How to make sweet and sour pickled garlic

Although garlic is spicy and irritating, its bactericidal and disinfecting effects are unmatched by any other food. Of course, for those who can’t eat garlic, you can choose sweet and sour pickled garlic which is not particularly irritating. Sweet and sour pickled garlic has the antibacterial effect of garlic and a sweet and sour taste, so it is also very popular. However, making sweet and sour pickled garlic is not an easy task. Here I will introduce to you how to make sweet and sour pickled garlic.

Material selection

The raw materials for processing sweet and sour garlic should be garlic heads with neat and plump bulbs, white skin and tender flesh. They are sorted into different grades, i.e. 20 pieces per kilogram for special grade, 30 pieces per kilogram for A grade, and more than 30 pieces per kilogram for other grade.

Strip

Use a knife to cut off the roots and stems, peel off the garlic skin covering the garlic, wash it in clean water, and drain.

Salted

Marinate with 10kg of fresh garlic and 1kg of salt. First sprinkle a layer of bottom salt in the pot, then add a layer of garlic and a layer of salt, until half of the pot is marinated, and then sprinkle a layer of salt on the surface.

Cylinder replacement

The purpose of changing the jar is to ensure that the upper and lower parts of the garlic are pickled evenly. Prepare a clean empty jar of the same capacity for replacement. Replace the jar once in the morning and evening every day until the brine can cover 3/3 of all the garlic. At the same time, you need to dig a small hole in the center of the garlic to allow the brine to flow into the hole, and often use a ladle to scoop out the brine in the hole and pour it on the surface of the garlic. After 15 days of such management, the garlic will be salted.

Drying

Take out the salted garlic from the jar and place it on a bamboo mat to dry in the sun. It is best to dry it until it is 30%-35% less than its original weight. Turn it over once a day when exposed to the sun, and put it indoors at night or cover it with a rainproof cloth to prevent rain.

Ingredients

For every 10kg of dried salted garlic, use 7kg of white vinegar and 3.2kg of sugar. When preparing the ingredients, first heat the white vinegar to 80°C, then add sugar to dissolve it. Some people also add a little cinnamon, star anise and other spices.

Pickling

Put the salted garlic into the jar and press it gently. When it is 3/4 full, inject the prepared sweet and sour liquid into the jar until it is full. The weight of the garlic and the liquid should be almost equal. Place a few bamboo strips across the neck of the jar to prevent the garlic from floating up. Then use plastic film or oil paper to tightly seal the mouth of the jar, add a wooden board, and apply Sanhe to the mouth of the jar to make it airtight. After 3 months, the garlic will be mature. If the time is longer, the quality of the finished product will be better. Sealed garlic can be stored for a long time.