How to Make Pickled Ginger

Pickled ginger is a sweet, thinly-sliced young ginger, that's been marinated in a solution of sugar and vinegar. It is known as gari, and is served after customers finish eating their sushi. In some places it is also known as sushi ginger. The ones that are commercially prepared are artificially colored in pink dye to promote sales, however, the natural product is typically pale yellow or has a slightly pink hue from the pickling process. It is eaten between sushi meals to help cleanse the palate.

When you make sushi, you may want to make this tasty accompaniment, as well. It helps to clean the mouth and enhance the food's flavors. To make this, it is ideal that fresh young ginger is used.

Ingredients

• Sugar, 2 cups
• Fresh young ginger, 2 lbs
• Rice vinegar, 3 cups
• Salt, 2 tsp

Method

• Dry the slices and put them in an airtight sterilized jar.
• Now, thinly slice the ginger and sprinkle salt over it; keep it aside for an hour.
• Wash each ginger root and scrape the skin off.
• Place the salted ginger slices on paper towels for it to soak excess water.
• In a pan, bring the rice vinegar and sugar to a boil.

• Leave it to cool and then place them back in the jar and reseal it.
• Once the mixture is ready, take the ginger slices from the jar and transfer them to a bowl. Pour the hot vinegar-sugar solution over the ginger slices.
• Store the jar in the refrigerator once it has cooled completely.

• If you are using old ginger, the color of the pickled ginger will not turn pink, but if you are using young ginger, it will change to pink.

This recipe makes use of mirin and sake; mirin is a sweet rice wine that is used only for cooking, while sake is rice wine, that often accompanies sushi.

Ingredients

• Sake, 2 tbsp.
• Rice vinegar, 90 ml
• Ginger root, 8 oz.
• Mirin, 2 tbsp.
• Sugar, 5 tsp.

Method

• Combine mirin, sake, and sugar, in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
• Scrub the ginger root (like how you would, a potato) under running water to remove any impurities from it.
• Blanch the ginger in boiling water for a minute and drain, immediately.
• Stir till the sugar has dissolved, remove it from the heat and let it cool.

• This pickled ginger can be stored for up to a month in the refrigerator.
• Place the ginger in a sterilized jar and pour the mirin, sake, and sugar mixture, over the ginger.
• Cover the jar and keep it aside for 3 to 4 days.
• The pink color will develop as the pickle ages.

Ingredients

• Rice wine vinegar, 1½ tbsp.
• Coarse salt, 3 tsp.
• Fresh young ginger, 500 grams
• Caster sugar, ½ cup
• Toasted sesame seeds for garnishing

Method

• Now, put the ginger into a shallow bowl and sprinkle salt on it.
• Peel the skin off the ginger, then cut it into thin slices.
• Put the sliced ginger in boiling water and blanch it for 20 seconds, remove it immediately, and drain well.
• Wait for 10 minutes before you strain any extracted juices. Then, strain the juice and place the ginger in a jar.

• Serve the pickled ginger with sesame seeds.
• Spoon the sugar-vinegar mixture over the ginger.
• In a saucepan, combine the vinegar and sugar and bring it to a boil.
• Seal the jar and refrigerate.
• It can be stored for up to a month in the refrigerator.

• One of the most important health benefits is that it destroys parasites in the body. If you are worried about its nutritional value, then you should not be, as there are only 9 calories per serving.