One of the many takeaways of gari, the commercial pickled ginger served in sushi restaurants throughout the world, is its laser-like ability to erase the taste and feel of fat on the palate. It’s meant to be taken between bites of raw fish, ideally very fatty raw fish. As with Japanese domestic beef, especially Kobe beef, the higher the fat content of tuna, for example, the higher the price and general desirability among Japanese connoisseurs (sushi “pros” are legion in Japan, and are known as sushi tsuu; their utter conviction that they are pursuing, with great ardor, one of life’s great pleasures makes them intriguing and endearing; they are a group worthy of a full post sometime).
My personal moment of epiphany came with the realization that gari cuts and cleanses all fat, not just fish fat. So it was a no-brainer to serve with anything that has a surfeit of fat: most cuts of lamb, beef, and pork. But somehow it didn’t make sense to serve industrial-style gari with meats, especially if they were prepared in culinary styles other than Japanese. The idea, I reasoned, could stay–a quick bite of gari between bites of meat changes the experience completely, just as it does with sushi; it’s as if your palate gets to start over with every bite, instead of being somewhat deadened by the varying layers of fat sitting all over the tongue and roof of mouth. But it had to be rethought, using more appropriate ingredients, and it definitely had to lose the red dye.
It turns out that you can make a nearly infinite variety of gari, using the following formula:
- 1 part vinegar of choice
- 1 part young, very fresh ginger, shaved with a mandoline
- as much sweetener as you like
The vinegar should have some character; fruit vinegars work well, especially raspberry, fig, blood orange, pear, red or white wine, or even persimmon or pomegranate. You can combine vinegars; you may want to use some rice vinegar in your blend. All vinegars are up for grabs, including balsamic, apple, citrus, date, and herbed vinegars.
Likewise, sweetness is better when it’s more complex. Thus, instead of just white sugar, try sweetening your gari concoction with complex, tasty sweeteners like honey (all honeys work; it can be orange blossom honey, blueberry, clover, mesquite, or any other honey you run across), maple syrup, agave nectar, rice syrup, cane syrup . . . .
Here is how to do it:
- Set a small saucepan of water to boil.
- Peel the ginger and, with a mandoline, slice it very thinly until you have about a cup of it (one piece of a large root will accomplish this).
- Blanch in the boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a jar big enough to comfortably hold it.
- Pour in one cup vinegar or vinegar blend of choice
- Add some sweetener, usually about two to three tablespoons. Shake it up to dissolve completely.
It’s now ready to use, though it will only get better as time goes on. It will keep indefinitely in the fridge.
The version I made today, shown above, was a combination of vinegars that needed to be used up: red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, and rice vinegar, about one cup total. The sweetener was plum syrup, an interesting concoction I found a few weeks ago in a Chinese supermarket. I can’t wait to try the liquid in salad dressings.
sushis and sashimi will never be complete without the pickled ginger on the side
and thanks for this clever recipe of pickled ginger..love the idea of using honey instead of just simple plain sugar
I just found your blog via your post on 101cookbooks.com–and had to visit! The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen was one of the first cookbooks I ever purchased for myself, and I still use it and love the approach of your recipes! Thank you!
Homemade pickled ginger is a genius idea, and I plan on making a batch of my own, soon!
Gari reminds me of a condiment made in the western Indian state of Gujarat. It is pickled ginger and turmeric. Choose a tender and fresh piece of ginger, skin it and slice it into slivers. Do the same for turmeric (fresh turmeric rhizomes are available almost round the year in Indian grocery stores). Mix the ginger and turmeric slivers, add salt and soak them in lime juice. Store in a glass bottle in the refrigerator.
Not only does it cleanse the palette but the spiciness of the ginger and the pungency of the turmeric provide a flavor blast. This condiment can be a great sandwich topping.
Goob, tell us where you got this ceramic slicer. I think I need a new one.
Rainbow has ‘em.
i’m not thrilled that the whole (small) thing is plastic, but it’s a ceramic blade for not too much money.
color me sold.
it even has four “settings.” which seem to go from thin to really thin. there’s no thick cut. that’s not a bad thing, the thin slices cut beautifully.
Cool! Thanks — I’ll be trotting down there soon.
whoops, forgot the link for Rainbow Grocery.
Cast iron is cool, I’m using my Grandmother’s pan passed through my Mother, probably from 1920-30 vintage.
I would like to know where you bought the little pots with the handles, look like they would be good for Jigae
I bought my slicer with ceramic cutter, made by Kyocera at Wiliams-Sonoma
Chuck, I got those little pots at the Crate and Barrel store on 4th Street in Berkeley, which I think is an outlet, not a proper C&B. They were absurdly cheap, like seven bucks each.
yeah, this method is as simple as can be, and is easily customized. my results– especially with summer fruit vinegars– have been great so far.
and recently i found a very simple hand-held mandoline slicer with a ceramic blade. it’s aces, and only about $15 from my local health food store. perfect for super-thin ginger or daikon or sunchokes or whatever you’re pickling.
whoops again, the ceramic slicer is actually $24.50.
still, not a bad deal.
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By the way, tonight I'm cooking Eric's Rice Vinegar Chicken
Breasts on page 74 for the second time. There's never a problem with taste,
but this time I'm going to make it look as good as it does in the book.