Fiery ginger adds tongue-tingling zing to everything from curries to chocolate. It’s among the world’s most popular spices – not bad for a lumpy rhizome.
Enjoyed as part of a tea blend, the ingredient is a perfect pick-me-up and comes with digestive benefits besides.
Fancy a sweet treat with your brew? We have a ginger cookie recipe with a twist, based on one of our favourite tea blends, for you to enjoy this month.
Introducing ginger
Ginger is native to Asia and prefers nutrient-rich, humid tropical and subtropical habitats. From the same family as turmeric and cardamom, it has been used as a spice since ancient Greek and Roman times. The plant produces colourful spikes of flowers but it’s the aromatic rhizome which is prized for its taste.
As an ingredient, the root is freshly grated into dishes or added as a powder. In its sweetest form it can also be bought preserved in syrup as stem ginger or rolled in sugar, when it is called ‘crystalised’.
Ginger is especially common in Asian cuisine as a base for curries and stir-fries or pickled as a condiment with sushi. Some of the most well-loved Western uses for the ingredient are for gingerbread men, or in fizzy ginger beer or more subtle ginger ale, a popular mixer for whisky.
Essential oils and resin extracted from the rhizome are blended together as oleoresin, a common ingredient in cosmetics and perfume.
Health benefits
Ginger is a traditional medicine, particularly in parts of Asia and South America.
It is mostly commonly used as a digestive aid, to control bloating and mild nausea and is sometimes offered as a natural comfort for morning sickness, travel sickness and the nausea of chemotherapy. It has also been used to ease menstrual pain.
Ginger contains antioxidants and some believe it has anti-inflammatory properties. In pickled form, it can be used as a probiotic.
For those who love a fiery beverage, ginger tea is a naturally sugar-free alternative to fizzy ginger drinks. It can also be a pick-me-up for those suffering colds and flu.
Some research indicates high doses of ginger may lower blood sugar and blood pressure and increase the risk of bleeding, so diabetics, those on blood pressure or blood thinning medication or about to undergo surgery should use it in moderation.
Community production
Ginger is among our top ingredients, the star of some of our favourite blends.
When weather and market prices created a ginger crisis we paid our community farmers fairly to support them through it, shouldering the rising cost for the long term good.
Our Lemongrass, Citrus & Ginger tea
Our zingy Lemongrass, Citrus & Ginger tea, foregrounding popular Asian ingredients is the perfect pick-me-up at any time of day.
The punchy blend combines organic lemongrass and ginger with orange peel, lime oil and mandarin oil.
The result is a brew with a deep and powerful flavour, a silvery colour and pleasant scent. Fresh and lively on the tongue, it’s a reviving, warming drink and naturally caffeine free.
Want to double up on flavour? Use the same Lemongrass, Citrus & Ginger tea to make these delicious accompanying cookies.
Lemongrass, Citrus & Ginger Cookies
Prep: 1 hr 20 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Makes: 30 cookies
Ingredients:
210g plain flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp salt
110g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
150g granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
15ml lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
30g finely chopped/minced crystallised ginger
For the lemon glaze:
90g icing sugar
23ml brewed ETS Lemongrass, Citrus & Ginger tea
Method:
•In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, allspice and salt and set aside.
•In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar together until creamed.
•Add the egg, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract and beat until combined for about one minute.
•Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again to ensure everything is fully combined.
•Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Then, mix in two tablespoons of the chopped crystallised ginger.
•The cookie dough will now be thick and sticky. Scoop out small chunks of dough and roll into balls, then place these balls onto a large plate or a lined baking sheet. Cover and chill  in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
•Preheat oven to 200/180°C fan and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
•Arrange the chilled cookie dough balls three inches (eight cms) apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. The centres will look very soft.
•Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
•Whisk the glaze ingredients together. If needed, add more icing sugar to thicken or more tea to thin. The thicker the glaze, the whiter (and less translucent) it will be. Drizzle on cooled cookies. The icing will set after about an hour.
•Now you’re ready to enjoy a delicious sweet and spicy treat with a nice cup of our freshly brewed Lemongrass, Citrus & Ginger tea!
