While cooking any dish the cutting chopping and prep part takes time and keeping some essentials ready in the refrigerator helps a lot in reducing the time that you spend in the kitchen. Ginger garlic paste is one such item. Ginger garlic paste is an essential ingredient in many Indian and Asian dishes.

Ginger and garlic both have a lot of medicinal properties. Garlic has huge anti oxidants properties. Ginger on the other hand helps to settle an upset stomach as well as gives relief from cough and colds.

Apart from the medicinal benefits ginger-garlic paste helps in enhancing the taste of the dish you add it to.

I find the peeling of garlic quite cumbersome . Here in Mumbai we get fresh peeled garlic at the local bhajiwalas (vegetable vendors) which makes it even more easy. I normally make about a half a cup of paste and store it in a glass jar and that takes care of my weekly consumption. This is an essential item you should have in your refrigerator.

So if you are like me who does not like to spend too much time in the kitchen prepping then you much make and store this paste.

Ingredients:

• Garlic cloves 1/2 cup
• Ginger sliced 1/2 cup
• Water for grinding 1 tsp

Method:

Take 1/2 cup (equal quantities) each of sliced ginger and peeled garlic and grind to a fine paste with no or very little water. Store in a dry glass jar and keep refrigerated. This stays good for a week.

If you dont want to make this paste every week then try this.

Make double the quantity of paste and take spoonfulls of the paste and place it on a plate or tray. Deep freeze the plate till the spoonfuls of the paste solidify.

This should take 1 or 2 hours. Once frozen remove each one using a knife. Store in a container or zippouch in the freezer. Take out a piece as and when needed and thaw it for 10 mins and use it as required.

This will stay good for a month atleast.