You’ll recognize pickled ginger if you’ve ever eaten in a sushi restaurant. It is the pale pink condiment that you see on the side of your plate. With its mix of aromatic heat and sweetness, our version is excellent not just as a side dish to sushi but as a garnishment to desserts, particularly those that have more of an Eastern twist. Younger ginger rhizomes are less woody and more tender, plus only young ginger will have a pink tinge when pickled, so we recommend you try to get those for this recipe.
about 2 cups (480 ml)
INGREDIENTS
- 14 oz (392 g) ginger, preferably young
- 2 quarts (2 L) plus 3 tbsp (45 ml) water, divided
- 9 tbsp (135 ml) rice vinegar
- 2¾ tsp (13 g) kosher salt, divided
- 5 to 6 tbsp (63 to 75 g) sugar, or to taste
PREPARATION
- Peel the ginger and cut it lengthwise into paper-thin slices 1 to 1½ inches (25 to 38 mm) long.
- In a small saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of water, the rice vinegar, 2½ teaspoons (15 g) of salt, and the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve. Turn off the heat and transfer the liquid to a clean quart container with a tight-fitting lid.
- In a medium pot, bring about 2 quarts (2 L) of water to a boil over high heat. Add the ginger slices all at once and blanch them for 20 seconds if you’re using young ginger, or 30 to 40 seconds if the ginger is mature.
- Drain the ginger in a large, flat-bottomed colander, spreading the slices so that they dry quickly. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt over the ginger slices and toss gently.
- While the ginger slices are still hot, transfer them to the ready container of pickling liquid. When the ginger slices contact the vinegar, they will turn a pretty, faint pink color. Refrigerate the ginger for two days, covered, before using.
- Use on top of ice cream, to garnish panacotta, or even as a side condiment to fish. Enjoy!
