Japanese cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Beni Shoga

Fine ginger strips in salty umezu brine that turn deep red over days, a staple with yakisoba and gyudon.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 300 g ginger
• 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 200 ml umezu (plum vinegar, or rice vinegar plus 2 umeboshi)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 screw-top jar (500 ml)

Instructions

1. Scrape the ginger with a spoon and cut with a sharp knife first into hair-thin slices, then into fine 2–3 mm strips.
2. Mix the strips with the coarse sea salt and let stand in a sieve for 1 hr. until they have visibly released water and become pliable.
3. Bring plenty of water to a boil, blanch the ginger strips in it for 30 sec., drain immediately and press firmly dry between two layers of kitchen towel.
4. Stir the umezu with rice vinegar and sugar until the sugar has dissolved, and pack the still-warm ginger strips into the scalded jar.
5. Top up with the brine until the ginger is fully covered, seal the jar and refrigerate for at least 3 days – the ginger turns bright red as it sits.
6. To serve, lift out a small portion with clean chopsticks, drain briefly and pile as a hot-sour side on yakisoba or gyudon.