Adrak and sonth
Adrak is fresh ginger root; sonth is the same rhizome dried and ground, with a sharper, warmer bite.
Also: ginger, fresh ginger, dry ginger, sukku, ale
Adrak is the fresh rhizome of Zingiber officinale, juicy, fibrous and bright with a zesty, peppery heat from gingerol. Sonth is the dried form, peeled, sun-dried and ground, which carries a deeper, warmer, less lemony taste because drying changes gingerol into shogaol. Fresh ginger goes into chai, ginger-garlic paste, stir-fries and pickles. Dried ginger goes into gingerbread, Kerala spiced water, jaggery sweets and winter laddus. The two are not interchangeable: dried ginger is a poor substitute for fresh in a stir-fry. Ginger has long been named in Ayurvedic, Chinese and Unani traditions as a warming food.