Chillies & Ginger

Chillies are botanically classified as berries and are members of the capsicum family of plants. They can add intense heat and spice to any recipe so are used for culinary purposes as vegetables. They are usually red, green, orange and yellow depending on variety and there are thousands of different varieties; yet most are firm with glossy skin and numerous seeds at the core. Chillies can be dried which maximises their flavour and can be used to infuse dishes such as soups and broths, whereas, fresh chillies are more vegetal and better in salads, salsa and stir fry’s. The heat of a chilli is measured using the Scoville scale and the rating is recorded in Scoville Heat Units (SHU).

Ginger is the tough bumpy root of the ginger plant covered with a paper-thin tan skin that must be removed before eating. It has a peppery fiery flavour with a hint of sweetness, so can be used for both sweet and savoury recipes and drinks. Ginger pairs particularly well with honey, lemon, turmeric and rhubarb. Ginger is available year round and can come in many forms such as preserved, candied, dried, powdered as well as fresh.

Lemon Grass is a herb often used in oriental cooking, especially Thai, Sri-Lankan and Indonesian cuisines. It is off-white and rounded at one end with slender green stalks that are a fibrous texture. Due to appearance, it is often mistaken for spring onion. When fresh, it has a citrusy aroma and floral flavour of lemon with a hint of ginger and when dried has more woody notes. Lemongrass is used in curry pastes, teas, soups and stir-fries.

Fresh turmeric resembles ginger, however, is smaller and straighter with orange flesh. It is often dried and ground into powder and used as a colouring and flavouring in Indian dishes. Tumeric is mildly aromatic and its flavour is musky, with an earthy bitterness and hints of ginger and orange.