Although it is now widely available to buy, learning how to make sushi ginger will provide you with best results. You'll often find luminous pink versions of gari – the vivid pink shade comes from using very young ginger, which is much more tender and has a natural sweetness. That being said, some commercially produced versions of ginger use colourings to achieve that vivid hue, so it's not always a sign of quality.
Making your own is incredibly easy, so don't be scared to try it. A mandoline will make slicing the ginger much easier, but if you don't have one a very sharp knife will suffice. If you really want that pink colour but can't source any young ginger, add a splash of beetroot juice to the pickling solution as a natural dye.
