Korean Pickled Young/New Garlic (Manul Changachi)
I was going to write on a completely different subject, but when I bought several heads of young garlic planning these fantastic pickles, I thought I’d mention them once again.
The pickles are ridiculously easy, process takes no time at all, though the waiting time is long… so you must be patient! All you need is a relatively neutral vinegar, soy sauce, rice wine (e.g sake) and honey. “Normal” garlic cloves are also delicious pickled this way, but the soft-skinned spring ones are quicker and simply the best, so spring is the perfect moment to think about these surprisingly rewarding pickles.
I copy here the recipe posted seven years ago, since I haven’t changed it since then. I prepare these pickles every year and several times a year, sometimes with young garlic, sometimes with the “old” one. They are always delicious and keep infinitely once refrigerated (see below). I have even managed to test a small two-year old portion, kept for two years in the fridge, and it was still perfect!
The recipe comes from Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall’s Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen, but I have stretched the pickling time, the original one being too short for my taste. After the time I advise below, garlic cloves mellow, the colour changes to very dark brown and they become irresistible.
If you wonder what you might do with this garlic (apart from eating it straight from the jar every time you open it,) you might like it chopped and served as rice or noodle topping, as a sandwich enhancer (think of a gherkin replacement here) or as one of side-dishes served with both Asian and Western meals or as a sake/wine snack. The brine can be used as a dressing for raw vegetables, a salad or a sauce for grilled meats or rice.
Sprinkling on top of this Korean-style monkfish is one of the ways these pickles can be used:
TIPS: Don’t worry if some bubbles appear during the first stage (called the “maturing” process). It is normal. The only thing you should worry about is mould (luckily I didn’t have any).
Apparently some versions of these pickles are very sweet. I must say I didn’t even need to cut down on honey because Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall’s recipe doesn’t use a lot of honey. For me the result was perfect.
I have used here low-sodium soy sauce and my pickled garlic is not particularly salty, but I have no idea how salty it will be when pickled in standard soy sauce.
Do not throw away the vinegar (after the first stage) and especially the soy-sauce brine! Both are delicious and can be added to many cold and warm dishes.
Preparation: about 3 months (with “old” garlic) or about one month if using young spring garlic
Ingredients:
50 rather big garlic cloves, peeled
500ml/about 1 pint rice vinegar or cider/apple/white wine vinegar
500 ml soy sauce (I use and advise low-sodium soy sauce)
4 tablespoons honey (you can also use cane sugar)
2 tablespoons rice wine (I use cheap Japanese sake I buy for cooking, but Korean wine would of course be more genuine here)
Wash the garlic cloves and dry them.
Put them into a jar and cover with vinegar. Pack the garlic tightly so that the cloves are completely immersed (you might need a bit more of vinegar but leave at least 3 cm (a bit more than 1 inch) of space between the lid and the liquid). Cover tightly with plastic film or with a lid.
Close the jar and leave at room temperature for two weeks.
(You will see some bubbles on top, the garlic will change the colour to blue or green… but don’t worry, unless there is mould, everything is perfect).
After the two weeks discard the vinegar (don’t throw it away ! garlic-infused vinegar is delicious) and put back the garlic cloves into the same or another clean jar.
Combine the honey, the soy sauce and the rice wine, pour over the garlic, again making sure the garlic is immersed and leaving some space under the lid.
Leave tightly covered at room temperature for at least ten days, but I strongly recommend at least one month with young garlic and two months with normal old garlic cloves. Taste the garlic every week, you will see how the taste evolves and you will understand why two months are better. Of course, if you do this in the summer or if you leave in a hot region, pickle the garlic in the fridge (the warmest places will be best, for example the fridge door).
I can confirm these pickles stay delicious for at least two years.
Hello Sissi! Thanks for another wonderful recipe. I love garlic (and ginger too) and having trouble finding more ways to eat them. I love Korean cooking, especially their vegetable banchans, so this comes in really handy. From what I read, this seems likely to be a wonderfully tasty recipe. I will try making it too. Thanks again for all your lovely recipes over the years that I have incorporated into my repertoire. Cheers.
I must admit I have never seen pickled garlic before I saw it on your blog but I am intrigued by this recent post. I usually just roast my garlic in olive oil and purée it because roasting takes the harshness out of it, it’s just beautiful in mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash.
Hi Eva, this is really amazing. I had tried before “Western”-style pickling in vinegar and I didn’t see the point, but this double-pickling (first in vinegar, than in a soy sauce-based brine) is really amazing. Also the colour… at a certain point garlic becomes dark brown inside (though the exterior is lighter).
I’m glad you mentioned not to worry if it turned blue or green…I’m sure I’d think it was definitely going bad. 😊
Sometimes it’s blue, sometimes green… When I pickle peppers or chillies in vinegar and add some garlic cloves, they also change their colour, so I’m used to it.
You know how I love to pickle things. Thanks for reposting this! I’ve been on a pickling spree lately, so I’m very excited to give these a try. I LOVE garlic but have never had it pickled like this. Can’t wait to try it. So can you really wait 2 weeks before trying them? 🙂
Thank you so much, MJ! Two weeks for the first stage, but the raw garlic in vinegar isn’t that good….so you won’t be tempted! Then, I really advise more (especially if you pickle “normal” garlic, not the young one). The best way not to be tempted is to hide the garlic jar somewhere you know you’ll check maybe once a month…. Though for the first time you should check the taste and the inside colour every week and thus watch it improve with time. Magical! Then, once your pickles are ready to eat, quickly start a new batch, so that you can eat the earlier ones in the meantime!