Ginger garlic paste recipe – Ginger garlic paste is one of the most basic essentials of Indian cooking. Apart from imparting a good aroma to the foods it also aids in digestion and tenderizes the meats. Traditionally most homes would make it fresh and use up the same day.
These days, many prefer to make it good enough for a month and refrigerate it. Some prefer to buy it from the frozen sections as it isn’t easy to peel garlic.
In the past I would make the paste good enough for 1 to 2 weeks & store it. But in the recent years I prefer to make it fresh since the flavor of the freshly made ginger garlic paste is much superior to the stored one.
In most Indian Recipes the paste is added to the pan after frying the onions. While the onions fry, I prefer to make the paste fresh every time. I grate ginger and garlic first. Then using a steel pestle i make a smooth paste on the chopping board itself.
Since I had lot of readers requests thought of making this post on how to make ginger garlic paste and store it.
Tips to make ginger garlic paste
Preservative used: Oil, turmeric and salt are the 3 ingredients which act as natural preservatives. But I feel oil is good enough which also enhances the aroma of the ground paste.
Ratio of ginger & garlic: If the ginger used is hybrid then I use them in equal quantities. The non-hybrid variety of ginger has a very stronger aroma and taste. When used in equal quantities, the paste may lend a bitter taste. So I use 2 portions of garlic for 1 portion of ginger.
Why does ginger garlic paste turn green?
Garlic when crushed or chopped is prone to react with the minerals in the air or with the metals that it comes in contact with. Crushed garlic reacts with acidic ingredients. Sometimes pink salt, vinegar, lemon etc can also cause the discoloration in ground garlic.
So it is absolutely normal for the ground garlic to turn green or bluish green and is still safe to consume. For more details please use google search.
For more similar recipes you can check
Sambar powder
Rasam powder
Biryani masala powder
Idli podi
Garam masala
Ginger garlic paste recipe
Ginger garlic paste
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- 125 grams ginger
- 125 grams garlic
- 1 tbsp oil
optional
- ½ tsp Turmeric (or haldi / optional)
How to make the recipe
Preparation for ginger garlic paste
- Wash and peel the skin of ginger.
- Rinse it well and next chop them to half to 1 inch pieces. Set aside to dry on a plate.
- Cut off both the ends of garlic. Peel them.
- You can also add them to a box or tight lid container. Cover the jar and shake it vigorously for a minute. You will see the skin of the garlic loosens or comes off.This tip works only with certain kinds of garlic.
- You can also pour some oil over the garlic and rub off to loosen the skin. This is how we peel garlic when we make pickles.
How to make ginger garlic paste
- Add ginger, garlic and oil to a blender jar. Blend well until smooth and light in color.
- Scrape off the sides and repeat blending until you see a smooth mixture.
- Transfer the ginger garlic paste to a clean dry glass. Use a air tight jar.
- Refrigerate ginger garlic paste up to a month or 6 months in a freezer.
- If placing in freezer, fill them in small boxes or ice tray. Cover with a cling wrap.
- Remove them once set and place them in a zip lock bag.
- Use as desired whenever needed by defrosting one cube each time.
Storing ginger garlic paste at room temperature without refrigeration.
- Dry ginger and garlic in sunlight for 2 to 3 hours until both look moisture free.
- Dry the blender jar and glass bottle too completely.
- Make a fine paste of this. Add oil at regular intervals if needed until it turns smooth.
- Store this in the dry glass bottle or jar. Pour 1 tsp of oil on top.
- Cover and keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Ginger garlic paste may go bad in humid or too hot atmosphere and even during monsoons.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.
How to make ginger garlic paste at home
1. Wash ginger and dry completely.
2. Peel the garlic cloves. Chop the ginger to small pieces.
3. Add all the ingredients to a blender jar.
4. Turmeric, salt and oil are natural preservatives. Using any one of these is good enough to keep the ginger garlic paste good.
5. Make a fine paste until it turns pale and smooth.
Storage
Store ginger garlic paste in a bottle and always use dry spoons to scoop out a little when needed. For more details on storage in fridge, freezer or at room temperature without refrigeration, you can check the recipe card above.
Camille says
What kind of oil do you use in this recipe? I want to avoid canola oil but am wondering what oils are traditionally used in Indian cooking?
swasthi says
Hi Camille,
I use coconut oil for my regular cooking. So I use the same. I have also used peanut, sesame and sunflower oils before. In Indian each region uses different cooking oils. In the south sesame, peanut & coconut oils are used while in the north, mustard oil is used.
Hermsoven says
Hello Swasthi,
The Bhatti da Murgh recipe I made called for 2 tablespoons of grated garlic and 2 tablespoons of grated ginger. I substituted 4 tablespoons of your paste to save time and the finished chicken, which also cooked with about 10 other Indian spices, did not taste very good to me. I have cooked many Indian dishes in the past, and have never had this problem. Do you think the quantity of paste overwhelmed the other ingredients?
swasthi says
Hi,
Yes you used a lot of ginger garlic paste. 2 tablespoons of grated garlic equals approximately 1 tablespoon ground garlic or paste. It is the same for ginger too. I guess 1.5 to 2 tbsps ginger garlic paste would be enough for the recipe.
Generally 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste should be good enough for 4 to 4 1/2 pounds of chicken. Hope this helps.
Hermsoven says
Thank you for the helpful reply. I’m glad I didn’t make a lot of that dish the first time. For the remaining chicken, maybe some extra yogurt during reheating will reduce the strong paste error.
swasthi says
You are welcome. To reduce the strong flavor of ginger garlic, you can add some almond flour or gram flour. While making marinade any minor mistakes can be rectified to some extent by adding flour, cream or yes yogurt as you said.
Vipin juneja says
I’m interested in making garlic and ginger peste for commercial us.Give me more details of preserving both .
Regards
Eileen from Boston says
I want to make ginger garlic paste but I think it is possible that I may need another type of garlic. Ginger from USA supermarkets seems to have a lot of fiber. Is that ok? Or do I need young tender garlic. If so how do I get that? Grow it myself or go to an Asian market?
swasthi says
Hi Eileen
You can use any kind of less fibrous ginger. The ginger garlic paste will still be good even when made with fibrous ginger but you may not like the fibers in your curries. Give a try with whatever you have and then for the next time you can decide. I just buy what every is available in the market. Hope this helps
Winston Maben says
I like your receipes, which are simple and tasty.
swasthi says
Thank you so much!
Sireesha says
Can we use organic ginger without peeling the skin of ginger? I mean can we wash(pre-mince) and then let it get dried up. Later chop and put it in a blender along with garlic? Will that ginger garlic have good shelf life? Will that have difference in taste from the one made with peeled ginger?
swasthi says
Hi Sireesha,
my mom never removes the skin. She scrubs with a tiny brush, rinses it well, air dries it on the table for over night and makes the paste. I have seen it stays really good for about a month. But for me this never works as it makes the entire paste bitter.Sometimes the skin of ginger makes the entire thing very pungent and bitter. Not sure why. I think you should try with a small quantity.
Manjula says
Thanks.. Very good explanation..
Ema says
Swasthi – love your blog for the details you give. My ginger garlic always would turn green after a few days. Your tips helped a lot. Success!! It’s Past 3 months and my paste is still fresh in the freezer.thanks for the wonderful work
Rachel Dacre says
Hi, what is hybrid ginger, and how do I know if my ginger is hybrid? Thanks 🙂
swasthi says
Welcome Rachel,
Hybrid ginger is Genetically modified ginger. You can make out by the appearance if you take a look at the non gmo variety. Usually Gmodified ginger is larger in size and more whitish or pale, more juicy and less pungent.