ginger oil or juice.
The health benefits ginger can provide is aiding digestion, reducing nausea and helping to fight a common cold. It is for this reason people tend to add more ginger to teas and food dishes during the winter months. But, using fresh ginger root all year round can allow your body to absorb and reep the benefits this plant can provide.
2 Delicious recipes Including Fresh Ginger Root
Time to put your new found skill into action! Now you have learnt how to peel, chop and grate fresh ginger root, try the ingredient in a selection of our dishes. Our healthy recipes are simple and quick to create, which is why they can make the perfect midweek meal for the whole family!
Indian Spiced Tofu Scramble
Provide your family a quick and hearty meal with our Indian spiced tofu scramble. Bright and hearty, this crumbled tofu, earthy mushrooms and juicy red peppers, celebrates classic Indian flavours like cumin, turmeric, garlic and ginger. To serve on the side, we recommend vitamin K-source kale is your green and potatoes to make it filling.
- Cook time: 30 mins
- Allergens: Mustard, Soya
- Cuisine: Indian
- Key ingredient: Hearty organic tofu
- Calories: 511
- Protein: 26g
- Carbs: 42g
- Fat: 27g
Whether you enjoy a substantial lunch or a filling dinner, our healthy vegan recipe can suit both occasions and be ready in as little as 30 minutes. Our recommended portion size for this recipe is for two people. This can easily be doubled if entertaining more guests or simply halved if you are dining alone.
Why We Love This Ginger Root Recipe
As well as highlighting the health benefits of fresh ginger root, this Indian cuisine features another healthy ingredient, sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are a global root vegetable that has a variety of health benefits. By incorporating this vegetable into your balanced diet, they can provide a source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. The benefit of having fibre in your diet is to promote good bacteria to grow which can contribute to a healthy gut.
Ingredients
To create an easy recipe, which features fresh ginger root, you will need these ingredients:
- 1 handful of fresh coriander
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 40g kale
- 1 tbsp curry powder (Mustard)
- 2 garlic clove
- 4cm fresh ginger
- 120g chestnut mushrooms
- 1 red onion
- 1 red pepper
- 300g baby white potatoes
- 300g firm tofu (Soya)
- 180g baby plum tomatoes
- 1 tsp turmeric
Ginger Root Recipe Instructions
By following these easy instructions, you can create a beautiful meal for your whole family, using your new ginger peeling and chopping skill:
- Preheat the oven to 200C / fan 180C / gas mark 6. Cut the potatoes into 1cm cubes. Place the potatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with 1/2 tbsp oil and sprinkle with half the cumin. Cook in the oven for 20- 25 mins, turning halfway through.
- Halve the tomatoes. Heat a small saucepan with 1/2 tbsp oil on a medium heat. Add the tomatoes, season with black pepper and simmer for 15 mins. Mash with a fork to make a sauce. Place into a small side dish and reserve for later.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic. Peel and ginger, then finely chop or grate. Roughly dice the onion. Heat a medium pan with 1/2 tbsp oil on a medium heat, then cook the garlic, onion and ginger for 3 mins, until softening.
- Thinly slice the mushrooms. Dice the pepper. Roughly chop the coriander leaves. Add all to the pan followed by the curry powder, turmeric and remaining cumin, then cook for a further 5 mins.
- Drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towel. Crumble the tofu into the pan, mix together and cook for 5-10 mins. Season with black pepper. In the last 2 mins of cooking, add 3 tbsp water to loosen the mix.
- Roughly chop the kale (remove the stalks). Remove the tray from the oven and place the kale alongside the potatoes. Drizzle with 1/2 tbsp oil, then cook for 5 mins, until the kale starts to crisp. Remove from the oven.
- Serve the tofu scramble with the roast potatoes on the side and the kale on top. Put the tomato sauce on the side to use as a dip, or pour over the potatoes.
By using social media and our online blog, we have made finding new, healthy recipes easy for everyone. We are sure there is something available for everyone, from Mexican cuisines and Mediterranean cuisines, to European and Italian cuisines. Discover a new dish today!
