Curing of Ginger
Methods of Ginger Curing
A) Surat Method:
1. The rhizomes are cleaned and soaked in water to facilitate the removal of skin.
2. When the rhizomes become soft and peel easily are taken out of water.
3. The skin is peeled off by bamboo knives, coir or sea-shells.
4. The peeled rhizomes are washed in water and dried in sun for 3 to 4 days and hand-rubbed.
5. This process is repeated two to three times to remove all the bits of the skin.
6. Peeling should be done carefully as excessive peeling will result in the loss of essential oil which gives aromatic odour.
7. This method of curing is slow but preserves the flavor of ginger.
B) Malbar Method:
1. The rhizomes are cleaned and soaked in water.
2. When they become soft are taken out of water.
3. They are peeled of twice or thrice with the help of bamboo knives or coir or sea shells.
4. The peeled rhizomes are soaked in 2% lime water solution for six hours to white wash the ginger.
5. The white washed rhizomes are kept in fumigation chamber for sulphur fumigation for 12 hours.
6. Same lime water and sulphur fumigation treatment is repeated for three times to bleach the ginger and give white color.
7. Finally bleached ginger is fully dried in the sun.
8. The dried product is known as sunt.