Roasting Ginger Makes It More Flavourful Than Ever

I love ginger, and use it in every dish I possibly can, both sweet and savoury. I thought I knew all the ginger tricks — I even make my own sushi ginger — but there was one preparation that was missing from my life: roasted ginger.

Photo by fox-and-fern.

I’m actually terribly embarrassed I didn’t think of this myself. Roasting makes everything better, and ginger plays very well with browned, caramelised, and toasted flavours, so roasting ginger should have been a no-brainer. It’s also beyond simple to make. Just place a hunk of unpeeled ginger in your oven, turn the broiler on, and walk away for 45 minutes. Once it’s browned, with little burnt spots dotting its skin, take it out, let it cool a bit, and puree the whole thing, skin and all.

If you’re wondering what this flavour-packed paste is good for, the answer is “every damn thing.” Smear it on roast chicken, mix it into a compound butter, bake it into cookies, shake it into a cocktail, or blend it into a salad dressing. The possibilities are vast and exciting.

Roasted Ginger Is the Flavour Hit We Never Saw Coming [Bon Appetit]