Both ginger and garlic have been used for several thousand years across the world for their many health benefits and taste. It is no surprise that they are widely used spices in many cuisines around the globe including Indian and Asian cuisines.
However, peeling and chopping ginger and garlic every time a recipe calls for it, can add extra time and effort while cooking. But the good news is that both ginger and garlic can easily be stored in the paste form in the refrigerator for months thereby, making it convenient and time savior.
If you are looking for blenders that can make ginger and garlic paste at home, then Vitamix is one of the best blenders. I have been making ginger garlic paste at home for years using Vitamix and it makes the entire process very easy.
How to make ginger paste?
Select some fresh ginger from the store, you may want to avoid dry ginger. Thoroughly rinse it with water and let it dry.
Scrape the top if desired to remove any bad patches and chop it into slightly smaller chunks of about half an inch. Personally, I like to use the Komachi Chef's knife as it chops smoothly.
Now put the chopped ginger in Vitamix or any other blender. Initially apply "pulse" a few times to make it into smaller pieces and then blend on medium speed (4-5 for Vitamix) until it is blended into a paste.
Transfer the ginger paste into containers or mason jars and store it in the refrigerator.
Do you need to peel garlic before making paste?
Using garlic peels in cooking adds more flavor and nutrients to the dish. You can use the cloves along with the peels to make the garlic paste and can completely avoid the effort in peeling them.
What is the easiest way to remove garlic peel?
If you want to peel a large quantity of garlic, you can remove the layers by using a garlic peeler or a roller. Simply place the garlic cloves inside the roller and press it and roll it on a hard surface or kitchen counter. All the peels will come off in a matter of a few seconds.
In this recipe, I have used garlic cloves along with the peels.
How do you make garlic paste for storage?
Place the garlic cloves in Vitamix or any other blender. Apply "pulse" a few times to make it into smaller pieces and then blend on medium speed (4-5 for Vitamix) until it is blended into a paste.
How long does garlic paste last in the fridge?
Garlic paste easily lasts over six months in the refrigerator. Store the garlic paste into a clean and sanitized glass container or mason jar. Mix some olive oil as it helps the garlic paste store for a long.
Can you blend ginger garlic paste together?
You can absolutely blend ginger and garlic together, in equal ratio, into a paste. In fact, grocery stores often sell the paste in the combination of the two.
Personally, I like to make it separately as some recipes only need ginger and no garlic and some of the recipes may call for more of one than the other.
For example, I like to add some ginger to my masala tea so making separate paste for ginger and garlic truly works well for me.
How do you preserve garlic and ginger paste?
Ginger garlic paste can be stored in the refrigerator in clean and sanitized glass jars or mason jars. It stays fresh for upto 6 months in the fridge.
Storing ginger and garlic paste separately helps when recipe needs only either or sometimes in unequal quantities.
Recipes with ginger garlic paste
Indian curries and recipes has a lot of usage of ginger garlic paste. Below are some of my family favorite recipes where this homemade paste is used.
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Ginger Garlic Paste
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ginger
- 1 lb Garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
Instructions
Making ginger paste
- Rinse the ginger thoroughly with water and let it dry.
- Chop ginger into chunks about half an inch in size
- Place chopped ginger in a blender like Vitamix, and apply pulse a few times and then on medium speed (4-5) continue blending until it reaches desired consistency.
- Transfer into clean glass jars or mason jars and refrigerate.
Making garlic paste
- Separate the garlic cloves from the bulbs.
- Optionally peel the garlic with help of a garlic peeler.
- Place the garlic in a blender and apply pulse for a few times and then continue blending on medium speed (4-5 on Vitamix) until desired consistency is reached
- Transfer to a bowl or glass jar and optionally mix olive oil.
Felicia Austin says
I make this all the time! I also make my own minced garlic just don't pulse as long. It's much cheaper and super easy! I haven't tried ginger yet thank you for that idea!
Beth says
This is SUCH a helpful post, even if so simple. I am getting really tired of hand-grating ginger for my recipes. But we frequently have trouble with our refrigerated, peeled ginger getting mold (we're in Hawaii, things seem to get moldy faster here), so we tend to keep it in the freezer. I'm going to try freezing this paste in small amounts as well as refrigerating some to see if we continue to have that problem.
Rochelle says
I love this recipe. seriously...can't wait to try making my own garlic paste...and with ginger 🙂 I love cooking with these aromatics. I'll let you know when I try it.