Spice Of Life Ginger Will Heat Up Any Dish With A Healthy Dose Of Flavor

Thank goodness, ginger is medicine.

For weeks, the office has sounded like a hospital ward. Endless wheezing, coughing and sniffling muffled the clicking of computer keyboards. My throat felt like lumpy dough sporadically pierced with a dull fork.

So Martin Yan’s words jumped from the pages of his book “Culinary Journey Through China” (KQED, 1995) with a hopeful ring. Yan says that the Chinese believe ginger can suppress a cough and improve your memory at the same time.

With lots to gain (if I could only remember what), and nothing to lose, I brewed a pot of oolong tea laced with thin slivers of fresh ginger and a teardrop of honey. The ginger gave the tea a spicy, almost peppery aroma and a clean, soothing taste reminiscent of cloves, citrus or mint. The aftertaste had a warming bite.

The tea sent comforting messages of well-being right down to my toes. I hungered for Yan’s Three-Ginger Beef, a stir-fry with three different forms of ginger: fresh, crystallized (cooked and sugar-coated) and pickled (cured in salt, vinegar and sugar brine). It’s a delectable, triple-dose cure served over steaming rice.

We’ll get to that recipe a little later, but ginger’s culinary possibilities are infinite. Here are some ways to use it in everyday dishes:

Ginger Dipping Sauce: A basic sauce used for dipping Asian potstickers (dumplings), cooked shrimp or sauteed scallops. Or pour it over cooked rice, or warm Asian noodles (garnished with chopped cilantro), or over tender-crisp cooked cabbage or grilled eggplant. To make the sauce, combine cup of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoons of minced fresh ginger.

Ginger Vinaigrette: This is a spicier sauce that’s great drizzled on broiled (or grilled) fish, chicken or steak. Or use it as a dressing for seafood salad, or as a marinade for flank steak (ginger contains protease, a protein digesting enzyme that tenderizes the meat); reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade to pour on top of the cooked steak, and marinate the steak in a nonreactive pan for two hours in the refrigerator. Grill it to the desired degree of doneness, discarding the marinade used with the raw meat.

To make the marinade, combine 4 thinly sliced green onions, 1 jalapeno chili (finely minced, with the seeds and veins removed), 3 tablespoons of minced fresh ginger, 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup of Asian sesame oil, 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 3/4 cup of canola or vegetable oil.

Ginger Butter: Keep this tasty compound butter in your freezer and cut off a nub as needed. Place a small amount on top of broiled or grilled fish, steak, chicken or cooked vegetables; the heat of the food will melt the butter. To make it, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan on low heat; add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and cook it for two minutes; cool. Place 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter in a food processor fitted with the metal blade; process until smooth. With the motor running, add the garlic mixture, 1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and ground black pepper to taste. Place the mixture on wax paper and roll it into a log; seal it in plastic wrap and freeze it.

Ginger-Mint Pesto: Jazz up broiled lamb chops or sliced lamb roast with a dollop of tasty pesto. To make it, combine in a food processor fitted with the metal blade: 1 cup of fresh mint leaves, 2 teaspoons of minced fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 clove of garlic and a pinch of sugar. Process the mixture until it is finely minced; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ginger Carrots: This is a great make-ahead dish. You can use the baby, already-peeled carrots sold in the plastic bags. Cook the carrots in advance, refrigerate them, and heat them just before serving. Melt 2 teaspoons of butter or margarine in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1-1/2 tablespoons of ginger jelly or preserves (look for this at a specialty store, such as Harry O’s Fresh Market) and 1/2 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger. When the jelly melts, add 4 cups of cooked carrots and increase the heat to high. Cook the carrots, tossing frequently, until they are heated.

Ginger Tomato Pasta Sauce: Cook 1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger in 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat until the ginger is softened, about 3 minutes. Add 3 cups of prepared tomato-based pasta sauce. Cook the mixture until it is heated and toss it with cooked pasta. Garnish with minced parsley.

Grilled Pineapple With Ginger: This makes a great side dish or garnish with pork, poultry or game. Peel fresh pineapple and cut it into 1/2-inch slices. Combine 3 tablespoons of minced fresh ginger and 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar. Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray and heat it on high heat. Add the slices in a single layer and cook them for four minutes per side. Place the cooked slices on a serving platter and top them with the ginger mixture and minced cilantro.

Gingerly Spiced Chicken Soup: For a tangy chicken soup, mix 6 cups of chicken broth with 1 tablespoon of minced ginger, 2 seeded and diced tomatoes, freshly ground black pepper to taste and a dash of hot pepper sauce, and simmer for 20 minutes. If desired, garnish the soup with chopped cilantro or parsley or thinly sliced green onions.

