Benishoga / red pickled ginger

Unlike the bright red of store-bought pickled ginger, benishoga takes on a pinkish hue when made at home in the traditional way. It is as easy as getting rid of the excess moisture of ginger by salting or drying it, and marinating in brine produced by plums during the umeboshi-making process.

Below, shinshoga [new crop ginger] is sun-dried and soaked in the brine of anzuboshi pickled apricots. The finished benishoga offers a combination of flavors: softly salty, sharp, spicy and even fruity.

Whole recipe (56 g solids)
27 calories; 0.8 g protein; 0.3 g fat; 5.9 g carbohydrate; 4.0 g net carbs; 231 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 1.9 g fiber

Umezu / plum vinegar

(Red umezu in photo)

While umezu literally means “plum vinegar,” it is not a true vinegar (umezu does not contain acetic acid). Umezu is a salty and sour liquid that comes out of plums in the umeboshi pickling process. During this process, shiro [white] umezu is first produced after plums are salted; after purple perilla leaves are added to color plums, aka [red] umezu is produced. Those who make their own umeboshi at home often keep the liquid for another use. Bottled umezu, both white and red, is available in the vinegar section at some stores (including Uwajimaya in Seattle).