Warming ginger recipes to comfort you in winter
Go sweet or savoury
Pineapple and ginger upside-down cake
Upside-down cakes look stunning and this one has a slightly festive feel, incorporating warming grated ginger into the batter. The recipe calls for fresh, ripe pineapple, but drained tinned pineapple can be substituted.
Get the recipe for pineapple and ginger upside-down cake here
Ginger and pork potstickers
Potstickers are Chinese dumplings that are pan fried then steamed. Though they may seem intimidating, you can buy premade wrappers from Asian supermarkets to help you out. These ones are stuffed with a juicy ginger and garlic, minced pork and prawn filling, and are served with a piquant chilli, soy, rice wine, ginger and sesame oil dipping sauce.
Ginger and almond florentines
Treat your family to a batch of freshly baked florentines. The biscuit is similar to brandy snaps but laced with crystallised ginger, almonds and orange zest. They’re dipped on one side in a mixture of white and milk chocolate for a marbled effect.
Ginger salmon with oyster sauce
Whole slices of ginger, plus a little oyster sauce, rice wine, white pepper and spring onion, are baked on top of salmon inside parchment parcels. The result is a tender and flaky fillet that hasn’t lost any moisture, infused with warm and tangy flavours. All it needs to accompany it is fluffy white rice.
Fragrant lentil curry
To make this hearty north Indian dish, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, chillies and tomatoes are tempered, which means cooked in hot oil, to extract their flavour. Next, in goes the cooked lentils, garam masala (a spice blend that includes toasted cinnamon, peppercorns, coriander seeds and cardamom pods) and turmeric, which gives it its gorgeous golden colour.
Gingerbread soufflé
These soufflés feature all the flavours of gingerbread (ground ginger, cinnamon and vanilla), plus a hint of dark chocolate and rum, but are irresistibly light. Serve them with hot custard for the ultimate winter pud.
Burmese pork curry
Sweet and mild Burmese pork curry requires few ingredients for flavour (ginger, soy sauce and onions) and is a real crowd-pleaser. Once you’ve done all the initial preparation, it can be transferred to a casserole dish and left in the oven to give it time to mature and until the pork starts to fall apart.
Pear and prune cobbler
This recipe calls for stem ginger in syrup, also known as preserved ginger, which adds a kick to the pear and prune filling and makes it extra sticky and sweet. It’s topped with crumbly biscuits and baked until golden. Serve it with a generous pouring of cream or ice cream.
Gingerbread roulade
Roulades look great and taste even better. The sponge gets its gorgeous golden shade from the black treacle, honey, brown sugar, ground ginger and cinnamon. The snow white, white chocolate meringue buttercream is the perfect companion and is sweetened with stem ginger syrup.
Ginger and preserved lemon crab spaghetti
A sophisticated and sumptuous dinner that’s ready in under 30 minutes. This creamy crab pasta melds the delicate citrus of preserved lemons with the gentle heat of ginger, garlic and chilli. It’s okay to use tinned crab meat if you can’t find fresh. Finish it with a generous handful of chopped parsley.
Get the recipe for ginger and preserved lemon crab spaghetti here
Gingerbread cookies
Ready in under half an hour, these gingerbread cookies don't take long to prepare, which leaves more time for the fun part: decorating. Buy ready-made icing or make your own with four egg whites and 900g (32oz) of icing sugar, and get the whole family involved.
Pork chops with ginger and mango relish
You can’t go wrong with pork chops in a punchy ginger, chilli, garlic and lime marinade. Fresh and zingy, homemade mango and ginger salsa is the only side you should be serving with it. Double up the quantities and you can add it to tacos and wraps throughout the week.
Get the recipe for pork chops with ginger and mango relish here
Apple, ginger and caramel pies
Any sharp apple variety can be used to make these miniature fruit pies, for example Granny Smith or Bramley. The addition of sweet caramel and ground ginger balances out their acidity wonderfully. Save time by buying premade shortcrust pastry and play around with the pie crust pattern – or leave them open if you’re not a pastry fan.
Ginger and garlic pork stir-fry
Soy, garlic, ginger and honey make a quick mid-week marinade for pork stir-fry. While the meat is soaking up the marinade in the fridge, you can chop the red pepper and spring onions, and boil the broccoli. Then everything goes into a hot wok for another five to 10 minutes. The marinade also works with prawns or thinly sliced chicken or beef.
