Fresh Ginger…The First Step

I have to admit that I am completely intimidated by fresh ginger. Yes, those small, gnarly (in the gnarled, not “cool” sense of the word) things in the produce section have always been a bit of a mystery to me and I was quite happy to allow them to remain that way. Let’s just say that when a recipe calls for fresh ginger I am perfectly happy using the powdered stuff that comes in a bottle. I give it a little dash and call it “good.” However, after reading a few food blogs over the past several months I have come to find that all the “real” cooks use fresh ginger when a recipe calls for it. Huh…I guess if I am ever going to make progress in the cooking world I am going to need to follow in the footsteps of those who know what they are doing.

So…when making Kung Pao Chicken one night, a recipe that generally calls for fresh ginger and I stifle it out of fear and convenience, I decided to take a trip to our local Sunflower Market and pick up the gnarled root-looking thing. With a basket slung over my arm I stood staring at the ginger for quite some time. All of the pieces were pretty large and because my recipe only called for one tablespoon of ground ginger I knew I did not need such a large piece. Figuring I would just buy one and discard quite a big portion of it I moved myself closer in hopes of mustering up the confidence to stick my hand into the pile. Right then, and out of shear mercy, a woman came bustling in and was apparently in need of the very item I was about to grab. Noticing that this woman was of Asian decent and had a basket full of other ingredients for what looked like an Asian dish I decided to back away and once again learn from a pro.

Trying not to look too suspicious I started examining some sweet peas and using the gift of peripheral vision to watch my new best friend. The woman gracefully picked a large piece of ginger and broke off just the amount that she would need for her meal. Awesome! I followed in her footsteps and soon found that breaking off a small portion of fresh ginger is quit easy and not as scary as I thought.

Now I was off to my humble abode to learn how to actually use this new ingredient to spice up my Kung Pao Chicken.

Tips I have since learned for buying fresh ginger:

• Avoid ginger that looks too wrinkled or shriveled. Make sure it is not discolored.
• Purchase ginger that is smooth and without blemish.
• When you break off a knob check to be sure that it is crisp and firm and that it smells fresh. Sometimes ginger can be very fibrous but this makes it difficult to slice.