Ginger

Four related rhizomes (underground stems) - ginger, galangal, kencur and turmeric - are key components of bumbu spice pastes. The most familiar is ginger, but they each bring something a little different to the party. Ginger’s job is to provide sweet warmth that can build to a spicy kick. All these recipes call for fresh rather than dried ginger. For spice pastes, peeling often isn’t needed unless the ginger is very mature and the skin has toughened - just give it a good scrub and assess any parts that should be cut off.