Garlic Pickled in Miso (にんにくのみそ漬け）
On Sunday, a week ago, I felt an urgent need to preserve something and since it was too early to pickle my staple yearly batch of peppers, chillies or tomatoes, I decided to do something new with the fresh tender garlic I had bought at the market. Leafing through the pickling book I bought last year in Japan (Japanese only) I proudly embarked on my very first miso zuke (miso pickling) adventure. The pickles should be ready to taste in a month’s time, so I cannot share with you my impressions yet, but since young garlic is quickly growing tougher, I thought I’d post it as soon as I can in case you want to experiment with softer garlic cloves too.
Many people associate Japanese pickling with short-term techniques, some requiring only one hour, but the Japanese world of preserves is very rich and apart from instant or short-term pickles (one to several days), there are a lot of long-term preserving methods, which require some patience, and this recipe is one of their best examples. Miso (fermented soy sauce paste, used in the famous miso soups) is often mixed with some other ingredients, creating a so called “miso bed” or marinade (misodoko), but my recipe called for miso alone. Vegetables are simply burrowed in the miso bed and fermentation process changes their taste. I haven’t tasted the results yet (I’ll update this post as soon as I do), but the garlic pickled in miso I tasted in Japan was sensational, so I hope I’ll like my experimental first batch too.
If this experiment works, it will be a memorable moment because it was also the first time I used a book bought last year in Japan (click here), driven by an ambitious decision to practice my reading and learn new recipes at the same time, obviously with a little help from my Japanese friends… I am a bit ashamed to say that it was the first time I tried a recipe from it, but such a simple one was a very encouraging start.
If you look for new ways to use miso, check WHAT TO DO WITH MISO? page featuring more than a dozen recipes.
TIPS: Young, soft garlic cloves are advised here, but older “standard” garlic keeps for longer, so if you want to keep your pickled garlic for many months, taking them out gradually, it’s maybe even better to use older specimens. They might only take more time to “ripen” (according to what I read on internet, you should wait two months before tasting older garlic).
You can easily reuse this miso for next pickling batch or simply the way you would use “new” miso (soups, marinades, stir-fries). I wonder if the miso “bed” becomes garlicky… I hope it does! (I’ll update this information when the tasting time comes).
You can use any miso you have. I have used red miso here.
NOTE: In case you are wondering, the red spots you see at the photograph are not chilli flakes (surprising in my case… I know!), but red koji (“koji” is a mould used to ferment soybeans). The red koji’s presence is the reason why I brought this miso (it was the first time I saw such a miso), among others, from Japan. I don’t know if it’s thanks to red koji, but it’s excellent, so I will buy several packages next time. In case you travel to Japan, I have bought the miso in Mitsukoshi department store (Nihonbashi, Tokyo) and strongly recommend it.
Preparation: 5 minutes (ready to eat in one month)
Ingredients:
peeled garlic cloves (preferably young; if you use older garlic, cut off the tough ends too)
miso (without any additives; check well the ingredients!); an amount necessary to cover completely garlic cloves
Place a layer of miso in a jar or another glass or ceramic container with a lid (avoid plastic!).
Put the cloves over the miso (so that they don’t touch the bottom of the container) and cover with another layer of miso (you shouldn’t be able to see the garlic).
Squash well the miso with a spoon to make sure there are no air bubbles (I did it just after making this photographs, so the air bubbles you see were eliminated).
Place in a cool place (I have put it in the warmest place in the fridge) and taste after one month or minimum two, if you use older garlic.
I’m amazed at all the varieties of pickling there are. Almost makes me wish I liked the stuff but other than ginger and capers, I’m not very fond of pickles.
Thank you, A_Boleyn. If you do like ginger and capers, then you simply don’t like most pickles 😉 Have you tasted moso pickles? The only time I did, it was amazing!
I’m not fond of cucumbers either so I don’t think that miso pickles would be to my taste either. 🙂
Thanks to your blog I get to know some interesting dishes that I would not generally come across.
Will you use the miso after the pickling process? Why not put the garlic into the miso bag directly?
Mr. Three-Cookies, it’s a very flattering compliment. Thank you! Yes, I can use the miso, especially since there is nothing more in it (the most frequent miso pickling bed includes sake or mirin and sometimes other ingredients and I guess it might spoil easily) and I even hope to pickle once more in the same bed. Maybe it will be quicker thanks to the bacteria created by first batch of garlic… I’m really looking forward to experimenting!
I haven’t used the whole bag because first of all it’s a small “test” batch and most of all this red koji miso is too good to use only on garlic pickles and I cannot buy it here… but soon I’ll use up the whole miso bag which I don’t like (too sweet!).
i’m a HUGE fans of garlic, gonna try this A.S.A.P
Thank you, Dedy.
Talk about something totally foreign to me!!! Pickling in Miso – have never heard of it. I will be anxiously awaiting your impressions of this experiment in a month’s time as you know that I’m a huge fan of garlic (and yours for that matter). 🙂
Hi, MJ. I tasted garlic pickled in miso last time in Japan. It was so delicious, I decided to pickle it on my own and I wonder why I waited so long… It’s so easy too: burrow garlic in miso and wait (maybe next time I’ll add some sake too to make a more popular pickling “bed” to see the difference). I’ll let you know how it tastes. I am very impatient.
Fantastic ! Sissi, you are like a scientist or chemist. I think you’re an awesome person. I enjoyed your food research/creativeness. And love your food photo!
Phew…I finally had time to visit your blog…I don’t know how the time fly so fast! Wishing you a great week!
Hi, Nipponnin. You are too kind… thank you for this touching message and compliments. I also wish you a great week!
I would have never thought in a million years to pickle garlic in miso — I guess I tend to think of pickling as something that happens in liquid. What a revelation! I just love this idea and as I review your response to MJ, I’m encouraged by how well it works. And so simple too! I cannot wait to try this experiment when we return from holidays. How great; thank you Sissi for this completely different yet doable kitchen project :).
Thank you so much, Kelly. Miso pickled products are very popular in Japan (though I don’t know if many people do it at home… but it’s so easy!). I am impatient to taste this garlic but I’m wise so I have put this first “test” jar at the back of the fridge, so that it doesn’t tempt me 😉 Have wonderful holidays!
With all this going on here I kind of vanished but I see that you continue mastering the art of pickling. How unusual!
Thank you, Katerina. I cross my fingers for your country.