Healthy Recipes with Ginger the Natural Anti Inflammatory

10 June 2006

Ginger Tea

Sip one cup of this tea daily sweetened with one tsp of Honeybalm Manuka Honey with Extra Bee Venom and enjoy the relief!

Put 3 or 4 slices of sliced ginger in a cup of boiling water. Leave to steep for a few minutes before adding Honeybalm honey (Bee Venom is destroyed by high temperatures so only add after the tea has slightly cooled).

Ginger Stir Fry

Vegetables
Use any combination of vegetables you prefer or have available. Suggestions include:
1 medium-size carrot, sliced
1 cup baby bok choy, or other Chinese cabbage (leaves left whole if not too large, otherwise cut in half or thirds)
1 small red pepper sliced
1 small green pepper sliced
5 or more shiitake mushrooms, sliced, or left in halves or quarters
3 spring onions sliced lengthwise
1 small head broccoli
1 thumb-size piece of ginger (also called galangal), sliced thinly

To make this into a main course, add peanuts or cashews, tofu, wheat gluten, or slices of cooked chicken

Stir Fry Sauce
1/4 cup broth (vegetarian or chicken broth)
2 tbsp fish sauce, or vegetarian fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice (or 2 slices of lime)
5-7 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp honey or sugar
1 tsp arrowroot powder (or corn starch) dissolved in 2 tbsp cool water
Optional (for use when stir-frying): white cooking wine

METHOD
Start by making the stir-fry sauce. Place broth, fish sauce, lime, and honey/sugar in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. When sauce begins to bubble, turn down the heat to medium-low. Now add the minced garlic and arrowroot/cornstarch (dissolved in water). Stir until the sauce thickens slightly - about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Do a taste test. You're looking for a balance of salty (fish sauce), spicy (garlic), sour (lime), and sweet (sugar). Adjust these flavors to suit your taste. Place a little oil in a wok/frying pan over medium to high heat. When hot, add the carrots, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms.

Stir-Fry Tip
Always start with the "firmer" vegetables. Otherwise, the more tender veggies will grow soggy while waiting for the firmer ones to cook.) When the wok/pan becomes too dry, add a little white cooking wine (or water), 1 Tbsp. at a time (you want to keep the wok/pan just moist enough to keep the vegetables frying). Stir-fry 1-2 minutes.

Add the rest of the vegetables, and continue stir-frying another minute or so (until the broccoli turns bright green). Again, add wine or water as needed to keep the vegetables frying. Now pour the stir-fry sauce you made earlier into the wok/pan. Stir-fry over heat briefly - just long enough to mix the sauce in. Remove from heat. Do one last taste test. If not salty enough, add up to 1 Tbsp. more fish sauce. If too salty, add another squeeze of lime juice. To serve, pour onto a serving platter and have plenty of Thai jasmine rice (brown or white) at the ready. Serve with Thai red chilli sauce, if desired.

Serves 2

Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce

A versatile flavorsome sauce enhances simple poached and grilled foods, and is also terrific with a simple platter of grilled or oven-roasted vegetables.

2 tblesp chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp chopped garlic
3 tblesp honey or sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 tblesp fish sauce
3 tblesp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons water
1/2 tsp chilli-garlic sauce, dried red chilli flakes, or chopped fresh hot chillies

METHOD
Combine all the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor, and blend until you have a fairly smooth sauce. Transfer to a small bowl, stir to be sure the sugar has dissolved, and set aside until serving time.

If you do not have a blender, combine the ginger, garlic, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a mortar and grind to a grainy paste. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the fish sauce, lime juice, water, and chilli-garlic sauce, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce is fairly smooth. Pour the sauce into small serving bowls. Or transfer to a jar, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Makes about 1/2 cup

Gingered Chicken Wings

A model of flexibility, this recipe can be used for any part of the chicken; simply increase the cooking time for the meatier pieces. It can be broiled indoors or be grilled outside, served as a main dish or as an appetiser.

3 ½ lbs (1.5kg) chicken wings
1/2 cup tamari soy sauce
1 1/2 tblesp crushed ginger
1 tblesp oil
Pepper -- to taste

METHOD
Toss the wings with the oil and 1/4 cup of the tamari sauce. Grate the ginger (or use crushed prepared type), and combine with the remaining tamari. Heat the grill or broiler. Cook the wings until well browned, about 15 minutes. Toss with the ginger mixture and pepper.

Serves 6

Ginger Beef

1 lb. (500gm) lean beef, cut in thin strips across the grain.
2 1/2 tblsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tblsp sugar
1 tblsp sherry or water
6 mushrooms thinly sliced
1 8 oz (225 gm) can sliced bamboo shoots
1 chunk ginger, size of a walnut, minced
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp salt
2 stalks green onion, cut in 1 inch pieces
3 tblsp oil
3/4 cup beef stock

METHOD
Marinate the beef in 1 tblsp cornstarch, 1 tsp sugar, soy sauce, 1/3 of the ginger, and the sherry or water for 15 minutes. Place in small bowl 1/2 tsp cornstarch and 1/2 cup beef broth, set aside.
Heat wok over high heat. Add 1 tblsp oil to wok after it is very hot. Stir fry mushrooms and green onions until barely tender, about 1 minute. Add bamboo shoots, stir fry 1 minute. Add salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/4 cup beef broth. Stir fry 1 minute. Remove from wok. Add 2 tblsp oil to wok and heat. Stir fry the ginger, garlic and beef 1 minute, or until barely browned. Add sauce mixture and stir until thickened. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots and green onions. Serve with rice.

Serves 4

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