Pickled Ginger

Bragging rights, anyone? They’re all but guaranteed with this perfectly pickled ginger.

2 hands of young ginger with papery skin (old, woody ginger won’t turn pink)

6 tbsp white sugar

1 1/2 tbsp salt

10 tbsp unseasoned Japanese rice vinegar

3-by-3-cm square of dried kombu (kelp)

Peel the ginger, and slice it into see-through coins with a mandolin (about 1 1/2 cups). Place the ginger in a bowl, and toss it with 1 tbsp of sugar and all of the salt. Let sit 1 hour. Next, blanch the ginger in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, and strain into a sieve to drain. Pack the drained ginger in a glass jar, and set aside.

In a small pot, bring the sugar, vinegar and kombu to a boil (mixing to dissolve).
Then pour the brine over the ginger to
cover, and let cool 10 minutes before
securing the lid. Let the jar finish cooling,
then pop it in the fridge to pickle for
5 days. Store in the fridge
for up to 3 months.