Steps

1. Cut the young ginger into manageable pieces for washing and remove any soil from the roots.
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2. Scrape off any brown parts on the surface with a spoon or knife to clean.
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3. Thinly slice the young ginger along the grain. Slicing with the pink parts will give a subtle pink hue. If unstable, trim a small part to create a flat base before slicing. [Key Tip!] While a mandoline slicer can be used, thinly slicing with a knife improves texture and results in cleaner cuts.
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4. Briefly boil the sliced young ginger in boiling water for about 1 minute. This process mellows the spiciness and helps it absorb the sweet vinegar better.
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5. Drain the boiled young ginger in a colander and spread it out with chopsticks. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of salt for preparation evenly and let it sit until it cools down to room temperature.
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6. Soak a 5cm square piece of kombu in slightly more than 180ml of water for at least 30 minutes to make a cold-brew kombu dashi. Before using, gently heat the cold-brew kombu dashi to extract its umami.
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7. In a pickling container, combine 5 tbsp of sugar, 1/2 tsp of [A] salt, and 120ml of [A] vinegar.
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8. Pour the hot kombu dashi into the container, removing the kombu, and stir until the sugar dissolves to create the sweet vinegar. Let the sweet vinegar and young ginger cool down.
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9. Squeeze out excess moisture from the cooled young ginger to prevent it from becoming watery.
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10. Place the squeezed young ginger into the sweet vinegar and gently loosen any tightly packed or firm pieces with chopsticks.
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11. Cover and refrigerate. It will be delicious to eat from about half a day later.
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