What a process this has been. This past weekend I bought more than 10 pounds of ginger (4.5kg) and by the time I was done preparing it I had reduced it to less than 6 pounds or 2.7kg. After peeling I had to slice it into very thin matchsticks and apply a generous amount of salt. I kneaded this for a short while and removed a large amount of water. Rinsed the ginger, salted it again, kneaded some more, drained, rinsed, and pressed as much water out of as I could before working through this procedure a third and fourth time. I finally added a cup (240ml) of lime juice and about 2 tablespoons of salt to the shredded ginger.

From there I transferred the spicy concoction into a couple of quart jars with loose-fitting lids that I  let sit overnight. Peeling this much ginger took me nearly 2 hours and slicing it took about 4 more, maybe 5. Pressing about a half gallon or about 1.7 liters of water from the ginger required about another hour. By shopping for the ginger at our local Chinese store I was able to buy the 10 pounds for only $11.50 or about €10.

After it sat overnight I had to squeeze as much fluid as I could out of the pickling ginger, place it in a clean jar, pat it down, cover it in peanut oil, and store it in the fridge. While it took about 10 hours between purchasing and preparation the luxury of being able to indulge in this delicacy cannot be understated.

This week we’ll be testing our homemade pickled ginger in the Burmese salad known as “Gin Thoke.” The last time we had this amazing salad was at Little Rangoon in Scottsdale, but sadly that restaurant is no longer here. Matter of fact there’s not a Burmese restaurant to be found in Arizona.