Hong Kong
Gluten freeGinger milk curd
Geung zap zong naai (薑汁撞奶): hot sweet milk poured onto fresh ginger juice that sets it into a silky curd
Born in the Pearl River Delta town of Shawan in Panyu, Guangdong, ginger milk curd crossed the border to become a favourite of Hong Kong dessert parlours in Jordan and Causeway Bay, ordered hot on a winter night. There's no setting agent: an enzyme in fresh ginger juice curdles hot milk within minutes into a trembling, spoonable custard that's sweet, creamy and warming, with a peppery ginger kick. It is eaten straight from the bowl while still warm, with nothing alongside. Long-life UHT milk is the classic mistake, since its proteins have been changed by the high heat and it simply won't set; use fresh pasteurised whole cow's milk. Chef's tip: use mature, fibrous ginger rather than young pink-tipped ginger, and heat the milk to 70–75 °C, measured with a thermometer.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 2
- Per serving
- 190 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 ⅛ oz mature fresh gingerunpeeled, scrubbed
- 1 ¾ cups fresh pasteurised whole cow's milknot UHT or long-life
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Finely grate 2 ⅛ oz mature fresh ginger, then squeeze it hard through a piece of muslin or a fine sieve to get about 2 tablespoons of juice. Divide the juice between two small bowls, 1 tablespoon each.
Step 2: Warm the bowls first by standing them in a larger dish of hot water, so the milk doesn't cool too fast when it hits them.
Step 3: Heat 1 ¾ cups fresh pasteurised whole cow's milk with 2 tbsp caster sugar in a small pan over a medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the milk reaches 167°F, with small bubbles around the edge and steam rising. Don't let it boil.
4 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat and let it cool to 158°F, about 30 seconds. Stir the ginger juice in each bowl to lift the starch that settles at the bottom.
Step 5: Pour half the milk into each bowl from a height of 10–15 cm in one steady stream, so it mixes with the juice by itself. Don't stir.
Step 6: Cover each bowl with a plate and leave completely still for 5–10 minutes, until set. Moving the bowls breaks the curd.
8 minStep 7: Check it by tilting a bowl slightly: the curd should hold together and a spoon should leave a clean mark. Eat warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ginger milk curd take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of mature fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of fresh pasteurised whole cow's milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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