If you love garlic, you should find different ways to use it in your kitchen. While some recipes require you to use whole garlic cloves, others dictate that you get a garlic paste. Yet many people have no idea how to make garlic paste.
Once you learn the intricacies of Indian cooking, you will have no problem doing your meal prep using garlic. In addition, making garlic ginger paste for use in your recipes will be much easier.
When making garlic paste, the main work is in peeling the cloves. Once you have peeled garlic cloves, you can quickly prepare the paste using a blender or food processor. The alternative method is to use a sharp knife to mince and crush the garlic cloves.
This article discusses how to make garlic paste with the view of helping you enjoy the health benefits of the Indian recipe. Keep reading for more information to know how to make garlic paste.
What Is Garlic Paste?
Indian cooking differs drastically from Chinese, Italian, or Spanish cooking, which mainly utilizes minced garlic. Instead, the Indians love garlic paste or garlic puree in their dishes.
Homemade garlic paste is essentially freshly peeled garlic that is crushed, ground, or blended into a fine paste with little or no water.
The purpose of making garlic paste is to soften its sharp paste and make it easier to include in recipes. It also helps you quickly prepare blended garlic/ginger paste.
After you have made the garlic paste, for can use it immediately or preserve it in a freezer to prolong its shelf-life.
Benefits of Homemade Garlic Paste
Given that you will be using fresh garlic to make this paste, there are many benefits you will derive from it. For once, you will get a fresh garlic taste that is hard to find in store-bought garlic paste.
Here are the many benefits you will enjoy from making your garlic paste at home:
- It is more affordable than store-bought paste
- The paste lasts longer than the readily available alternative
- You get more garlic paste when you make it at home
- It is full of fresh flavor and aroma
- The paste contains no chemical preservatives
Luckily learning how to make garlic paste at home is extremely easy. Besides, you will always have some fresh garlic whenever you need to use some in your recipes.
How Does Garlic Paste Benefit Your Health?
Besides the obvious benefits of having a fresh garlic paste in your home, eating it can be highly beneficial to your health. Here is how your health will be better for consuming garlic paste:
- Lowering blood cholesterol levels
- Relieving flu and cold
- Lowering blood pressure
- Flushing our toxins, cleansing, and purifying the blood
- Prevents dementia and Alzheimer’s using antioxidant properties
How to Store Garlic Bulbs
Very few people buy pre-peeled garlic straight from the market. Instead, most individuals buy garlic bulbs. With a garlic bulb, you have to start by separating the cloves and peeling.
However, if you have many garlic bulbs, you must find a way to store them before use. Here are a few methods you could use:
- Storing the whole garlic bulb gives it a longer life than separate cloves
- Keep your garlic in cold, dark places, away from sunlight
- By keeping whole garlic bulbs in the fridge, you can prolong their life for months
How to Peel Garlic
If you didn’t purchase peeled garlic, you should take easy steps to have the bulbs peeled. First, take a whole garlic bulb and put it on a cutting board.
With the palm of your hand open, smash the bulb from the top to separate the individual cloves. Now you can peel the garlic cloves using any of the following two methods:
- First Method: Use a knife to cut each clove’s top part before peeling off the skin. This method means exposing your hands to the strong smell of fresh garlic.
- Second Method: Did you know that the silicone tubes for peeling garlic are inexpensive? Once you have the tube, put eight to ten individual garlic cloves into it and roll the tube on a flat surface while applying mild pressure. That will release most of the garlic peels, leaving you with ready-to-use cloves.
Storing Peeled Garlic Cloves
If you do not need a lot of garlic paste, don’t hurry to use all the peeled garlic. You can store the peeled cloves in any of the following methods:
- Refrigerate after storing the peeled garlic in an airtight container
- Prepare a ginger garlic paste, which is excellent for Indian cuisine
How to Make Garlic Paste Using a Blender or Food Processor
Before you start making garlic paste, you should check that you have the right ingredients. The following are some of the things you would need:
- Garlic – You can either choose whole garlic bulbs to start peeling from scratch or take some peeled garlic. Check that the garlic is fresh and has green shoots, mold, or soft spots.
- Oil: If you don’t like the strong taste of olive oil, you may choose any neutral oil. Significant examples include avocado oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, and so on. Feel free to choose an oil that works for you.
- Salt: In garlic puree, salt does more than just season the garlic paste. It preserves the garlic while removing moisture to make it tender and flavorful.