Sweet Ginger Dreams: Add a little minced fresh ginger to your favorite vanilla ice cream recipe or creme brulee recipe. Garnish each serving with a little minced crystallized ginger.

Stir-Fries With Ginger: Fast, one-dish wok dinners rely on the flavor boost of fresh ginger. Here are two stir-fry recipes that make taste buds happy - and healthy.

Three-Ginger Beef

Adapted from “Martin Yan’s Culinary Journey Through China,” by Martin Yan (KQED Books, 1995).

2 tablespoons oyster sauce (see note)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

3/4 pound flank steak, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped red pickled ginger (see note)

1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger (see note)

1/4 cup water

1-1/2 tablespoons plum sauce (see note) 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil (see note)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, cut in julienne strips

1/2 cup pineapple chunks

1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 teaspoons water

Combine oyster sauce and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a bowl. Add steak and stir to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Combine pickled ginger, crystallized ginger, water, plum sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and vegetable oil in a bowl; set aside.

Place wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add beef and stir-fry until barely pink, about 2 minutes. Add fresh ginger and stir-fry 30 seconds.

Add pineapple and sauce; bring to boil. Add 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with water and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Serve over rice.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 331 calories, 19.7 grams fat (53 percent fat calories), 6.5 grams saturated fat, 60 milligrams cholesterol, 639 milligrams sodium.

Note: Oyster sauce, crystallized ginger, plum sauce and sesame oil are available at some supermarkets, as well as at Asian markets (look for crystallized ginger in the spice section). You’ll probably have to visit an Asian market for the pickled ginger; look in the Yellow Pages under “Oriental Goods” for locations.

Danny Kaye Shrimp

Danny Kaye was an excellent cook, especially when it came to Chinese cooking. Here’s Hugh Carpenter’s version of Kaye’s spicy shrimp stir-fry, from his book “Chopstix,” with Teri Sandison (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 1990). The shrimp are cooked in the shell to keep them moist and flavorful; they can be served chilled as an appetizer, or hot as an entree.

1 pound medium to large shrimp, in the shell

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons grated or finely minced orange peel (zest), colored part only

4 small chilies, such as jalapeno or serrano, stems removed, finely minced

Dry sherry to taste

Asian sesame oil, to taste

Pinch of sugar

Using scissors or a thin knife, cut along the top of the shrimp shells to expose the veins. Rinse out the veins, being careful to keep the shells intact.

Combine vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, orange peel and chilies.

Place wok over high heat. When hot, add oil mixture and saute a few seconds. Add shrimp, stir and toss until shrimp shells turn pink (a few scorch marks are fine). The shrimp are cooked when they feel firm to the touch, or cut one in half; it should be white in the center.

During the last minute of cooking, add a splash of dry sherry, drizzle the sesame oil on top and add sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve hot as an entree, or chilled as an appetizer. Each person peels off the shells at the table.

Yield: 6 to 8 appetizer servings, or 3 entree servings.

Nutrition information per entree serving: 220 calories, 15 grams fat (61 percent fat calories), 2.3 grams saturated fat, 115 milligrams cholesterol, 115 milligrams sodium.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Types of ginger and what to do with it By Cathy Thomas Orange County Register Here are the three main types of ginger: Fresh ginger: A rhizome that grows just below the surface of the soil and looks like hard, shiny knoblike fingers. It has tan to light beige skin and creamy to pale golden flesh. Avoid ginger that is dry or shriveled. Store fresh ginger at room temperature in a cool, dark place (like you would a potato). Or peel it and refrigerate it in a jar, covered with dry sherry. Or store it in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator, wrapped in a paper towel. To cut ginger into thin strips (julienne), thinly slice it and stack the slices (a few at a time) and cut them into matchsticks. To chop the ginger, gather the julienne strips and cut them crosswise into a fine dice. To grate ginger, use the fine holes on a grater, or a miniprocessor. Some chefs advise you to peel ginger, while others say it really doesn’t make a flavor difference, just a visual one. I usually save time and don’t peel it. Red pickled ginger: Thin strips of ginger cured in salt, vinegar and sugar brine. Tangy, sweet and bright red, it’s sold in refrigerated jars and plastic tubs at Asian markets. Crystallized (candied) ginger: Slices of fresh ginger are candied and coated with sugar. It has a sharp, spicy-sweet taste and is delicious chopped and sprinkled over ice cream or served as an accompaniment to fresh fruit. It keeps indefinitely, well sealed, at room temperature.