Beni Shoga -- Japanese Red Pickled Ginger

Ginger is an important Asian food, prized for its many culinary, medicinal and health benefits. That fact, along with the love of anything pickled, naturally led to beni shoga or the red pickled ginger slivers served on many Japanese dishes from okonomiyaki to yaki soba. Not to be confused with gari, the pink pickled ginger served alongside sushi, beni shoga has a deep red color that comes from the red perilla (aka shiso) plant. Cooking time is pickling time.

• Ready In: 336 hrs 15 mins
• Yields: 1 batch

Ingredients

• 1  lb  fresh gingerroot
• 2  teaspoons sea salt
• 3⁄4 cup  umeboshi  brine (Umeboshi is pickled plums, for this recipe we need the juice from bottle)
• 5 -7  fresh japanese basil leaves (shiso or red perilla)

Directions

1. Wash and peel ginger.
2. Cut into small, uniform matchsticks by slicing into rounds first, then stacking the rounds and slicing across.
3. Place into a strainer and sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Let this sit and drain for about 30 minutes.
5. Squeeze out liquid and pat dry with a paper towel.
6. Stack the shiso leaves on top of each other, roll into a cigar-like cylinder and slice thinly
7. Place the ginger slivers into a clean, glass jar, layering with the sliced shiso leaves.
8. Pour in the ume brine.
9. Cover with a lid and store in the refrigerator.
10. Let the ginger pickle for about a few weeks.
11. Enjoy beni shoga on top of okonomiyaki, takoyaki, yaki soba, gyudon, curry rice or anything else that might please the palate.