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Susan Jung

The young ginger in the markets in late spring is very different from the old ginger that is available year-round. Yes, they are both a rhizome and come from the same plant but the former is harvested when the shoots are off-white with pink tips.
Young ginger is moist and tender with a very thin, edible skin and mild flavour. It is often eaten as a vegetable or made into a pickle.
Old ginger has been allowed to mature on the plant and the skin is thicker, the flesh fibrous and the flavour hot and strong, so it is usually used as a seasoning. Old ginger can be dried and then used to make ginger powder.
Young and old ginger should be chosen the same way: buy “hands” that have smooth skin and which feel heavy.

Pickled ginger
Pickled young ginger is easy to make. Use a teaspoon to scrape off the skin. Sprinkle salt over the ginger, mix it well, then refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until the rhizome is slightly softened. Rinse it and pat it dry, then put it into a tall, narrow glass jar; if needed, trim the ginger into smaller pieces so they fit into the jar.
Mix pure rice vinegar (not the flavoured type used for sushi) with sugar and a little water, then pour it over the ginger – there should be enough liquid to submerge it entirely. Leave it to mature in the fridge for at least a week.
Old ginger is more versatile and can be used in sweet and savoury dishes. In Cantonese cuisine, it is almost unthinkable to make steamed fish without adding some finely julienned ginger, and it is cooked with all types of meat.
Stir-fried oysters with ginger

I like to add lots of thinly sliced ginger – as well as a good quantity of spring onions – to a stir-fried oyster dish.
Peel the ginger then thinly slice it. Cut the spring onions into 5cm (2-inch) pieces. Rinse a dozen fresh oysters and drain them in a colander. Sprinkle with salt then dredge them in cornflour and shake off the excess.
Heat oil in a wok and when it is very hot, stir-fry the oysters until they are lightly browned. Remove them from the wok and drain on paper towels.
Pour more oil into the wok and, when it is very hot, add the ginger and spring onion. Stir fry until the spring onion is blistered and the ginger lightly browned in spots. Remove the spring onion and ginger and drain them on paper towels. Pour most of the oil from the wok.
Heat it again over a high flame then add the oysters, spring onion and ginger to the wok, then stir in oyster sauce, soy sauce and rice wine. Stir-fry, stirring constantly, until the oysters are barely cooked. Serve immediately.
This content was previously published in Post Magazine in 2014.


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Lifestyle

Food & Drink

A versatile spice that varies depending when it’s harvested, ginger can be pickled or used as seasoning. It goes with meat and seafood


A versatile spice that varies depending when it’s harvested, ginger can be pickled or used as seasoning. It goes with meat and seafood.


Asian recipes

Susan Jung's recipes

All about ginger, young and old. How to pickle it and a recipe that makes the most of it

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A versatile spice that varies depending when it’s harvested, ginger can be pickled or used as seasoning. It goes with meat and seafood

A versatile spice that varies depending when it’s harvested, ginger can be pickled or used as seasoning. It goes with meat and seafood