Save Time with Minced Garlic
In my kitchen, garlic is an important ingredient that I often use. However, when cooking, I’d have to peel, mince and fry tiny amounts at a time, before it can be used in stir-fries or soups. This is why I like to prepare fried minced garlic in batches to save time when cooking.
The process is very simple. Peel, mince, fry, cool, and store the minced garlic. When it’s time to use it, use a clean and dry spoon to scoop out the desired amounts. When stored in a clean, air-tight container or jar, the minced garlic can last up to 2 months. This is because the layer of oil keeps the air out, preventing oxidation and deterioration of the garlic.
The only drawback is that the minced garlic itself is not crispy as it tends to soak up the oil, unlike the crispy fried garlic recipe that I’ve recently shared.
Minced Garlic in Oil Recipe
Ingredients
For this recipe, prepare bulbs of garlic, cooking oil, and salt to taste. To make it easier, I’ve also prepared a pestle and mortar and a food processor to help with the peeling and mincing stages.
Preparing the Minced Garlic
Place the bulbs of garlic, facing down in a mortar. Use a pestle to lightly break all the cloves from the root. This helps loosen the cloves of garlic from its skin, making removal a breeze. After a while, pick the garlic cloves that have detached themselves from the bulb.
Remove any of the skin that can be easily removed. If some of the cloves’ skin is still tightly enveloping them, lightly crush the cloves with a pestle again. Now it should be easy to peel it off.
Repeat until all the cloves have been cleanly peeled. If the garlic is not very fresh, there are bound to be some bad parts present. It’s okay as we will cut them off in the next part.
When all the cloves have been peeled, give them a rinse and pat dry them. Then, thoroughly check the cloves for any bruises, dark/ light spots, or even signs of rot. If any of them are present, cut them with a sharp knife and discard them.
Once done, I like to pre-heat the cooking oil in a stainless steel pan over medium-high heat to save time. I used a stainless steel pan as it’s very good for conducting heat, and can withstand high temperatures over a few minutes. For this recipe, as we are deep-frying, I do not recommend using non-stick pans. This is because the non-stick layers deteriorate very fast over high heat.
Next, mince the garlic into small pieces. We don’t want them to be too fine as the cooking process will burn them easily. I have used a food processor to help as it only takes about 5 seconds. Another alternative is to pound them lightly with the pestle and mortar or to chop them until fine.
A blender can be used as well, however, I would suggest adding 1/4 teaspoon of cooking to ease the blending process. Additionally, depending on the blender, it may need slightly more time to blend the garlic to the desired size.
Avoid adding water while mincing the garlic as it can cause serious oil splashes when frying.
Frying the Garlic
Once done, check the cooking oil. It should be hot by now. To tell if the oil is hot enough, observe the bottom of the pan. If there are oil ripples forming, the cooking oil is ready. Another alternative is to insert the tip of a pair of wooden cooking chopsticks into the oil. If there are bubbles rapidly breaking the oil’s surface, then the oil is hot enough for the garlic.
Carefully add all the minced garlic into the pan. They should start sizzling right away. Be cautious while doing this as the hot steam that is escaping the oil can easily burn the skin.
Continuously stir the small pieces of garlic in the pan to cook them evenly. This step is crucial as allowing the garlic to be stagnant can cause them to sink and get stuck at the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring for about 7 minutes, or until the garlic changes colour to yellow. They will be cooked, but not brown.
Sprinkle in the salt around the 4th minute, or when it’s halfway cooked. Continue stirring to evenly distribute the salt. If preferred, the salt can be omitted, too. I like to add a little bit of salt to my minced garlic to really bring out that nutty, caramelized garlic flavour in the pieces as well as in the oil. At this stage, the cooking oil is being infused with the essence of the garlic, turning the unscented cooking oil to garlic oil. The kitchen is quite aromatic with the smell of fried garlic as well.
After 7 minutes, or once the garlic has changed colour to slightly yellow, switch off the heat. Keep stirring for 30 seconds to slightly cool the garlic oil.
Cooling the Garlic
Pour all the contents of the stainless steel pan into a heat-proof bowl. Notice that the garlic is still quite yellow. This is because while the garlic and the oil are cooling together, the residual heat from the oil will continue to cook the garlic. If the garlic pieces have already turned orange, or brown at this stage, they will definitely be burnt after cooled.
If using a metal bowl, be careful not to touch the bowl until its contents have completely cooled. This is because the metal conducts heat easily, and will be hot until the garlic and oil reach room temperature.
After around 2 hours, the garlic and oil should have cooled down completely. The garlic has caramelized well and is somewhat soft too.
Storing Minced Garlic
Now they can be stored together in a clean, dry, air-tight jar for ease of access. This minced garlic can be stored at room temperature for about 1 month, and in the fridge for about 2 months.
If stored in the fridge, the oil will harden into a solid; however, it can be scooped out easily with a metal spoon. I would suggest taking the desired amount and keep the rest in the fridge. The minced garlic can be thawed at room temperature, or immediately melted in a hot pan when cooking.
That’s all! I hope this recipe for minced garlic helps to shave time off in the kitchen for you as well. Enjoy!
Fried Garlic in Oil Recipe
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Wok
- Silicone Turner
- Air-Tight Jar
Ingredients
- 300 g garlic
- 250 g cooking oil, odorless
- 1/4 tsp salt, optional
Instructions
Peeling the Garlic
- Place the garlic bulbs bottoms up in a mortar.
- Break off the skin with a pestle by crushing the garlic lightly.
- Remove the skin from the garlic.
- Repeat until all the garlic have been peeled.
Cleaning the Garlic
- Remove the bad parts of the garlic.
- Rinse the garlic.
- Pre-heat the oil in a deep pan/ wok over medium heat.
Mince the Garlic
- Mince the garlic into small pieces for 5 seconds with a food processor.
Frying the Garlic
- When the oil is hot, pour all the garlic into the pan.
- Continuously stir the garlic until is cooked, but not brown, for 7 minutes.
- At the 4th minute, add in 1/4 tsp of salt. Continuous stir until the garlic is ready.
- Switch off the heat and continue to stir for 30 seconds.
Cooling the Garlic
- Pour the garlic and oil into a heat-resistant bowl to cool down.
- Store in a clean, dry, air-tight container. Use a clean, dry spoon to scoop out the desired amount when needed.
Video
Notes
- A blender can be used to mince the garlic as well. Add 1/4 tsp of cooking oil to ease the blending process.
- A knife can be used to mince the garlic as well.
- 1 month at room temperature, or
- 2 months in the fridge.