Pickled Ginger

The pickled ginger provided with almost every sushi dish is meant to be eaten as a palate cleanser between different cuts of fish or at the end of the meal. While that pleasing pink colour does occur naturally when pickling young ginger, it is safe to say that most commercially produced pickled ginger achieves its colour through the use of food-grade dyes.

Making this sushi condiment at home is very easy and is guaranteed to deliver a wallop of fresh flavour to your next homemade sushi meal.

1/2 lb (225 g) fresh ginger
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) unseasoned rice vinegar
1/3 cup (80 mL) water
2 Tbsp (30 mL) agave nectar

Peel ginger using spoon to scrape off thin, papery skin. Using mandoline, vegetable peeler, or very sharp knife, slice ginger into paper-thin slices. You should have about 1 cup (250 mL) sliced ginger.

Place ginger in bowl and toss with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. Transfer ginger to mesh strainer and rinse under hot tap water for 10 seconds. Drain well before placing ginger in glass Mason jar.

Stir together vinegar, water, and agave nectar in small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Pour hot vinegar mixture over ginger, cover jar, and let cool to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator.

Leave pickled ginger for at least 24 hours before eating. Pickled ginger will keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 1 cup (250 mL) pickled ginger.

Each 1 Tbsp (15 mL) serving contains: 21 calories; 0 g protein; 0 g total fat; 5 g total carbohydrates (2 g sugars, 0 g fibre); 81 mg sodium

source: "Summer Sushi", alive #380, June 2014