Sweet-and-Sour Pickled Garlic (Tángcù Suàn, 糖醋蒜)
The Mala MarketEquipment
- Clean, dry Chinese-style pickling jar
Ingredients
- 2 pounds whole garlic bulbs (approx. 900g) (look for small, compact bulbs with cloves that are not separating and thick skin that is not flaking or discolored; the garlic should not smell)
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt (approx. 30g)
- 2 ½ cups Zhenjiang black vinegar (approx. 1 bottle)
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar, plus more to taste (or the equivalent of another sugar, such as rock sugar or shatang)
- Splash of high proof liquor (>50% ABV)
Instructions
Soaking the Garlic
- Boil 8-10 cups of water so it’s sterile. (This should be enough to cover the garlic bulbs/cloves, plus extra for refreshing the solution.) Add the salt and taste the brine; it shouldn’t be as salty as seawater, just a little salty. Set the brine aside and let cool to room temperature before using.
- Peel the outer layers of paper from the garlic, then separate each clove and set them aside. (If using whole bulbs, remove the outermost skins, leaving only 2 layers. Slice off the root and stem ends.)
- Soak the cloves (or whole bulbs) in the room-temperature salt water. They should be fully covered in the brine, and you should have additional brine leftover. Cover the bowl loosely and let it sit in a cool, dark place for 2 nights. If using plastic wrap to cover the bowl, poke some holes in the top for airflow. Refresh the soaking liquid with more of the sterile salt water at least 1–2 times during this time, to add more salt as it is absorbed into the cloves.
- After 2 nights, pour off all the salt brine. Rinse the garlic, and set it aside to dry completely on a rack or elevated strainer. Any moisture that remains can spoil your pickles, so make sure to let everything dry thoroughly. (If using whole bulbs, dry them on a rack with the stem side down.)
Making the Pickles
- When the garlic has dried, gently heat the fragrant Zhenjiang vinegar with the sugar, stirring, just until the sugar has dissolved completely. Taste and adjust the sweetness as you like. Set the mixture aside to cool to room temperature.
- When the vinegar solution is cool, put the dried garlic into a sterilized pickling jar. Pour the vinegar-sugar solution over it, adding enough to just cover. Add a splash of high proof liquor on top to help prevent mold from forming. Seal the jar (follow the instructions for your pickling jar to form a water seal) and set it aside in a cool, dark place for 1 month.
Notes
If your garlic oxidizes and turns blue or green, don’t worry. It’s just an enzymatic reaction due to the fermentation process and does not affect the taste.