Dried Ginger

Description
Dried ginger is nothing but fresh ginger, which has undergone a drying process. The fresh rhizomes are soaked in water overnight after which the outer peel is carefully removed using a knife or a peeler. They are washed again and then sun-dried on mats or barbecues for around a week. During this period, they are turned periodically. The end result is a pale white dried ginger. Many a times, dried ginger is bleached with calcium carbonate to get a whitish coating, but this is unnecessary and better avoided.
When this dried ginger is powdered in a mixer, we get dried ginger powder. It is a fine off-whitish powder, which has a strong aroma and slightly pungent flavour.

How to select
• Look for a fine powder with an off-white colour.
• If the dried ginger powder is really good, you can feel the strong aroma even when you sniff it from outside the pack.
• Check the seal of the package and the use-by date.
• Feel the pack to make sure there are no lumps, which might be a sign of moisture.

Culinary Uses
• Dried ginger powder is used in making spices and masalas, which are used in gravies, curries, marinades, stews etc.
• It is combined with cardamom, cinnamon, fennel and cloves to make tea masala, which is brewed along with tea to get a strong flavour.
• Dried ginger powder is used in Indian, specifically Punjabi marinades for Tandoori starters.
• It is commonly used to flavour gingerbreads.
• Dried ginger powder is also used in certain foods given to pregnant women and nursing mothers, such as Katlu, which is a mixture of gum resin, ghee, dried ginger powder, nuts and sugar.
• A special tea made out of dried ginger powder, along with other spices like pepper and coriander seeds, is very famous in southern states such as Tamilnadu and Kerala. Known as sukku kaapi, it is a perfect drink for cold winter mornings, although many prefer it over coffee and tea in the summers too.

How to store
• Always store dried ginger powder in an airtight container in a cool and dry place, away from moisture.

Health Benefits
• Dried ginger powder is an effective cure for indigestion, sore throat, cold and cough.
• It is used to treat nausea.
• Ginger’s therapeutic properties help stimulate blood circulation, cleanse the bowels and kidneys, remove toxins from the body and nourish the skin.