Ginger

Although ginger did not come into India until about 1300 B.C., once it did, its pungency (a highly aromatic one too) became a popular taste ingredient, especially in the paste form, for hundreds of our curries and marinades. Steeping slices of ginger in a pot of legumes, stir-frying it with other bulbs to form a sauce’s base, smashing it along with herbs and spices for juicy pungency, shredding the ginger and squeezing its juice for a mellow broth, adding julienne of ginger to curries just before serving—these are just a few ways we bring out ginger’s various levels of pungency. For information on buying, storing, and using ginger, see the recipe for Ginger Paste.