My family loves Asian food. Unfortunately two of us have an Anaphylaxis allergy to ginger and one to soy. I've found some great info here on soy substitutes but nothing for ginger. Does anyone have any tips or answers for ginger replacement in my recipes?
2 Answers
No soy and no ginger is a challenge, it can be done though if you pick the right recipes. Galangal has a similar flavor as ginger and may work, it's in the same family as ginger but is a different sub-family, so it may be different enough not to cause a reaction. Cardamom and turmeric are in the same family as well, if you don't have a reaction to them galangal's a decent bet. Other than that there's no other substitutes for ginger in asian cooking. In baking you can use a mix of allspice, mace, and cloves but in cooked dishes they won't give the same result.
Instead of finding a substitute for ginger if galangal doesn't work for you I would suggest choosing recipes without it, or where it's one of many flavorings. Just leave it out, it will still taste good. Fill in the gap with other bold flavors like onions, lemongrass and chili.
I have occasionally used mace as a substitute for ginger. I'm not sure how it would work in Asian food though.
