recipe
Pickled ginger
Make haste, now is absolutely the time for “new” or young ginger rhizomes – and they are the best to pickle. They have a natural blush, are tender with a light crunch and the season generally runs from March through June.
Pickled ginger is called gari or amazu shoga in Japanese. Traditionally served with sushi or sashimi, it helps enhance the flavour of the fish and to clear or refresh the palate. This is unlike the manufactured ubiquitous sushi accompaniment and is a revelation in the best possible way.
Ginger has an epically long history of use in traditional medicines for digestive issues. It is thought to help with nausea and indigestion, and is known also for its anti-inflammatory properties.
Pickled ginger, like other pickled vegetables, is a terrific source of beneficial micro-organisms, particularly lactobacillus bacteria. These probiotics boost gut microbiota, which is essential for maintaining a healthy gut and overall wellbeing.
Lightly pickled, ginger is gently pungent with a little bite. I don’t like it too thin, as it needs that crunch. It’s uplifting and refreshing at first, with a warmth that rises after eating.
I use it with so many things. It’s sensational with grilled fish, soy sesame marinated eggs, congee, salad rice bowls, or chopped and tossed through cold soba noodles with herbs and sprouts. You can also add it to mayonnaise to make a sauce for crumbed fish or shellfish.
For this recipe, use the youngest ginger you can find – it is definitely worth sourcing for the best results. If it’s really young, the skin is papery and fine and it’s okay to leave on. I love the natural blush the ginger takes on once pickled, and this comes from the flesh.
When making your own pickles and preserves, always ensure you are sterilising the jars you will store them in. This is very simple to do: choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well. Rinse with boiling water and set aside to fill.
Time: 20 minutes preparation + 5 minutes cooking + standing time
Makes about 500 grams
- 600g young ginger roots (unpeeled weight)
- 2 tsp flaked salt
- boiling water
- 600ml rice wine vinegar
- 250-300g raw sugar or caster sugar (to taste)
- 80ml water
- 1 x 5cm piece kombu
- Using a spoon or a peeler, peel the gnarly parts off the ginger. Remove any brown spots.
- Using a Japanese mandolin on a two-millimetre (super-thin) setting, slice the ginger as best you can. I like to cut some of the slices lengthways as well to get a nice variation in the finished product.
- Sprinkle flaked salt over the ginger and allow to sit for five minutes. Pour boiling water on the ginger just to cover and sit for a further two minutes.
- Drain the water and gently squeeze the excess liquid from the ginger. Set aside to drain further on some paper towel.
- Prepare your pickling liquid in a clean, wide, medium pot by adding rice wine vinegar, sugar, water and rinsed kombu. Bring to a simmer for two minutes to dissolve the sugar. Stirring could help at this stage. Add the ginger, submerge and then turn off the heat, leave for a minute.
- Place your ginger in sterilised jars and pack lightly, then pour over the pickle liquid and top with kombu. Seal the lid and allow to stand at room temperature for one hour, then chill in the fridge. Use straight away.
- The ginger should keep for three months, but it’s sure to be eaten by then.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on June 21, 2025 as "Back to your roots".
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