This is not the pickled ginger served at most Japanese restaurants: It’s better, because it contains no preservatives or coloring. It will not turn pink, or only slightly, but it will be delicious. You may have to play with the sugar content: Some people like it far sweeter than others. Two tablespoons, the amount I use here, is the minimum. If at all possible, use fresh young ginger for this recipe. It will be pinker, with a soft, smooth skin, not woody, like most of the ginger at the market (which is fine for other recipes and uses). Young ginger is easier to peel and slice, and the resulting pickle will have a more delicate texture.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 large piece fresh ginger, about 1/4 pound

　　1 tablespoon salt

　　Rice vinegar as needed

　　2 tablespoons sugar

　　

Step 1

Peel and thinly slice the ginger, using a mandoline if you have one. Toss it with the salt and let stand for an hour. Rinse thoroughly.

　　

Step 2

Combine about 1/4 cup rice vinegar with an equal amount of water and the sugar; heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cool slightly and combine with the ginger in a nonmetal bowl. If the liquid does not cover the ginger, add more vinegar and water, again in equal parts. Cover and refrigerate.

　　

Step 3

You can begin eating the ginger within a day, though it will improve for several days and keep for up to a couple of weeks.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.