Ginger: The Hot Spice for Health and Flavor

From motion sickness to arthritis pain, ginger can be used to treat a huge spectrum of ailments. And our exclusive recipe for ginger-fried rice is just plain delicious.

by Dana Jacobi — January 1, 2007

As a teenager, I was impervious to hot fudge sundaes but could not resist the dessert served at our local Chinese restaurant, a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with preserved ginger and swimming in the sweet golden syrup ladled out with the chopped ginger.

Fashions in food change. By the time I graduated from college, Chinese restaurants featuring Sichuan cooking and fresh fruit for dessert had replaced the Americanized Cantonese food I grew up with, and I forgot about that ginger sundae. Then, about 10 years ago, my ginger passion was reignited by the high voltage ginger-flavored candy I found in a Vietnamese grocery in San Francisco. One taste of this sizzling confection, the chewy, paper-wrapped kind you find today in natural food stores and Asian markets everywhere, reminded me why “zing” comes from zingiber, the Latin word for ginger.

Flying home from that trip, rough air had me reaching into my pocket as I recalled reading that ginger relieves nausea from motion sickness. Eating a couple of pieces of the candy did the trick. The experience led me into researching what else this delicious spice can do.

Ginger’s medicinal and health benefits, I learned, have been appreciated for millennia in China and India, while the Koran hails it as one of the greatest gifts of Allah to mankind. These days, based on centuries of knowledge gained from herbal medicine plus results from rigorous modern medical studies, health guru Andrew Weil, M.D., considers ginger, “The single most important food or supplement to maintain in any diet.”

The number of conditions ginger can help seems endless. In The Green Pharmacy, James A. Duke, Ph.D., the leading authority on healing herbs, lists 46 conditions or health problems which ginger can treat thanks to its anti-inflammatory, anti-tussive, fever-reducing and analgesic properties. It’s also great for your digestion.

According to the National Institute of Health, short-term use of ginger can safely relieve pregnancy-related nausea. For treating lupus, Dr. Andrew Weil says, “I’ve seen very good results in patients who modify their diet and take anti-inflammatory supplements and herbs like black currant oil, ginger, and turmeric.” Neal Barnard, M.D., author of Foods That Fight Pain, recommends ginger for relief of arthritis pain. He says, “It works like ibuprofen, but without the side effects,” provided you consume it every day. (The amount can be as little as a half-teaspoon used in a stir-fry.) Ginger also appears to thin the blood and lower cholesterol levels in the blood and the liver. It is served with sushi and used widely in Asian cooking because of the antibacterial and antiparasitic protection it provides.

The amount of ginger required to treat many conditions is no more than you would use in cooking. And while you can get liquid extracts of ginger and dried ginger in capsules, Rob McCaleb, president of the Herb Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization for education about using herbs therapeutically, explains that the powder in your spice rack, provided it is fresh, will be fine in most instances.

Cooking with Ginger
Ginger is mainly associated with Asian cooking, where it is used in a host of ways, but it is a favorite flavor all over the world, from Moroccan tagines, elegantly spiced stews that rely on pungent ground ginger, and very British sweet-hot ginger marmalade and preserved ginger coated in luscious dark chocolate, to the Caribbean, where Jamaicans make fizzy ginger beer.

Both fresh and dried ginger are used in cooking. Fresh ginger, sometimes listed in recipes as ginger root, is actually a rhizome, the tuberous underground stem of the plant. Dried ginger is the dehydrated, ground rhizome. Preserved and candied ginger are different forms of fresh ginger cooked in sugar.

In baking, you can sometimes use fresh and dried ginger interchangeably, substituting two to three teaspoons fresh for one teaspoon dried. But do not try this in other kinds of desserts, smoothies, stir-frys or other savory cooking, as ground ginger will make them taste bitter. In puddings, custards and ice cream, use only preserved ginger, as fresh and dried ginger curdle the milk used in these desserts.

To peel ginger, use a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife. Don’t bother peeling it when making ginger tea or adding whole slices to a soup or stew.

To grate ginger, I use a rasp, which quickly shreds it into a wet paste. You can also use the metal or ceramic grater with double rows of sharp teeth that Japanese cooks call an oroshigane, or use a conventional grater with the finest possible holes.

Ginger keeps best stored in a cool, dry place. I wrap it loosely in a paper towel and store it in the vegetable bin, while Nina Simonds, author of A Spoonful of Ginger (Knopf, 1999), buries pieces of fresh ginger in a flowerpot on the counter that is filled with beach sand.

Getting the Good Stuff
When buying fresh ginger, look for a tight, shiny skin and pieces that feel heavy for their size. Avoid any with cracks or blemishes. Hawaiian ginger is easiest to spot because there are two distinctive kinds.
· Hawaiian white has grayish flesh with a band of blue ringing it just inside the skin. It tends to be fibrous and can taste bitter.

· Hawaiian yellow, much of which is organically grown, has bright yellow flesh. It is highly aromatic and deliciously “gingery.”

· Ground ginger should be light colored, pungent, and aromatic. If it holds together when pressed between your fingers, it has a high oil content, which means it is fresh.

· Ginger-mint tea is a favorite hot drink. To make it, steep chopped ginger and mint tea in hot water and sweeten to taste. For a dish good at dinner or as part of brunch, try this fried rice.

Scallion and Ginger Fried Rice
Serves 4

The secret for getting fluffy fried rice is using leftovers that have been refrigerated or frozen. While this recipe is the perfect way to use leftover rice from Chinese take-out, I usually plan ahead so I can use an aromatic rice like jasmine. A brown aromatic rice works well, too, if you want to make this a whole-grain dish.

1/3 pound medium shrimp, shelled and halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon cornstarch
5 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
1 egg, well beaten
3 tablespoons chicken broth
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 cup scallions cut in 1/2-inch slices, about 6 whole
5 cups cold cooked rice
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1/2 cup finely chopped ham

1. Toss the shrimp in a small bowl with the cornstarch until coated. Set aside.

2. In a wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Fry the egg, spreading it to make a pancake. With a slotted spoon, remove the egg while it is still supple. Set aside.

3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the wok. Stir-fry the shrimp until they are just pink and opaque. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl, and set aside.

4. In a small bowl, combine the broth, sugar, and sesame oil. Set aside, leaving the spoon in the bowl.

5. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the wok. Stir-fry the scallions and ginger 1 minute, until the scallions are bright green and fragrant. Add the egg, breaking it up into small pieces. Add the cooked shrimp and the rice, and toss to combine. Add the bean sprouts and ham, and stir-fry 1 minute. Re-stir the sauce mixture and pour it into wok. Stir-fry 1 minute. Turn the fried rice into a serving bowl. Serve immediately.

Dana Jacobi is the author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and The Joy of Soy.