Pickled ginger (beni shoga, gari)

紅しょうが beni shōga / ガリ gari

Flavor and role: Ginger pickled in vinegar. Red beni shoga is salty and sour, for stir-fries and rice bowls; thin pink gari is sweet and served with sushi.
Typical dishes and uses: Yakisoba, gyudon, okonomiyaki (beni shoga), sushi (gari)
Substitutes: Pickle 1 tbsp julienned ginger in 1 tbsp rice vinegar + a pinch of salt for 15 minutes.
Storage: Unopened at room temperature or in the fridge until the best-before date. Opened, keep submerged in its brine in the fridge for 1–2 months.
Main countries: Japan
Used in this book: Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)Okonomiyaki (Japanese Savoury Pancake)Takoyaki (Osaka Octopus Balls)Okonomiyaki-Style Bindaetteok Kapustnyky Okonomiyaki (Ukrainian × Japanese)Okonomiyaki Chatamari (Nepali × Japanese)Currywurst Japanese Curry Rice Okonomiyaki-Style Deruny (Ukrainian × Japanese)Sukiyaki-Style Gyudon with Onsen Egg Gyudon Rice Burger Seafood Pajeon Okonomiyaki Khao Soi Curry Udon Okonomiyaki Lángos (Hungarian × Japanese)Japanese-Style Mafé Curry Rice Seafood Mix Okonomiyaki with Homemade Sauce Okonomi Loaded Fries Okonomiyaki-Style Oyster Omelette Okonomiyaki Patacones (Colombian × Japanese)Teriyaki Sausage Sizzle with Japanese Mayo and Nori Schnitzel Katsu Curry Osaka-Style Takoyaki with Fresh Dashi and Homemade Sauce Baked Takoyaki Cheese Muffins Okonomiyaki Tortilla Crispy-Noodle Yakisoba with Homemade Sauce Yakisoba Grilled Cheese Hot Sandwich Okonomiyaki Zucchini Slice (Japanese × Australian)

Updated 2026-10-10