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How to make Fresh Ginger Garlic Paste

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A jar of homemade ginger garlic paste with a wooden spoon and garlic bulbs

Ginger garlic paste is one of the basic essentials of authentic Indian cooking. Traditionally the paste would be made fresh every day, but more and more families are opting to make a larger batch and store it in the fridge for everyday use, which is what we do! It’s nothing but ground ginger and garlic, but it will give an amazing taste and aroma to your dishes and once made, is extremely convenient.

All you really need to make a ginger-garlic paste is good fresh ginger and garlic. Optionally you can add salt, oil, or turmeric to further preserve the paste, but this is not essential. You can opt to use all of these natural preservatives, one, or even none of them.

Some recipes for ginger-garlic paste use water in the mixture. I prefer to not do this, as it shortens the natural shelf life of the paste and will cause problems when cooked. Adding water to ginger garlic paste makes it split and dangerously splutter when added to your dish on high heat. Without water, it is much easier to handle while cooking and will last longer in the fridge.

Of course, you’ll find ginger-garlic paste readily available in most Indian grocery stores and even some supermarkets in the UK. However, the ready-to-purchase version doesn’t come near to the pure flavor that you get by making your own. Homemade is cheaper, only takes a few minutes, and is every bit worth the effort.

Always use a clean-dry utensil to take out your ginger-garlic paste to avoid spoiling.

A jar of homemade ginger garlic paste with a wooden spoon and garlic bulbs

Fresh Ginger Garlic Paste

Ingredients

  • 125g Fresh Garlic
  • 125g Fresh Ginger
  • Pinch of Sea Salt, optional

Instructions

  1. Peel the ginger and garlic.
  1. Cut the ginger into rough pieces about the same size as the garlic.
  2. Add to a blender and blend in short bursts until you achieve a fine paste. I use a hand blender and I have to scrape the blender regularly for it to properly work. At first, it may appear to not be blending at all, but don’t be tempted to add water – just persist with it and a smooth paste will form.
  3. Once blended, optionally add a pinch of salt or turmeric.
  4. Transfer to an airtight jar and store in the fridge. For extra preservation, you can add oil to the top of the paste, although this is not necessarily entirely optional.

Did you make this recipe?

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How to Store Ginger-Garlic Paste?

Use an airtight, clean jar or container and store in the fridge for up to a month. If you want to freeze the garlic-ginger paste, you can spoon it into an ice-cube tray for easily accessible portions. For the best results, once they have frozen transfer the set-cubes into a freezer bag for airtight storage, or your freezer may end up smelling of ginger and garlic for months! In the freezer, the ginger-garlic paste will stay good for 6 months.

Why the 50/50 Ratio of Ginger to Garlic?

I personally like to use equal amounts of ginger to garlic in my recipe. I find the best taste this way. However, if you find the taste of ginger too strong in comparison to the garlic, you can work on making the recipe with an adjustment of a 40/60 ratio of Ginger to Garlic. It really does depend on the ginger in question.

Why did my Ginger-Garlic paste turn Green?

Don’t worry – it’s nothing to worry about. Garlic can have a a natural reaction to oxygen in the air which causes it to turn green. This can also happen if you use a metal blender to grind the paste. The green color is nothing to worry about and doesn’t have any adverse health effects.

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