Sushi Ginger Recipes

HOMEMADE PICKLED GINGER (GARI)

Steps:

• Cut the ginger into chunks and place them into a bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt, stir to coat and let stand for about 30 minutes. Transfer the ginger to a clean jar.
• In a saucepan, stir together the rice vinegar and sugar until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, then pour the boiling liquid over the ginger root pieces in the jar.
• Allow the mixture to cool, then put the lid on the jar and store in the refrigerator for at least one week. You will see that the liquid will change to slightly pinkish in few minutes. Don't be alarmed because it's the reaction of rice vinegar that causes the change. Only quality rice vinegar can do that! Some commercial pickled ginger has red coloring added. Cut pieces of ginger into paper thin slices for serving.

SUSHI GINGER

Steps:

• Add sliced ginger to a ziplock bag and add salt.
• Shake well to coat ginger.
• Place bag in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.
• Remove ginger from bag and place in a jar with tight fitting lid.
• Add vinegar, water and honey to a small pan.
• Simmer for 5 minutes, stir frequently.
• Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Pour into jar with ginger.
• Close jar and store in refrigerator for 3-5 days.
• Enjoy.

GARI: JAPANESE PICKLED GINGER

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Wash the young ginger root and scrape off any brown spots with a spoon. Then scrape off all the skin with a scraper or peel the ginger by hand.
• Slice the ginger thinly and salt the slices. Leave salted ginger slices in a bowl for about 1 hour.
• Dry the ginger slices with paper towels and put them in a sterilized, heat-resistant container or jar.
• Mix the rice vinegar and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil until the strong vinegar aroma has evaporated.
• Pour the hot vinegar and sugar mixture over the ginger slices. If you want to keep the ginger spicy, pour out the liquid after about 1 minute. Otherwise, let the mixture sit for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Drain the slices in a colander and let them cool by placing them on a paper towel in a single layer. The pickled ginger should change its color to light pink; if you are using old ginger, it might not turn pink naturally.
• With clean hands, squeeze the liquid out of the slices and place them in a jar.

PICKLED GINGER FOR SUSHI

Steps:

• Peel the ginger and slice it as thin as humanly possible.
• Rub the sliced ginger with the coarse salt until you do not feel the graininess of the salt.
• Place ginger in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for several hours.
• After ginger has sat for several hours, take it out and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Put ginger in a clean jar.
• Put the vinegar, water,food coloring, and sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer.
• Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Pour over ginger and allow to cool slightly.
• Seal the jar and allow to"cure" in the refrigerator for at least 3 days.
• (This allows the flavor to mellow out some... you can use it sooner, but it will have more of a"bite").

JAPANESE CARROT GINGER SALAD DRESSING (RESTAURANT-STYLE)

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients except for the canola oil in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Slowly add the oil and blend until the mixture has emulsified.
• Serve with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumber.

PICKLED GINGER FOR SUSHI AND SASHIMI

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Peel the ginger root.
• Slice the peeled ginger root super thin.
• Rub the salt and sliced ginger together with your clean hands. Really give it a good massage. Let the salted ginger sit in a bowl, covered, for 6 hours or overnight (a few extra hours won't hurt) in the refrigerator.
• Rinse the ginger under cold water to remove excess salt.
• Again using clean hands, squeeze the ginger hard to release most of the liquid. Discard the liquid. Loosely pack the ginger into a clean, sterilized 1/2-pint canning jar.
• Put the rice vinegar, water, and sugar or honey into a small, non-reactive pot. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Raise the heat and allow the mixture to come to a boil. As soon as it does, turn off the heat.
• Pour the liquid brine over the ginger. Use the back of a spoon to press out any air bubbles and ensure the ginger is completely immersed in the brine.
• Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. For longer storage at room temperature, process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (adjust the time for high altitude canning ).
• Enjoy!