Whole pickled garlic - excellent Korean recipe!

[grisell]

The season for fresh garlic is coming, so I'd like to share this Korean recipe with you. It's especially good if you grow your own garlic, of course.

I made a large batch (2-3 kgs) three years ago, and I've stored it in room temperature since then; it only improves with age! Excellent in noodles, woks, as a side dish or whereever a "Korean touch" is appropriate. Only a small bit is needed to add a delicious flavor to a dish, and the liquid can be used as well. One major advantage is of course the easy storage: room temperature in a closed jar. The ingredients are inexpensive; you can use a cheap brand of soy sauce. In Korea, it is often served as a side dish, cut crosswise to reveal a flowery pattern. I think it's too strong for that, so I only use mine as a seasoning; 1/4 to 1/2 a head at a time.

The recipe is from "Growing up in a Korean kitchen" by H S H Hepinstall, Ten Speed Press, Toronto (BTW an excellent cookbook!).

You must use fresh garlic. I simplified the instructions a little, so the recipe is not an exact copy of the original. As said, make a large batch at once if you have the garlic.

Ingredients:

1 kg (2 lbs) fresh garlic heads
circa 1 litre (4 cups) rice vinegar or distilled vinegar
1 litre (4 cups) soy sauce
8 tbsp honey or 4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp rice wine (Sake) or dry vermouth or dry sherry

Method:

Discard only the outer skin of the garlic and leave the rest intact (do not separate the cloves!). Wash the garlic thoroughly and let dry. Place in an appropriate container and pour over the vinegar. Make sure it covers. Put a (clean!) weight on top if necessary. Cover and let stand in room temperature for two weeks (this process eliminates most of the unwanted sulphuric odours of the garlic).

Pour out and discard the vinegar. Mix/dissolve the rest and add to the garlic. Make sure the liquid covers. Let mature for two more weeks before consumption.

[saucisson]

Sounds interesting...