WHAT IS BLACK GARLIC?
It’s garlic that’s black - duh!!! Ok ok, aside from the obvious black garlic is simply fermented garlic. It starts off like regular garlic, white in colour and during the fermenting process it becomes this beautiful velvety black colour. How does it taste you ask? To me it’s got this amazing umami flavour. A caramelised taste, balsamic and molasses. It’s been likened to eating black jellybeans in texture. Unlike white garlic you can eat it raw without warning off every vampire in a 100 mile radius. It’s almost sweet in taste but kinda like aging cheese. I know, I know your mind is doing cartwheels and somersaults at the same time wondering about it 😉 So better read on to see how easy it is to make black garlic aioli.
CAN YOU MAKE BLACK GARLIC AT HOME?
It’s a bit of a process! Not because it’s hard to make but it takes time and patience. Nowadays it’s available in many grocery stores or markets but it’s fairly pricey. If you own a rice cooker with a “keep warm” function you are in luck because a) you can now make black garlic and b) sell it to your mates to cover your costs 😉 or c) be a good friend and share your wealth!!
Simply put to make it yourself all you need to do is place garlic inside a rice cooker and leave it alone for 10 days to 3 weeks. I did mention patience didn’t I? Leave the rice cooker on warm, place the date you put it in and then leave it alone.
Downsides of making it yourself
- your house will STINK of garlic
- do you really wanna have your rice cooker on for that long
And that’s why I leave it to the professionals!!! Aside from this black garlic aioli recipe here are others on my site that may provide you with some inspo
Happy Cooking and Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
- 2 egg yolks
- 40 g black garlic
- 1 tsp squid ink
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
- .5 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse to combine
- Slowly add in olive oil and continue to blend until aioli thickens
- Store in fridge in airtight container and consume within 3 days
Notes
Essential Tools
- measuring tools
- blender
- airtight container
Tips/Tricks
- i used 2 egg yolks in this recipe but you can just use 1 if you prefer. Using 2 yolks will give you a thicker aioli so it depends upon the texture/application you are looking for. For example with chips I use 1 yolk but as a sauce with steak I use 2 yolks.
Hi,
Is the squid ink necessary?
Hoping to make this for a Steak Sandwich I do, but don’t have easy access to squid ink.
Tom
It’s not 100% necessary - it adds a darker colour and a richer flavour but you can defo make it without it. If you have a local fish shop you can try there as they may have some but you can defo make it without it