How to make sushi ginger

How to make sushi ginger

How to make sushi ginger

by Hideki Hiwatashi3 May 2018

Learn how to make sushi ginger with our handy guide.

How to make sushi ginger

Learn how to make sushi ginger with our handy guide.

Although it is now widely available to buy, learning how to make sushi ginger will provide you with best results. You'll often find luminous pink versions of gari – the vivid pink shade comes from using very young ginger, which is much more tender and has a natural sweetness. That being said, some commercially produced versions of ginger use colourings to achieve that vivid hue, so it's not always a sign of quality.

Making your own is incredibly easy, so don't be scared to try it. A mandoline will make slicing the ginger much easier, but if you don't have one a very sharp knife will suffice. If you really want that pink colour but can't source any young ginger, add a splash of beetroot juice to the pickling solution as a natural dye.

How to make sushi ginger

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

  • 100g of fresh ginger, preferably young ginger
  • 2g of salt
  • 500g of water
  • 54g of rice vinegar
  • 40g of sugar
1
To begin, wash and peel the ginger before slicing finely on a mandoline
2
Place the ginger in a pan with the water and salt, bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes. Drain the ginger and transfer to a clean jar or container
3
Place the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan, bring to the boil then allow to cool. Pour the liquid over the ginger and marinate overnight before using

Uses

Gari is an essential component to many sushi dishes, so whip up a batch before making Hideki Hiwatashi's tamago nigiri or salmon futomaki. For something a little different, try making your own pickled myoga. Myoga is a bud from the Japanese ginger plant, and is a common garnish in Japanese dishes with a gentle, gingery flavour.

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