Ginger girl

With every sushi meal, ginger is offered in a heap to cleanse one's pallet between bites.  It is a garnish with lovers and haters alike.  For some, it offers an intense flavor that almost burns.  For others, it is refreshing and resets the tastebuds.  I am part of the later group.  I love it.  In fact, when I eat at a kaiten sushi restaurant (conveyor belt sushi), I use one of the plates to pile on a small mountain because I eat so much of it.  

As with many things in my life, when I notice I eat a ton of something, I want to know how it is made.  I love going on tours of food factories and watching through windows into restaurant kitchens.  I also try to make things at home.

I was able to buy some young ginger at the Toshimaen Farmer's Market.  The young variety is milder and has tender skin (not the darker, more papery skin on the normal store-bought ginger).  It is also juicier and plumper than the older version.  

I had no idea how complex making sushi ginger would be.  But, it didn't deter me from buying some and taking it home with the intent of pickling it.  After getting home, I looked up the recipe in a cookbook.  I rolled my eyes when I saw how unbelievably easy it would be!

My son, very eager to help, scraped the ginger clean with a spoon while I prepared two small pans for boiling.  In the first pan, I put rice vinegar, sugar, and salt into it and turned on the burner.  The second pan was filled with salty water to blanch the ginger and set over fire as well.  My son finished peeling the ginger and I sliced it thinly.  I read afterwards that some people use a peeler to get even thinner ginger slices, but I didn't think of that in the moment.

First we blanched the ginger slices.  Then my son moved them into a sterilized jar.  For the last step, I poured the vinegar brine over the top of the ginger.  After closing the lid, I put it in the fridge.

Now all we have to do is wait for it to do its thing!  It will be ready in 2-3 days.  It could not have been easier.  Why didn't I try this sooner?

I can't wait to eat it.  I'm sure we will have take out sushi very soon just to try it out.

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200 grams young ginger

1 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

2/3 tsp salt

1. Peel the ginger with a spoon.  Thinly slice.
2. Combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in small pot.  Bring to a gentle boil and then remove from heat.
3. Bring water to a boil in a different pan, adding salt.  Put the ginger into the water and let simmer for 30 seconds to 3 minutes.  The longer the ginger is in the hot water, the more mild it will be.
4. Remove the ginger from the salt water and put into a sterilized jar.  Pour brine over the ginger.
5. Cover and refrigerate.  It is ready in 2-3 days.