Dishes with the addition of pickled ginger appeared in Russian cuisine after the popularization of sushi in the country. In this way, the pungency of the spice can be preserved, and the spice acquires a delicate and pleasant taste and retains its beneficial qualities.
Pickling methods
From a variety of recipes, you can choose ones that are adapted to Slavic cuisine. Recipes from eastern countries contain ingredients that are not so easy to find on the shelves in Russian stores.
Recipe No. 1
According to this recipe, pickled ginger is practically indistinguishable from the one prepared according to the original recipe.
Ingredients needed for preparation:
- 200 – 250 g ginger;
- granulated sugar - 1 dessert l;
- vinegar - 1 tbsp. l.;
- salt - 1 full tbsp. heaped spoon;
- drinking water, purified - 600 ml.
Peel the root from the outer skin and cut into strips using a potato peeler. Boil half of the water according to the recipe with salt and pour into the chopped root. After 5 minutes, the water is drained. Boil the remaining 300 ml along with sugar and pour into a container with the prepared shavings.
Wait until it cools completely and add water and salt, add vinegar and place in the refrigerator. The appetizer will be ready to serve by the next day.
Sometimes ginger does not acquire a specific pinkish tint when pickled. This color is formed in young specimens after interaction with vinegar.
Recipe No. 2
Since old, long-stored roots are usually sold on the shelves of retail outlets, beets are used to dye ginger pink at home.
Required Products:
- root - 250 g;
- apple cider vinegar - 100 g;
- granulated sugar - 1 dessert spoon;
- fresh beets - 20 g;
- half a glass of drinking water.
Peel the roots by scraping off the outer skin, add salt and place in a cool place for 2–4 hours. Then they are washed, dried and cut into long slices with a vegetable cutter. Place in a metal colander and immerse in a pan of boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes. Afterwards the spice is cooled.
At this time, the marinade is prepared (vinegar, water and granulated sugar are mixed). Grate the beets on a fine grater and mix with cooled ginger. The mixture is placed in a glass container and filled with the prepared marinade.After infusion for 3 days, the spice can be used for food.
Pickled ginger can be stored at home for no more than 30 days from the date of preparation. Should only be stored in the refrigerator.
Recipe No. 3
The most common method of pickling this root is called beni-saga. Only last year's coarsened roots are used.
Ingredients for preparing the snack:
- last year's ginger - 500 g;
- 50 g red wine;
- rice vinegar - 250 g;
- 1 tbsp. l. regular vodka;
- 0.5 cups sugar.
The root, peeled from the top skin, is blanched with boiling water for about 2 - 3 minutes. After cooling, cut into plates and place them in a glass container. The remaining ingredients are placed in a saucepan and boiled. The plates are filled with hot brine to marinate the ginger.
Such jars can be tightly sealed with a metal lid and stored in a cool place. After just a couple of hours, the ginger should turn pink. According to this recipe, the spice is considered ready for use only after a few hours.
Store the prepared root only in a ceramic or glass container. Metal containers will ruin the taste of the product.
Recipe No. 4
This method is worth using if you need the spice as a snack today. It can be served to the table a couple of hours after preparation.
Ingredients for cooking:
- 250 g root;
- granulated sugar - 2 tbsp. l.;
- rice vinegar - 1 tbsp;
- 1 tbsp. l. salt;
- plum juice - 1 tbsp. l.
Before pickling ginger at home, you should prepare the marinade and, after peeling the root, cut it into thin slices. Salt the prepared ginger and set aside to salt for 2 minutes.
The spice will be elastic if you choose roots without visible damage and with smooth skin.
If the plates take on a green tint, do not worry - this is a normal thing. For the marinade, mix the ingredients in a container and bring almost to a boil. Be sure to ensure that the salt and sugar dissolve, but do not boil.
Then chopped strips of root are placed in the marinade. Plum juice is poured in there. The fire is reduced so that the contents of the pan just simmer. After half an hour, remove the container from the heat, cool to room temperature and place in the refrigerator. In a couple of hours everything is ready.
Recipe No. 5
This is another quick marinating recipe. The sample can be taken after a couple of hours. At the same time, it is easy to make ginger at home - the recipe is quite simple. The finished dish has a slightly pungent ginger flavor and has a dense structure.
Required ingredients:
- fresh roots - 300 g;
- 2 tbsp. l. wine vinegar;
- 80 – 100 g sugar;
- 25 g vodka;
- 0.5 tbsp. l. salt (it is better to use sea salt);
- 0.5 tbsp. l. beet juice.
Place the peeled ginger in boiling water on the stove for a few minutes. Then drain in a colander and let dry completely. At the next stage, cut the root into plates using a vegetable cutter or a sharp knife.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and heat until boiling. The slightly cooled marinade is poured into a jar onto the plates. The container is covered and placed in the refrigerator on a shelf. On the same day you can try prepared ginger at home.
Recipe No. 6
In restaurants, when serving sushi, a piece of pickled ginger is served on each roll. This improves digestion and helps disinfect the product.The soy sauce present in this recipe will add a non-standard note to the taste.
The spice prepared in this way goes well not only with rolls, but also with meat dishes. In addition to its delicious taste, ginger will supply the body with essential vitamins.
To select a young root when purchasing, you need to pry off the skin with your fingernail: it should easily expose the root, as on young potatoes.
You will need the following ingredients:
- 200 g fresh ginger;
- 1 tbsp. l. soy sauce;
- 40 g granulated sugar;
- 2 – 3 tbsp. l. rice vinegar;
- 300 g purified water;
- a couple of pinches of sea salt.
Pour the washed and sliced root into 300 ml of water and heat until boiling. The marinade filling is prepared in the usual way - by boiling the ingredients specified in the recipe. Heating is carried out until all sugar and salt crystals are dissolved. The finished ginger is placed in a glass container or jar and filled with brine removed from the stove. After cooling, the container is placed in the refrigerator for 3 days to marinate well.
Pickled ginger is baked with poultry and meat, and added to salads. An exquisite dish is obtained by combining oriental spices with pineapple or citrus fruits.
Serving ginger in one case involves eliminating the aftertaste, and in another, the root acts as a complete snack served with main courses. So, it is served with sushi precisely for the purpose of removing the taste of what was eaten in order to enjoy the next roll, and as a snack you can eat the spice as much as you want. In addition, the pickled root is a storehouse of vitamins and helps the functioning of the heart muscle and gastrointestinal tract.
