Trio of ginger recipes: Chinese ginger pudding, pig feet and ginger beef
Full of flavour and prized for its medicinal properties, ginger has long been a staple ingredient in Chinese cuisine. Here are three recipes that show it at its best
Fresh ginger is widely used in Chinese cuisine. It's said to warm the body and cure nausea and other stomach problems, and it neutralises strong smells and flavours, so it goes well with meat and seafood.
Chinese ginger pudding (pictured)
Although this has a custard-like texture, it's not technically custard because it doesn't contain egg. Instead, it 'sets' because the ginger juice coagulates the milk into a delicate, wobbly consistency. Use mature ginger that's slightly shrivelled and fibrous, and don't peel it before grating. Use a Japanese ceramic or metal ginger grater - a regular one will become clogged by the rhizome's fibres. To extract the juice, squeeze the grated ginger through a small square of clean, unbleached cheesecloth that's been soaked in water then wrung dry.
You can use any one of several types of sugar for this recipe, including Chinese rock sugar (which is delicious, although it doesn't dissolve easily), soft brown sugar and ordinary granulated white sugar. The taste of palm sugar is too strong, though, and it overwhelms the ginger. Adjust the amount of sugar and ginger juice according to how sweet and hot you want the pudding.
480ml whole milk
About 40 grams sugar