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
About 60ml ginger juice
Stir the ginger juice to mix the cloudy sediment with the clear liquid on top, then divide it between four individual serving bowls. Heat the milk with the sugar, stirring occasionally, until it bubbles around the edges and the sugar is dissolved.
Cool the milk to 75 degrees Celsius by scooping up ladlefuls and pouring it back into the saucepan until it reaches the right temperature.
From a height of about 10cm, pour the milk over the ginger juice. Leave it undisturbed until it sets - it takes just a few minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Pig feet with ginger, sweet black vinegar and egg
This dish is traditionally served to women who have just given birth but it's delicious any time. It's sweet (from the vinegar), hot (from the ginger) and sticky (from the colla- gen in the pig feet). If you like the dish less sweet, substitute some regular Chinese black vinegar (up to 25 per cent of the quantity) for the sweet version.
2kg pig feet, split in half lengthwise and cut into 5cm pieces
500-700 grams fresh ginger
1 to 11/2 litres Chinese sweet black vinegar
8 large eggs (or more)
Fine sea salt, to taste
Soy sauce, if needed
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add the pig feet and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse the feet, then repeat this process. If the feet have any bristles, remove them with tweezers.
Peel the ginger then put it on a cutting board and give it a firm whack with the side of a cleaver. Cut the ginger into 2cm chunks.
Put the pig feet and ginger into a large pan, then add the vinegar and about 500ml of cold water. Sprinkle in a little salt. Bring to the simmer then lower the flame, cover the pan and simmer for two hours or more, moving the feet around occasionally so they cook evenly. Taste the liquid after about an hour of cooking and add more salt if needed (the saltiness will intensify as the liquid reduces, so err on the side of caution). If the liquid reduces too much before the feet are tender, stir in more water; when finished, the sauce should be thick, rich and sticky.
While the pig feet are cooking, put the eggs in a saucepan large enough to hold them in one layer. Add enough water to cover the eggs by 2cm then place the pan over a medium flame and heat until the water boils. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave for 10 minutes. Rinse the eggs under cool water then put them back in the pan with ice water (they peel more easily when cold). Peel the eggs and add them to the pig feet after they've been cooking for about 11/2 hours. Continue to simmer the pig feet until the meat and skin are very tender. Taste the sauce and, if needed, stir in some soy sauce. When it's cold, the fat will rise to the top and can be scraped off and discarded. This dish tastes best if cooked at least one day before it is eaten. Serve hot with rice.
Ginger beef
500 grams flank steak, sliced across the grain about 3mm thick
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
A dash of ground white pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch, plus extra to thicken the sauce
About 30ml cooking oil
About 25 grams fresh ginger
6-8 spring onions, white and pale green part only
Put the steak slices in a bowl and add the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, pepper, sesame oil and one teaspoon of cornstarch. Stir to combine then marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Peel the ginger and slice it into 2mm thick pieces. Cut the spring onion into 3cm wide pieces. Heat the cooking oil in a wok and when it's very hot, add the ginger and spring onion and stir-fry for about 30 seconds or until slightly wilted. Add the beef and stir-fry until it loses its pink colour. Stir in about 50ml of water then cover the wok and simmer for a few minutes or until the beef is cooked. If the sauce is too thin, dissolve more cornstarch in water and stir it into the sauce. Adjust the seasonings, if needed, then serve.
Styling: Corner Kitchen Cooking School
