The healing properties of ginger, have long been known since ancient times. This way, the ancient people, inhabiting the territories of modern North India and China, used the root of this plant as a medicinal decoction, spice and for ginger tea. The popularization of Asian cuisine has brought many exotic spices to the menu of Europeans, including ginger root.
How to keep ginger for a maximum period of time and whether it is possible, as true experts of this universal product assure that the full aroma and nutrients are not only in the fresh root.
How to choose ginger?
The shops offer cooks ready-made green ginger. Experienced cooks prefer fresh roots, so that part of it can be used immediately to add a fragrant taste to a dish, but the rest of the root can be dried for further use.
The key to successful root storage is in choosing the right fresh ginger. It should have a thick, elastic spine of medium size, with no signs of damage, with dry, thin skin, it should be beige-brown and white in color and almost devoid of fibers.
The length of the root should be at least 2 centimeters: the longer the root, the more nutrients and essential oils it contains. The ancient plant has wrinkled skin and bright yellow contents. Such a ginger root should not be purchased: first, it has already lost most of its nutrients, and secondly, it is not suitable for storage and drying.
How to dry ginger for tea?
In the period of seasonal allergic illnesses, ginger is needed because it has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and it increases the immunity. In addition, it has a beneficial effect on the digestive system, it normalizes the metabolism and is effective for weight loss and helps in the process of burning fat cells.
A dried root retains all its useful properties and taste and the preparation of ginger for future use is very simple - it can be dried in a conventional oven.
Is it necessary to clean the ginger before drying it?
If it is fresh and there are no traces of damage, then the cutting the peel off is not necessary, as most essential oils are located under its skin. If desired, the root can be cleaned, but there is another question: how to clean the ginger for tea?
You should do this with a sharp knife or a knife for vegetables, so that you do not cut too thick of a layer of the skin and not touch the fleshy part. The most convenient way to clean the plant is under running, cold tap water to avoid tearing and releasing corrosive oils. But the use of a wooden cutting board is not recommended, as the wood absorbs the oil and the taste will not be the same.
If the taste of ginger is too sharp and spicy, before it dries, it can be soaked in cold water for 6 hours - this procedure will remove the excessive spiciness from the root.
Drying method: Wash the ginger, clean it (if desired), put in a towel and dry it. Cut the root into thin slices - the thinner they are, the better. Slices that are too thick do not dry well and can become moldy when stored. Lay a baking sheet (parchment paper) and place the sliced ginger on it.
Place them in a baking tray and place them in the oven. Dry them at a temperature of 50 degrees for 1 hour, then turn the ginger over to the other side so that there are no wet areas and drying continues for another hour. To determine whether the ginger is ready, you can find out from the condition of the slices: properly dried slices of the root are very difficult to bend and at the place of breakage, have a grayish tinge.
Dried ginger root should be stored in a tightly closed container in a dry and dark place. If the dry parts are found to be slightly damp before brewing the tea, they must be dried in the oven again.
There is another option for drying ginger, but this recipe is more suitable for hot climates: Wash and dry the ginger. You can cut it into pieces. Place the root on a baking sheet on a balcony in the open so that it dries in the hot sun in a natural way. Dried ginger can be stored for two years.
