Garlic and ginger paste

Garlic and ginger paste are commonly used in Indian cooking to add flavour and depth to dishes to most dishes.

Garlic paste is made by blending garlic cloves with a little water to create a smooth paste. It is used in a wide variety of dishes, including curries, vegetables, and meat dishes, to add a strong and pungent flavour. Similarly, the ginger paste is made by blending ginger root with a little water to create a smooth paste. 

Both ginger and garlic paste is used as a base for many Indian dishes, they are added to the hot oil at the beginning of the cooking process, and are sautéed until the raw smell goes away. This process is called "tadka" or "chaunk" in Hindi, it's the process of tempering, and it's an important step in Indian cooking as it brings out the flavour of the spices and herbs used in the dish.

Garlic and ginger paste are also used to marinate meats and seafood, this not only adds flavour but also tenderizes the meats. They are also used as a condiment, to be added to dishes as per individual taste.

Most restaurants combine ginger and garlic to create a single paste and tend to use oil instead of water when blending. 

 

Ingredients

2 parts Garlic 

1 part ginger root

a little oil

Optional extra

Add a few coriander stalks when blending the paste, this gives the final produce a more green colour and infuses it with the taste of coriander. 

Method

Place the ingredients into a blender adding a little oil bit by bit. You are after a smooth texture and thickness similar to that of tomato ketchup. 

The resulting paste can be kept in the fridge or frozen in ice cube trays which will keep for at least 6 months, 

In this recipe the water for blending has been replaced with oil, this not only helps preserve the paste but also prevents spitting when placed in hot oil. It makes no difference to the taste.