GINGER
About two weeks after that, I found lots of fresh ginger being sold at a nearby produce. I could not resist buying some, so I did. I thought I'd prepare it using a different recipe. After all, I always like to try something different. I preserved the ginger by cooking it in brown sugar and a little cinnamon. Yumm! Sweet and very pleasant to the palate! (Photo below)
Both outcomes tasted good and could be kept in the fridge for more than six months.
However, cooking ginger in brown sugar has an extra advantage. The syrup has a ginger taste and could be added to any drink, hot or cold. It could be added to plain hot water or even Japanese "shochu"- a Japanese traditional hard liquor made from grains and vegetables like potato, sweet potato, barley, rice, buckwheat and sugar cane. (I will write a separate post on Japanese "shochu")
Further reading about GINGER led me to following information:
BEANS in general are excellent sources of protein containing polyphenols ( antioxidants) and are low in calories.
Beans can be prepared in various ways but my favorites are bean soups and sweet beans.
My family often gets three different kinds of beans during the year-end "o-seibo" period here in Japan. Someone who feels obliged to a person and is thankful for something they received during the year express his or her appreciation by giving something back in the form of presents( or gift certificates!) within the 3-week o-seibo period just before Christmas. Well, someone has been giving us three different kinds of BEANS during the o-seibo season for years now. Sometimes, I wish they were "Jack's Beans"(!) - then I could throw them out in my garden and climb their stalks ( lol) instead of taking time to cook them. Oh well...
Of the three kinds of beans we get - white hanamame, adzuki, and purple hanamame- I like the last one best. The ones pictured below are the beans called "murasaki hanamame"(purple hanamame)
As with sweetened yams, I like having mine with milk. My grandchildren like theirs with ice cream!
Did you know that there are various polyphenols that could be extracted from ginger? I have only eaten and prepared ginger grown in Japan and China. Hubby and I love grated fresh ginger on our tofu, on raw bonito (鰹) sashimi; minced fresh ginger on our steamed fish slices; sautéed ginger in boiled fish and meat dishes...ginger, ginger and more ginger...make food a lot more palatable for us!
Ginger has a wide range of antioxidant properties. It also helps reduce digestive disorders. These are reasons for it be a popular household remedy. Mixing grated ginger in hot water or tea and sipping it slowly makes one's throat and body warm - the reason for its use in relieving sore throat and in fighting off the cold in the winter months. Preparing it with brown sugar gives it a molasses flavor and adds more minerals like calcium, potassium and iron to the finished product, which, according to Chinese medicine, relieve menstrual cramps(!).
Sometime last autumn, a friend gave me a small portion of the ginger candies she had made and a vivid explanation of her recipe. She also gave me a big bunch of fresh ones so I could try making some myself. I followed her recipe but instead of slicing the ginger into thin, coin-like pieces like she did, I cut them into little chunks. I thought I could preserve and enjoy more of the ginger juice that way. (See photo below).
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| Sugar-coated Ginger |
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| Ginger cooked in Brown Sugar and Cinnamon |
However, cooking ginger in brown sugar has an extra advantage. The syrup has a ginger taste and could be added to any drink, hot or cold. It could be added to plain hot water or even Japanese "shochu"- a Japanese traditional hard liquor made from grains and vegetables like potato, sweet potato, barley, rice, buckwheat and sugar cane. (I will write a separate post on Japanese "shochu")
Further reading about GINGER led me to following information:
Zingiber officinale - a medicinal herb/spice in Nigeria- is thought to help in the amelioration of liver damages caused by diabetes. Studies showed that polyphenol extract of ginger has higher antioxidant potential that nutmeg or alligator pepper. (Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine Sep 2012;289):727-732)
I guess we learn something everyday!
BEANS in general are excellent sources of protein containing polyphenols ( antioxidants) and are low in calories.
Beans can be prepared in various ways but my favorites are bean soups and sweet beans.
My family often gets three different kinds of beans during the year-end "o-seibo" period here in Japan. Someone who feels obliged to a person and is thankful for something they received during the year express his or her appreciation by giving something back in the form of presents( or gift certificates!) within the 3-week o-seibo period just before Christmas. Well, someone has been giving us three different kinds of BEANS during the o-seibo season for years now. Sometimes, I wish they were "Jack's Beans"(!) - then I could throw them out in my garden and climb their stalks ( lol) instead of taking time to cook them. Oh well...
Of the three kinds of beans we get - white hanamame, adzuki, and purple hanamame- I like the last one best. The ones pictured below are the beans called "murasaki hanamame"(purple hanamame)
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| Sweet Purple Hanamame 紫花豆(Kidney beans variety) or Benihana Ingen ベニハナインゲン |
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| Sweet Hanamame served with milk |
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