Mulled wine, pear and ginger cake
Perfect for the winter season, pears stewed in mulled wine absorb the drink’s spice and richness and take on a gorgeous red hue. A moist ginger, orange zest and almond cake is the ideal vehicle to showcase them. Serve with whipped cream sweetened with a little icing sugar and vanilla extract.
Three-cup chicken
This comforting Taiwanese dish is called three-cup chicken because it traditionally uses equal parts soy sauce, rice wine and toasted sesame oil – although a cup of each would be way too much. The sauce also incorporates ginger slices, garlic and red chilli for a bit of heat. At the end Thai sweet basil is added, but if you can’t get hold of that normal basil works fine.
Paneer and pea curry
Soft, fluffy potato and cubes of paneer soak up the flavour of the sauce in this vegetarian curry. As well as fresh root ginger, it features a heady blend of ground cinnamon, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala. A can of chickpeas makes it extra-filling and adds texture.
Treacle gingerbread cake
Using black treacle as well as brown sugar and potent stem ginger alongside ground ginger gives gingerbread cake depth and intensity without it being one-dimensional. Oatmeal and wholemeal flour as well as plain flour gives it a coarser texture.
Ginger snaps
Brittle, mildly spiced ginger snaps go hand in hand with a mug of tea or coffee. Whip up a batch when it’s freezing cold outside and enjoy your house being filled with the uplifting scent of cinnamon and ginger.
Cinnamon chickpea curry
This chickpea curry is all about the balance of spices. There’s the sweet aroma of cinnamon, strong flavours of clove and fieriness of root ginger. Chickpeas make this vegetarian dish hearty and satisfying. It's ideal for chilly nights.
Ginger yogurt scones
A fun take on traditional afternoon tea and particularly suitable during the cold season. Freshly baked ginger yogurt scones pair amazingly with a black cherry and cream filling. You could also add crystallised ginger to the scone mix.
Lebanese lamb shoulder
This slow-cooked lamb shoulder is perfect for feeding a big family. The meat is marinated in Lebanese seven spice which contains ginger and cinnamon. It’s cooked until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and served with spiced rice, yogurt, dried fruit, nuts and mint.
Chocolate, cardamom and ginger tea bread
This modest chocolate, cardamom and ginger tea bread is a flavour and texture explosion. Stem ginger, earthy cardamom, orange zest, raisins and muscovado sugar are soaked in Assam tea overnight before being added to the cake mix. It comes out of the oven with a smooth crust, which along with the chocolate chunks, gives it a pleasing bite.
Get the recipe for chocolate, cardamom and ginger tea bread here
Ginger nut rocky road
Honeycomb and ginger nut rocky road is a grown-up twist on a childhood classic. It’s decadently chocolatey and jammed with crunchy honeycomb, ginger nuts and chewy marshmallows. Swap milk chocolate for dark chocolate to make it even richer.
Rhubarb and ginger jam lamb chops
Rhubarb and ginger jam balances tartness, heat, savoury and sweet. In this one-pot wonder, it’s rubbed over succulent lamb chops and the meat is roasted with earthy beetroot and new potatoes.
Fragrant lamb curry
This fragrant lamb curry has the same warming and spicy notes as gingerbread. It’s simmered on a low heat allowing the lamb time to become succulent. Sliced tomatoes and lime juice are added for freshness at the last minute.
Creamy egg and coconut curry
While you won't often find an egg curry on the menu at an Indian restaurant, the dish is a popular choice for cooking at home. This version combines a heady ginger and garlic paste with coconut milk, turmeric, chili powder and garam masala. You can double up the quantities of the paste and store it in the fridge for up to three weeks to use in other dishes.
Ginger beer loaf
A light and chewy loaf, this recipe calls for ginger beer which means less butter and egg is needed. The result is a cake that’s not too rich and is full of flavour. Adding candied ginger to the mix for texture is a nice touch.
Coconut chicken noodles
A fragrant and hearty chicken noodle curry featuring zingy ginger and creamy coconut milk. Prepare a big batch and store it in the freezer, to be taken out when you need it the most and served with your choice of noodles, lime wedges, hard-boiled egg halves, coriander, shallots, chilli oil and fish sauce.
Ginger and pumpkin loaf
Moist and moreish, pumpkin gingerbread is everything you need. Stem ginger syrup makes it super sweet, sticky and spicy. You could also add a little fresh orange juice and zest for a citrusy twist and finish it with a drizzle of melted chocolate or icing.
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