Pickled Ginger (Gari)

First time making this! I followed the recipe from Just One Cookbook. It was easy (even for me).  You're supposed to use young ginger . . . da kine with the pink tips, but I'd probably never get to making this if I waited until I found young ginger, so I used regular ginger.

The taste was gooooood.  I woulda liked a more supple texture, but I'm sure young ginger would've made the difference there.  I'll keep looking. 

I used this much ginger and a mandoline slicer to slice. I was surprised at how easy it was to scrape off the skin with a spoon.  

This is how much it made.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3.5-5 oz young ginger (100-150 g)
• ½ tsp kosher/sea salt

SWEET VINEGAR (AMAZU)

• 100 ml rice vinegar (½ cup minus 1 Tbsp)
• 4 Tbsp sugar (45 g)
• ½ tsp kosher/sea salt 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.

2. Using a spoon, scrape off brown spots. Then thinly slice with a peeler.
   
3. Sprinkle ½ tsp. Kosher salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Then add the ginger into a boiling water and cook for 1-3 minutes. If you want to keep it spicy, take it out around 1 minute. Otherwise, 2-3 minutes is good.
   
4. Drain the ginger slices over a sieve and then spread them out in a single layer. With your clean hands, squeeze the water out and put them in a sterilized jar or Mason jar.
   
5. In a small pot, add 100 ml (½ cup minus 1 Tbsp) rice vinegar, 4 Tbsp sugar, and ½ tsp Kosher salt. Bring it to a boil till strong vinegar smell has evaporated, roughly 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour the vinegar mixture into the jar with sliced ginger. Close the lid, let cool and refrigerate.
   
6. Several hours later (minimum 3-4 hours), the ginger will turn slightly pink. The following day it will be even more pink. The pickled ginger can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 year.