Nicely spicy and slightly sour, with a subtle aroma of star anise and long pepper – this is my favorite cold pickled ginger root with no added sugar! I prepare it periodically and always have a jar of Marinated pickle “Ginger” in the refrigerator – I use it as a spicy addition to raw salads.

When I buy fresh ginger roots, I very carefully choose – that there are no sunken areas on the roots, that they have visibly fresh skin and are relatively heavy. I buy often and in small quantities so that I don’t store them for a long time. Before using them in food preparation, I soak the required amount of ginger roots in a bowl of water with added bicarbonate of soda for 30 minutes and be sure to remove the skin from the root – usually the ginger roots in stores are treated with preparations to prevent them from sprouting and they can be stored for a longer time.

And why cold pickling and fermentation? I prefer cold pickling, because this way the beneficial substances in the vegetables are preserved as much as possible. And the subsequent fermentation makes the vegetables even more useful thanks to the fermentation bacteria. When preparing the cold marinades, I always use homemade fruit vinegar, which we prepare ourselves with fruits from our village garden and in which all the vinegar bacteria are preserved by storing it in a cool and dark place in tightly closed glass bottles. Thanks to the added acetic bacteria, fermentation proceeds faster and significantly reduces the likelihood of the development of rotting bacteria in the vegetables. Despite their spiciness, ginger roots have a slight sweetness and this allows for easy fermentation without added sugar or fruit. I use fresh or dried leaves as a layer on top of the chopped vegetables to support the pressing weight and thus add the necessary tannins for proper fermentation.

If you don’t have fresh or dried bay leaves, you can replace them with quince or medlar leaves.

If you do not have or do not like the aroma of star anise, you can replace it with the same amount of sliced seeds.

Use cold pickled ginger in dishes at room temperature to preserve as much beneficial bacteria as possible from fermentation.

Marinated pickle ”Ginger”

Course: Food in jars, Recipes

Количество

350

грама

Подготовка

minutes

Готвене

minutes

Калории

154

ккал

Cold pickled ginger root

Ingredients

350 g of fresh ginger root
2 g long peppercorns
can be replaced with black peppercorns
2 g star anise
1 g fresh bay leaves
can be replaced with dry bay leaves
– glass jar with a capacity of 800 ml
– metal cap for closing
– weight to press
cold marinade
15 g Himalayan pink salt
100 ml homemade grape vinegar
can be replaced with organic vinegar unfiltered
150 ml of filtered water

Cooking instructions

With a kitchen scale and a measuring cup, I weigh all the ingredients of the recipe separately. With warm water and dish soap I wash the glass jar, metal lid and pressing weight very well – I use a small flat rock for weight. I leave them aside for 5 minutes to cool.
I divide the ginger roots into pieces, carefully peel them and wash them well. With a sharp knife, I cut the pieces of ginger into thin slices about 1 mm thick.
In a bowl, I put the ingredients of the cold marinade – Himalayan salt, homemade grape vinegar and filtered water. I mix well and leave aside for 5 minutes to dissolve the salt crystals.
At the bottom of the glass jar I put a few grains of black pepper and a piece of star anise. I put the chopped ginger root, pressing it slightly to the bottom of the jar. On top, I put the remaining long peppercorns and the pieces of star anise, put the bay leaves and cover with the previously prepared cold marinade. I close the glass jar with the metal cap and shake well, turning the jar upside down several times. I open the jar and carefully place the pressing weight/small flat rock/. I close with the metal cap without screwing it all the way, so that air can enter for the proper fermentation.
I leave the full glass jar in a dark and warm place for fermentation to take place – at a constant temperature of 18-20°C, fermentation takes place for 6-7 days. Every day I shake the jar a few times to keep the fermentation going evenly in the jar! During fermentation, bubbles appear in the jar and gradually the ginger pieces change color. After 7 days, I screw the metal cap tightly on the glass jar and put it in the refrigerator for another 7 days for slow fermentation, then the pickled ginger is ready to eat.
The ginger pickle prepared in this way can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.