Pickled Pink Ginger (Gari) Recipe
If you love sushi, you'll be familiar with the soft pink pickled ginger that accompanies your delicious platter of seafood and rice - but how is it made?
Servings: 1 jar
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ginger shoots (also called ginger rhizomes)
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp kelp dashi powder
Instructions
- Take the ginger roots and cut off the lower crimson section of the stems. Scrub the shoots clean but don’t peel them.
- Thinly slice the shoots using a mandolin or paring knife.
- In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the ginger slices and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Place your empty saucepan back on the stove on medium heat. Pour in the rest of the ingredients. Allow to boil and bubble until completely dissolved.
- Meanwhile, squeeze the ginger slices to remove any excess moisture or pat dry with a paper towel.
- Add the ginger slices to a small container or mason jar. Pour the rice vinegar mixture over the ginger while the liquid is hot. It should make the ginger turn pink.
- Refrigerate the pink ginger for at least 3 hours before serving with a platter of fresh sushi.
Notes
- Keep a lookout for new ginger rhizomes in supermarkets between early summer and fall as they are harvested in June. They are soft, juicy, and white with crimson stems where the foliage shoots.
- Kelp dashi powder is available online and in Asian grocery stores.