Ginger Chicken & Coconut Broth with Vegetable Noodles
Allow your mouth to be greeted with exotic flavours, thanks to our ginger chicken and coconut broth with vegetable noodles. Fragrant and satisfying, this coconutty broth is freshened with citrus lime. The brightness of the dish is heightened with vitamin A-rich carrot noodles and courgetti. All of these components are a sublime co-star to curry paste-rubbed, free-range British chicken. As a finishing touch we scatter coriander on top.
- Cook time: 30 mins
- Allergens: Celery
- Cuisine: Asian
- Key ingredient: Juicy British free-range chicken thigh
- Calories: 467
- Protein: 39g
- Carbs: 33g
- Fat: 22g
Our Asian cuisines can make the ultimate winter warmer or a refreshing summertime lunch. For this recipe, our recommended portion size is for two people. If you are wanting to serve more guests, simply double the quantity of the ingredients in order to have enough for a family of four.
Why We Love This Easy, Fresh Ginger Root Recipe
Alongside the ginger root, this recipe features another healthy ingredient, sweetcorn. Sweetcorn is a highly nutritious vegetable which can provide the body with several vitamins and minerals. The most important nutrients they provide are high sources of fibre. Fibre can help to aid digestion and keep us feeling fuller for longer. Other vitamins and minerals found in sweetcorn are: B vitamins folate and thiamine, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium. Combined, these nutrients help your body to function and contribute to a healthy balanced diet.
Ingredients
To serve up a delicious dish, you will need these ingredients:
- 2 x carrot
- 300g free-range chicken thighs
- 1 handful of fresh coriander
- 150g courgette
- 40g creamed coconut
- 1 garlic clove
- 4cm fresh ginger
- 1 lime
- 1 red onion
- 1 vegetable stock cube (Celery)
- 80g baby sweetcorn
- 2 tbsp red Thai curry paste
Ginger Root Recipe Instructions
To make a nutritious and filling poultry cuisine, follow these easy instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 200C / fan 180C / gas mark 6. Boil a kettle. Dissolve the stock cube and creamed coconut in a jug with 350ml boiling water. Stir in three-quarters of the curry paste.
- Cut the onion into bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken and onion on a baking tray, then drizzle with 1/2 tsp oil. Spread the remaining curry paste over the chicken; season with sea salt and black pepper. Place in the oven for 20-25 mins, until the chicken is cooked through and the onion has softened. Ensure your chicken is thoroughly cooked by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the meat; the juices should run clear. Cook for longer if necessary.
- Peel the ginger and garlic, then finely chop. Peel the carrots. Using a peeler, slice the carrots and courgette into thin strips (or use a julienne peeler or spiralizer).
- Make the broth; heat a medium pan with 1/2 tsp oil on a medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, cook for 1 min until softening, then pour in the coconut stock mixture. Add the sweetcorn and the juice from half the lime, then simmer for 10 mins. Add the vegetable noodles to the pan for the last minute, cooking to soften.
- Meanwhile, roughly chop the coriander. When the chicken is cooked, remove the tray from the oven. Add the cooked onion and half the coriander to the broth. Stir.
- Thinly slice the chicken. Serve the broth. Lay the chicken over the top, and serve with the remaining lime and remaining coriander.
Now you have created this healthy chicken recipe, share it with your friends and family on social media. But don’t forget to tag us so we can see your wonderful creation too! You can also discover new nutritious meals, using our blog. A selection of our recent posts include: healthy breakfast options to conquer the morning, 3 healthier cooking oil options to try and how to poach an egg. Once you read them you may find you have learnt more kitchen skills to try out on other Mindful Chef recipes!
More from Mindful Chef
Discovered how to peel, chop and grate fresh ginger and want more ways to include it in meals? Find more recipes incorporating fresh ginger root with the help of Mindful Chef. We have more than 1,000 healthy, delicious recipes available to choose from that you can make each day of the week. Whether you like healthy winter recipes, healthy autumn recipes, healthy summer recipes or healthy spring recipes, we have something delicious for the whole year!
Choosing one of our healthy recipe boxes, makes trying our delicious fresh ginger root recipes covenant and quick. In need of feeding the whole family? Select our family recipe box, alternatively if you want an all vegan selection, our vegan recipe box is the answer. Simply choose your dishes, pick a delivery date and we take care of the rest! The convenient recipe boxes get delivered to your door and inside you will find fresh, responsibly sourced ingredients with an easy recipe card to follow!