Posts tagged as:

ginger

Rhubarb Ginger Syrup

October 3, 2010

If the science report on fruit flies’ affinity for fizzy drinks is to be believed, the fruit fly in me is coming to life. I’ve been drinking way too much fizz out of a can because each day seems to be getting hotter than the previous. Really need October to go by quickly. Plus, I’m really looking forward to planting some San Marzano tomatoes and Spanish yellow chillies.

I decided to make myself a bottle of syrup to top some club soda with, instead of drinking the caffeine and sugar concentrated drinks. And when I saw gorgeous hot pink stalks of rhubarb on the market shelves, it was confirmed – I’d make some rhubarb syrup.

This one’s a genius recipe – the variations for this recipe are only limited by your imagination, and better still – there is no waste! You use the syrup for your drinks and the pulp makes a delicious jam spread on toast. Your grandmom will be proud.

Before I move on to the recipe, here are the winners for the two giveaways. Drumroll….

Hand-made silk clutch: Nags from Singapore!
Popina + Vanilla Bean giveaway: Adriana from Oregon, USA!

Congratulations, girls! Please email me your addresses and I will have your goodies sent out to you.

Now, back to the rhubarb recipe.

Rhubarb and Ginger Syrup Recipe

Adapted from: The Kitchn

4 cups / 600-700g pink rhubarb, chopped into cubes
1 inch ginger, sliced
1 cup / 200g sugar
1 cup / 200ml water

Put all the ingredients together in a saucepan and let it simmer for about 15-20 mintutes, until the rhubarb becomes pulpy and has completely disintegrated. Strain through a sieve and once cooled, store in a sterilised glass bottle.
I added a few slices of ginger to the bottle so that the flavour of the syrup gets richer as it steeps.

To make the Rhubarb Ginger Fizz: In a glass, throw in a few ice cubes and then add about 3-4 tbsp syrup over it. Pour club soda. Stir. Drink up. Relax.

Variations:

Skip the ginger, and juliennes of basil leaves right before you turn off the heat.
Make it plain without any ginger to let the flavour of the rhubarb shine through.
Split and scrape ½ a pod of vanilla and throw in in while cooking down the rhubarb.

{ 23 comments }

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Crystallised Ginger

October 19, 2009

Doesn’t everyone just love a thick slice of banana bread?

And coupled with a glass of cold milk or a dollop of whipped cream, it makes for an offer that is hard to turn down.

But what if it has crystallised ginger and a good handful of chocolate chips thrown in? Yes. Just as I thought – you will sit up, take notice, and quickly bookmark this recipe.

Or you won’t. Crystallised ginger in banana bread? Uh, no way!

I would have been one of the folks in the second category if I were to try the recipe 6 months ago. Worse still, I’d skip the candied ginger all together (I didn’t know how easy it is to make!). But luckily for me, I not only made some really awesome crystallised ginger, but also had a delicious gingerale concentrate in the process. Just as soon as I began relishing candied ginger, I went back to the banana bread recipe in Molly Weizenberg’s book, A Homemade Life. Here, she extolled the goodness of banana bread with crystallised ginger and chocolate chips and said that, “the flavours of banana and chocolate get along so well, and the ginger makes it even better, cutting through its richness with its spicy heat.” I knew I had to make it.

Like most recipes that call for banana, this one too requires ripe bananas. But, I’m not a huge fan of a strong banana-ey fragrance in the bread and neither do I fancy using bananas that are dark, black, spotted and ugly. I always use bananas that are ready to be eaten. Also, once this is baked, you will be tempted to eat this straight out of the oven, but hang on, the banana bread tastes a lot better the next day. Just let the flavours play together overnight – you will taste the difference, I promise! Oh, and the best part is finding the pockets of melted chocolate as you take one bite after another.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Crystallised Ginger
Yield: 1 large loaf that serves 8
Adapted From: A Homemade Life

6 tbsp / 3 oz. / 90g. butter
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4th cup sugar
3/4th tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt (skip this if you’re using salted butter, like me)
3/4th cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3rd – ½ cup crystallised ginger – chopped finely or into strips for a more recognisable bite.
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups mashed bananas (approx 3 large bananas)
1/4th cup yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray, and set aside.
In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave or atop a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the chocolate chips and crystallised ginger. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork and add the mashed bananas, yoghurt, melted butter, and vanilla and mix well.
Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold in the batter with a silicone spatula, incorporating all the dry ingredients until it looks like it has come together. It’s okay if it looks kinda lumpy.
Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack.
Cut yourself a slice, because you can hardly wait – and let the entire loaf cool completely.

{ 28 comments }

Candied Ginger + Ginger Ale

September 15, 2009

Have you ever candied something? Maybe some orange or lime zests? If you haven’t, I urge you to give it a go. I only realise now what I had been missing out on all this while once I candied some ginger this morning. What’s more, it put my skepticism about candying at rest – waaay easier than I ever thought. Also, something I didn’t expect – these babies are addictive!

Given I have zero experience with candying this seemed like a good challenge (note to self: macarons will be the next challenge). I also needed an excuse to use the candy thermometer I’d bought ~~but never used~~, in addition to proving to my mom that I do use the gazillion kitchen tools I keep buying. But more importantly, I wanted to make it because I have been itching to try Molly’s Banana Bread recipe (stay tuned!) in which candied ginger plays a very important part.

Candying ginger is quite straightforward, actually – You have to slice the ginger thinly with a sharp knife or a mandoline, then boil it twice in water, simmering for 10 minutes each time (make sure to reserve the water for an awesome ginger ale concentrate which I will tell you about in just a bit). Next, put the boiled ginger pieces with the sugar, water and a pinch of salt. Let it come to a boil and then let it simmer until it has reached a consistency of thin honey or 225F/106C on a candy thermometer (making sure people who complain about your precious kitchen gadgets are watching). Drain, toss in sugar, and set it on a cooling rack to dry up!

I’m munching on these just as I type – addictive, I tell you. And just as a final stamp of approval, grandma gives these a two thumbs up because this is excellent after meals as a digestive.

Candied Ginger
Recipe source: David Lebovitz

1/2 pound / 225g fresh ginger, peeled, sliced thinly
2 cups / 400g sugar, plus additional sugar for coating the ginger slices, if desired
2 cups / 1/2l water
pinch of salt

Put the ginger slices in a non-reactive pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let ginger simmer for ten minutes. Drain, and repeat one more time.
Mix the sugar and water in the pot, along with a pinch of salt and the ginger slices, and cook until the temperature reaches 225F/106C.
Drain very well while the ginger is hot, so the syrup will drain away better and sprinkle the drained slices with caster sugar as you toss the ginger in a bowl. Spread the ginger slices on a cooling rack for a few hours or overnight, until they’re somewhat dry.
Alternatively, you could let the ginger sit in the syrup for an hour or overnight and even store the ginger slices in its syrup.

Storage: The ginger, packed in its syrup, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one year. Tossed in sugar, the pieces can be stored at room temperature for a few months.

Ginger Ale
Yield: 6 servings

Leftover ginger water from boiling
Leftover sugar syrup from candying
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
Juice of 3 limes (or half per serving)

Simmer all of the above except the lime for 5-7 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is beginning to thicken. Turn off the heat. The syrup will continue to thicken. Once cool, transfer to a jar if you’re not going to be using it all up.
In a glass, add 4-5 tbsp of the concentrate, juice of half a lime and club soda and stir. Drink up!

{ 28 comments }