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Making pickled sushi ginger at home is easy, quick, and you only need a few ingredients! Let me show you how to make it!
If you’re a Sushi fan, chances are you also love Japanese pickled sushi ginger (Gari). Usually, they are served together, and if you are asking me, they belong together. Enjoying a plate of sushi without pickled ginger sushi isn’t the same!
And because I find it incredibly delicious, I love to prepare pickled ginger myself, rather than buying it.
Gari, how it’s originally called, is a typical Japanese recipe. But don’t worry, the recipe is super simple, no Asian cooking skills required!
It tastes slightly sweet and sour and adds flavor to any Asian dish with its pleasant spiciness.
Homemade vs. Store-Bought
Sushi ginger is available in every Asian shop and every major supermarket, so why bother making it yourself?
Homemade pickled ginger tastes better, no discussion! Making it from scratch with fresh ginger simply can’t be beaten by the store-bought version. It’s wonderfully aromatic and has a decent bite. Furthermore, it’s free of any preservatives.
Sure, it’s quicker and easier to place it in the shopping trolley while shopping. However, if you like cooking and love homemade food, I highly recommend trying it once. The recipe is simple, can be followed by anyone, and you only need a few ingredients: ginger, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.
What do you need?
Fresh Ginger: Make sure to buy fresh, preferably young ginger. You recognize it by the smooth skin and an even and light color. Old ginger, on the opposite, is wrinkled, dry, and usually smaller cause it shrunk a little.
Rice Vinegar: Available within the Asian aisle in the local supermarket or any Asian market. If you have an Asian shop in your city, make a stop and buy your Asian ingredients there. They are usually much more affordable than in regular supermarkets. Be attentive while shopping, rice vinegar often stands next to Mirin and does look exactly the same. But both products are different. Mirin is much sweeter and less acidic than rice vinegar.
Mandoline Slicer: Having one comes very handy for this recipe. You want your ginger to be thinly sliced, which works best with a mandoline slicer. The thinner the ginger, the better it tastes. Alternatively, use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler.
How To Make Sushi Ginger Recipe – Step-by-Step
This visual guide with step-by-step pictures should help you along the way- definitely recommended if you are preparing sushi ginger for the first time.
If you are a pro, skip right to the recipe at the end of the post, where you will also find the exact quantities and everything else you need to know to make this recipe.
- Peel the ginger using a sharp teaspoon.
- Slice the ginger finely using a mandoline slicer or sharp knife.
- Add the sliced ginger with ½ tsp salt in a small bowl, mix, and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Bring a small saucepan with water to the boil. Add salted ginger and cook for 1 minute (up to 5 minutes if you love pickled ginger less spicy and mild).
- Drain over a sieve, wait until cold, and squeeze out all excess liquid using your hands.
- Place the ginger in a small mason jar.
- Add rice vinegar, sugar, and salt into the same saucepan. Bring to a boil, switch off the heat, and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the hot liquid over the ginger and, if necessary, press the ginger down with a tablespoon so that it is fully covered with the liquid.
- Close the lid, let it cool, and refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving.
Recipe FAQ
How long does it keep fresh? You can store the pickled sushi ginger in the refrigerator for weeks. The flavor develops over time and tastes best after a few days.
With what can I serve it? With any kind of Sushi, Asian stir-fries and noodles such as those Udon Stir-Fry Noodles!
Eaten up all the ginger? Don’t spill the vinegar mixture. Keep it in the fridge and use it next time to prepare a stir-fry sauce, mixed with soy sauce and a little brown sugar. Tastes delicious, fresh, and logically gingery!
More Asian Recipes You’ll Love:
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📖 Recipe
Sushi Ginger
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Ingredients
- 3.5 oz (100 g) ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (60 ml) rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Peel the ginger with a sharp teaspoon and slice it finely using a mandoline slicer or sharp knife. Add it with ½ tsp salt in a small bowl, mix, and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Bring a small saucepan with water to the boil. Add salted ginger and cook for 1 minute (up to 5 minutes for less spicy and mild sushi ginger). Drain over a sieve, wait until cool, and squeeze out all excess liquid using your hands. Fill the ginger in a small mason jar.
- Add rice vinegar, sugar, and salt into the same saucepan. Bring to a boil, switch off the heat, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour it over the ginger and if necessary, press the ginger down with a tablespoon so that it is fully covered with the liquid. Close the lid, let it cool, and refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving.
- Keeps fresh for weeks if stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Ginger Cooking Time: 1 minute is for spicy ginger, the longer you cook it, the less spicy it gets. Don’t cook longer than 5 minutes.
- Eaten up all the ginger? Don’t spill the vinegar mixture. Keep it in the fridge and use it next time to prepare a stir-fry sauce, mixed with soy sauce and a little brown sugar.
So easy, and turned out excellent!
I used brown sugar, nd I barely boiled the ginger to keep it nice and spicy. The flavours developed even more after a few days. Thank you for this great recipe!
Aww so happy to hear! Thank you for your feedback, Leila! 🥰
Hi! Can I use regular sugar instead of caster?
Hi Amber, of course! 😉
the flavor on this pickled ginger recipe is wonderful…I will make again…Thank you
Thank you for letting me know, Jeannine! ❤️