Ginger Garlic Paste is a key ingredient for Indian and Asian cooking and is a meal prep essential. Rather than buying it, I prefer making my own as freshly homemade paste has more flavors and goodness inside. This super easy recipe requires 4 ingredients and will help you to cook authentic-tasting dishes such as Tandoori Chicken and Dal Palak (Spinach Dal).
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I love adding fresh turmeric to my Ginger Garlic Paste as it acts as a preservative and extends the shelf life. Also, it adds bright orange color to the dishes as well as a remarkable flavor.
Finding fresh turmeric can be tricky and difficult so I make this paste as much as possible when I can get hold of them. If you can't find fresh turmeric, just use an equal amount of garlic and ginger to make this versatile Garlic Ginger Paste.
The good news is that preparing your own garlic ginger paste at home is quite easy without needing much equipment. All you need is mortar and pestle, and some arm labor! You can use a food processor if you have a suitable one for grinding a smaller amount of ingredients.
How to Use Ginger Garlic Paste?
I use this paste as a base in most of my Asian recipes such as Spicy Chicken Wings, Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry, Keema Naan Bread, Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani, and Chicken Stir Fry Noodles.
This amazing recipe was kindly shared by an Indian friend of mine whom I used to work with. And it has been a favorite for my curries and marinades ever since.
Preparing a batch of this garlic ginger paste takes only a few minutes. Usually, one batch is too much for one-time use. But you can store them in ice cube trays for late use which is quite practical. You can also refrigerate the remaining paste in a glass jar for up to a month.
Why This Recipe Works?
- I love adding this garlic ginger paste to my recipes because it immediately transforms a simple dish into a more flavorful and sophisticated one.
- Garlic Ginger Paste with turmeric includes many ingredients which have great health benefits. It is a great superfood that you can easily incorporate into many dishes you already make daily to boost your immune system.
- It only takes 10 minutes to make this incredibly versatile ingredient and it keeps good in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Fresh ginger root - When buying ginger roots, look for firm, without any mold or mildew ones. Peel them using a teaspoon, or a vegetable peeler.
- Garlic - I use whole fresh garlic and peel them myself but you can buy peeled garlic to save some time.
- Fresh turmeric - Fresh Turmeric has a peppery, warm, and bitter flavor with a slight citrusy fragrance. You can find them in most Asian supermarkets or buy them online from Amazon. Skip it if you don't have it in hand and make your Garlic Ginger Paste with a 1:1 ratio of ginger and garlic
- Olive oil - It helps bring the paste together when blitzing in a food processor and extends its life. Omit it if using mortar and pestle and add sea salt instead to make the pasting easier.
Step-by-step Instructions
Making Ginger Garlic Paste in a Pestle and Mortar
Peel the garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Cut them into small pieces (around 1 cm - ½" cubes). Don’t fill the mortar more than half, repeat the process if necessary.
Crush with the pestle until they all form a smooth paste. Add a little sea salt to help with the process.
Place the paste into a clean airtight jar if you will store the paste in the fridge, or in ice cube trays if you will freeze the paste in batches.
Making Ginger Garlic Paste in a Food Processor
Peel the garlic, ginger, and turmeric and cut them into small pieces (around 1 cm - ½" cubes).
Place the garlic, ginger, and turmeric in a food processor bowl.
Blitz it while slowly adding the oil until forming a paste. Scrape the sides and blitz again to ensure a smooth and homogeneous paste.
Place the paste into a clean airtight jar if you will store it in the fridge, or ice cube trays if you will freeze it in batches.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full, printable recipe!
Top Tips From The Chef
- Use peeled garlic to save some time or use large garlic cloves as it will take less time to peel them!
- If using a mortar and pestle for making Garlic Ginger paste, adding a little sea salt would help the process of turning them into a paste.
- I prefer using silicon ice cube trays as they are flexible and easier to remove the frozen Garlic Ginger Paste. Once they are frozen, place them into freezer bags and keep them in the freezer for further use.
Recipe FAQs
This paste would keep for about four weeks when refrigerated in an airtight jar or container. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to 6 months for a longer shelf life.
You can use this Ginger Garlic Paste in any Indian or Asian recipe that calls for it, as well as recipes that call for ginger and garlic separately.
It is generally added to the dish after sautéing the onions. If there are no onions used in the recipe, the paste should be added with oil and sautéed for a minute before adding other ingredients.
For this recipe, I use an equal amount of garlic and ginger and add slightly less amount of fresh turmeric. If you want to skip the fresh turmeric, use 130 grams of garlic and 130 grams of ginger to achieve the same amount of paste.
Related Recipes
For more delicious Asian-inspired recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this versatile ingredient Ginger Garlic Paste with fresh turmeric as much as you enjoy using it in your cooking! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Ginger Garlic Paste
Equipment
- 1 peeler
Ingredients
- 100 g garlic (peeled)
- 100 g ginger (peeled)
- 70 g fresh turmeric (peeled)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (If using food processor)
- 1 teaspoon salt (if using pestle and mortar)
Instructions
Using Pestle and Mortar
- Peel the garlic, ginger, and turmeric.
- Cut them into small pieces (around 1 cm - ½" cubes).
- Put all the ingredients into the mortar.
- Don’t fill the mortar more than half, repeat the process if necessary.
- Crush with the pestle until they all form a smooth paste.
- Place the paste into a clean airtight jar if you will store the paste in the fridge, or in ice cube trays if you will freeze the paste in batches.
Using Food Processor
- Peel the garlic, ginger, and turmeric.
- Cut them into small pieces (around 1 cm cubes).
- Put the garlic, ginger and turmeric in the food processor.
- Blitz it while slowly adding the oil until forming a paste.
- Place the paste into a clean airtight jar if you will store it in the fridge, or ice cube trays if you will freeze it in batches.
Notes
- Use peeled garlic to save some time or use large garlic cloves as it will take less time to peel them!
- If using a mortar and pestle for making Garlic Ginger paste, adding a little sea salt would help the process of turning them into a paste.
- I prefer using silicon ice cube trays as they are flexible and easier to remove the frozen Garlic Ginger Paste. Once they are frozen, place them into freezer bags and keep them in the freezer for further use.
Nutrition
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Ayla
Super and versatile!! This paste is pretty great!