Ginger milk pudding (jiang zhi zhuang nai) was prepared by incubating a mixture of ginger juice and milk heated to 70℃, for 60 min at 45℃. The ginger protease related to gel-formation was identified, and the effects of vitamin C [L-ascorbic acid (AsA)] were also investigated. The addition of 1 mM iodoacetamide depressed gel formation; in contrast, 10 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) or 0.2% AsA enhanced the gel strength. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and measurement of the protease activity suggested that 1 mM iodoacetamide reduced the decomposition of caseins and that 10 mM EDTA promoted it. Scanning electron microscopic observations indicated that AsA induced an entangled microstructure of the ginger milk pudding gel. It is apparent from these results that cysteine protease was necessary for the formation of ginger milk pudding and that AsA produced a more entangled microstructure, thus increasing the gel strength, although the protease activity was not affected .