How to Make Pickled Ginger

Pickled ginger and wasabi garnish plates of sushi and sashimi at Japanese restaurants.

Served alongside sushi or sashimi at Japanese restaurants, pickled ginger cleanses the palate between bites. You can purchase pickled ginger at most grocery stores, but commercially produced brands tend to be overly seasoned or tinged with red food coloring. Homemade pickled ginger, made without preservatives or artificial ingredients, tastes better and stores well in the refrigerator. Use it for a piquant addition to stir fries, fruit or green salads, and sandwiches.

Things You'll Need

• 2 large pots
• Glass quart jar with lid
• 1 lb fresh ginger
• Vegetable peeler
• Mandolin
• Small plate
• Large saucepan
• 2 cups unseasoned rice vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp salt

Instructions

1. Sterilize a glass quart jar and lid in 8 quarts of boiling water in a large pot for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the jar in the water for later use.

2. Peel the ginger skin with a vegetable peeler. Using a mandolin, slice the peeled ginger until it is paper thin (approximately 1/16 of an inch thick). Place the ginger slices on a small plate and set aside.

3. Cook the vinegar, sugar and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat until the salt and sugar dissolve. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

4. Fill a large pot with 5 quarts of water and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Add the ginger slices to the boiling water and cook until soft (approximately 30 seconds). Drain the ginger in a colander.

5. Remove the quart jar from the water bath, drain it well, and fill it with the cooked ginger slices. Completely cover the ginger with the vinegar liquid.

6. Cover the jar with its lid and allow the pickled ginger to cool completely at room temperature before putting it in the refrigerator. Wait three or more hours before eating to allow the flavors to develop.

Tips & Warnings

• Store the pickled ginger in the refrigerator and consume it within six months.

• Apple cider vinegar can be used in place of rice vinegar.

• Serve pickled ginger mounds as a garnish to sushi or sashimi plates.

• Coarsely chopped pickled ginger can be added to stir fries or pan-fried noodles.

• Add finely chopped pickled ginger to marinades and salad dressings.

References

• "Fine Cooking": Homemade Pickled Ginger

Resources

• Food Network: Pickled Ginger