Method
Step 1: After peeling garlic, take the cloves and add them to a blender. This method requires the addition of many cloves since a smaller quantity may not blend easily.
Step 2: Add some avocado oil, vegetable oil, or canola. These are neutral oils that don’t interfere with the garlic flavor. If you want, you can use olive oil instead.
Step 3: Blend until you get a smoother paste. You can keep scraping down to get what you want.
How to Make Garlic Paste with Salt and a Knife
You don’t need to go through the elaborate process of blending different ingredients to make garlic paste. Neither do you require any oil for this recipe? With a simple knife and salt to season, you will have your garlic puree in no time. The good thing is that you do not need any special equipment to use this method.
Ingredients
- Three garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Method
Step 1: Use the heel of your chef’s knife to smash the three garlic cloves. After removing the papery skin and cutting the stem end, slice the cloves. Collect the sliced garlic together on the cutting board and run the blade of the knife over them. Repeat that twice until you have a smoother paste.
Step 2: Sprinkle some kosher salt into the paste. Gather the paste using the knife until you have a tidy pile.
Step 3: Hold the knife with both hands on the sharp end. With the blade at a slight angle, press and scrape the knife against the garlic. Keep going until the garlic is crushed and flat. Heap the garlic once again and press two to three times until you get a smooth paste.
Step 4: You can use this paste in one of your favorite recipes the same day.
How to Store Garlic Paste
Once the garlic paste is ready, transfer it to a glass jar. Tightly secure the lid and store it for up to a week in the refrigerator. If you want to retain the freshness of the garlic, top it up with some oil.
If storing the garlic puree for up to a week isn’t enough, keep it in a freezer for several weeks. Then, scoop the paste and put it on ice cube trays. Be sure to close the ice cube tray with the appropriate lid.
Freezing paste is the best way to preserve garlic’s vibrant flavor, making it ready to use in your favorite recipes. Usually, it tastes much the same as freshly-minced garlic.
Alternatively, you can put the garlic paste in resealable bags. After filling a bag, flatten it using your fingers or a roller. Then, whenever you need some garlic, break off an adequate quantity.
If you used ice cube trays to store garlic in the freezer, you can remove the garlic after some time and store it in an airtight container.
In the ice cube tray, put one teaspoon of paste in every cube. With that, you will know just how much garlic you’re using in your recipes.
How to Keep Garlic Paste Fresh for Longer
- Make a paste using a fresh garlic bulb
- Use a completely dry glass jar to store the paste
- Have the required amount on hand before you start cooking
- After getting enough paste, return the ice cube tray or resealable bag immediately
- Avoid frequent thawing-freezing cycles
How to Use Garlic Paste in a Recipe
Garlic paste is a welcome addition to any dish you prepare at home. Put it directly into the food without thawing if you have frozen garlic. After sautéing onions, add garlic together with curry. Then go ahead to prepare your favorite dish.
Besides using the paste directly in your cooking, you can prepare chili-garlic or ginger garlic paste. Once your garlic paste is ready, add some sliced ginger and blend more.
Add chili to the garlic paste for a spicy burger or sandwich to prepare chili garlic chutney. You will never regret making garlic part of your daily meal prep process.
People also ask
How to Make Garlic Paste by Hand?
To manually make garlic paste, follow these steps: first, use the heel of a chef’s knife to smash three garlic cloves. Then, sprinkle some kosher salt onto the smashed garlic and crush and flatten the garlic by running the knife over it. Finally, use the knife to gather and blend the ingredients until you achieve a smooth texture.
Can You Turn Minced Garlic Into Garlic Paste?
You can make garlic paste from minced garlic. First, combine the minced garlic with kosher salt in a bowl. Next, use the flat side of a chef’s knife to mash and blend the ingredients until they form a smooth paste. Scrape the mixture with the blade to get the desired consistency.
How to Make Garlic Paste at Home Without Blender?
If you don’t have a blender, you can still make garlic paste by peeling and finely mincing garlic cloves. Next, sprinkle some kosher salt on top of the minced garlic and use a chef’s knife to mash and blend the ingredients until they form a smooth paste. Finally, scrape and gather the mixture with the blade until you reach your desired consistency.
Resources
https://www.alphafoodie.com/how-to-make-garlic-paste/
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-garlic-paste-with-just-salt-amp-a-knife-234558
https://ministryofcurry.com/homemade-garlic-paste/
https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/homemade-garlic-paste-trick-article