Ginger garlic paste is the first thing into the pan in most Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and many South-East Asian dishes. For a restaurant chain or a sauce manufacturer it is also one of the most variable ingredients in the kitchen: made fresh it changes with every batch and every cook; bought cheap it is often a third filler. Standardising it is one of the fastest consistency wins available.
This guide explains what a real paste contains, how to specify it, the ambient and frozen formats, and the rules in the US, UK, Ireland and EU. It reflects how ODOD Group makes its own ginger garlic paste.
What should be in the pail
Ginger and garlic, in the ratio you asked for, at 88 % or more of the weight. Salt at 3–5 %. For the ambient version, acetic and citric acid to bring the pH to 4.2 or below, and optionally a little refined oil. That is all. Much of the paste sold into foodservice contains 20–30 % onion, potato, maize starch or flour to cut cost and thicken; it is cheaper per kilo and more expensive per kilo of ginger and garlic, and it changes how the dish cooks. Read the ingredient statement, and if the supplier will not put a QUID percentage on the specification, assume the worst.
Ratio and particle size
50 : 50 by fresh weight is the default and suits most menus. Ginger-forward (60 : 40) pastes are used in Chinese-Indian and some South Indian cooking; garlic-forward in Punjabi and Pakistani kitchens. Particle size decides texture: a fine paste under 1 mm disappears into a sauce, a coarser grind gives visible pieces in a marinade. Specify both.
Ambient versus frozen
Ambient paste is an acidified, hot-filled food: pH 4.2 or lower keeps it safe for 12 months unopened without refrigeration. It needs a scheduled process, in-line pH control and microbiological testing per lot; the acid contributes a slight sourness that a good recipe keeps to a minimum. Frozen paste has nothing added and the freshest flavour; it holds 18 months at −18 °C and suits manufacturers with a cold chain. Some buyers use both — frozen for the factory, ambient for the branches.
Greening, browning and how to prevent them
Garlic paste can turn blue-green: sulphur compounds in garlic react with acid and trace metals to form pigments, especially in young garlic. Ginger and garlic both brown on oxidation. The fixes are blanching the garlic before grinding, keeping acidity at the minimum needed, avoiding iron and copper contact, and flushing the pail headspace with nitrogen. A supplier who can explain these steps ships a paste that stays cream-coloured; one who cannot ships a paste that will be rejected on colour in month three.
Specification checklist
- Ginger % and garlic % (QUID) with the ratio; salt %; every additive named.
- No fillers — state it.
- pH (ambient) and preservative system.
- Particle size and colour with a reference.
- Microbiology per lot: TPC, yeasts and moulds, E. coli, Salmonella.
- Pesticide multi-residue screen; heavy metals (lead in ginger).
- Format: pail sizes, frozen block, shelf life at receipt.
Labelling and compliance by market
United States. The ambient paste is an acidified food produced under a filed scheduled process; the FSVP importer holds the supplier's process references and COAs. Additives (acetic acid, citric acid, benzoate or sorbate where used) are within 21 CFR limits and declared. No major allergens.
United Kingdom. QUID declaration of ginger and garlic percentages under retained Regulation 1169/2011; additives named per assimilated Regulation 1333/2008; no allergens among the 14.
European Union and Ireland. The same QUID and additive rules under Regulations 1169/2011 and 1333/2008; customs code 2103 90 for ambient paste and 0710 80 for frozen; residues under 396/2005 and lead under 2023/915.
Packaging and freight
1 kg jars or pouches (12 per carton) for restaurants and retail; 5 kg and 20 kg HDPE pails for chains and central kitchens; 10 kg frozen blocks for manufacturers. Ambient paste ships in a dry 20-ft container at about 15 tonnes; frozen paste in a 20-ft reefer at about 12 tonnes.
What drives the price
- Fresh ginger and garlic prices — both are volatile Indian crops; garlic especially.
- Real content — a filler-free paste costs more per kilo and less per kilo of ginger and garlic.
- Format — frozen carries reefer freight; ambient carries the acidification process.
- Pack size — 1 kg retail packs cost more per kilo than 20 kg pails.
- Testing and incoterm.
Before your first order
- Ask for the QUID percentages and the full ingredient statement.
- Choose ambient or frozen and the ratio.
- Sample; cook a base with it against your current paste; check colour after two weeks open in the fridge.
- For the US, confirm scheduled-process references.
- Agree pack sizes, shelf life at receipt and incoterm.
ODOD Group makes filler-free ginger garlic paste in ambient pails and frozen blocks from FDA-registered, HACCP / ISO 22000-certified plants for restaurant chains, central kitchens and manufacturers in the US, UK, Ireland and the EU. Ask for a sample and we reply within one working day.
Frequently asked questions
What is actually in the paste?
Ginger and garlic at 88 % or more by weight, salt at 3–5 %, and acetic and citric acid to bring the ambient version to pH 4.2 or below; a little refined oil is optional. Nothing else — no onion, starch, potato, flour, colour or MSG. The frozen version is ginger, garlic and nothing more.
Ambient or frozen — which should I buy?
Ambient pails suit restaurants and central kitchens: 12 months on the shelf, no freezer, open and use. Frozen blocks suit manufacturers who want the cleanest label and the freshest flavour and already run a cold chain; they hold 18 months at −18 °C.
Why do some pastes turn green or brown?
Garlic contains compounds that turn blue-green when they react with acids and metals, and both ginger and garlic brown on oxidation. We blanch the garlic, keep acidity at the minimum, and flush the headspace with nitrogen, which stops both.
Can you make a different ratio or a single-ingredient paste?
Yes. 60 : 40 and 40 : 60 ginger : garlic are common, and we supply plain ginger paste and plain garlic paste to the same specification. Particle size can be adjusted for sauce lines that want a smoother base.
How is it labelled in the EU and UK?
As ginger garlic paste with a QUID declaration of the ginger and garlic percentages, and the additives named or E-numbered (for example "acidity regulators: acetic acid, citric acid"). There are no allergens to declare.
Is it safe at ambient temperature?
The ambient paste is an acidified, hot-filled product with pH 4.2 or below, produced under a documented scheduled process and tested for microbiology on every lot. Once opened, refrigerate and use within a few weeks.