I absolutely LOVE a life hack. If you've got a way to make something that's expensive to buy, you get something that's more authentic, often better for you, and cheaper. Black garlic is one of those gourmet ingredients that costs a small fortune to buy - around three to five times the price of ordinary garlic. So when I heard you could make black garlic in a rice cooker, I jumped on the idea. In fact, you can see my thought processes in a previous article which you can read here.
How easy is it to make black garlic in a rice cooker? Does it work?
Buying a cheap rice cooker from K-Mart, I stuffed it with the 7 cups worth of garlic bulbs that I could fit in there, and plugged it in - in my husband's shed, much to his consternation. 'Don't worry honey,' I reassured him. 'It will only smell like garlic for 3 weeks'.
Three weeks later, the garlic wasn't ready. It wasn't anywhere near black! Yet, like Macbeth wading through his blood, I was too steeped in this black garlic project to return. 'Don't worry, honey,' I reassured the husband, who by now was mentally tallying up the electricity bill, 'only another week, I reckon'.
Today was the eight week mark. I decided to cut my losses, bringing it inside for assessment. I had suspected this might be the case, but I had ignored my instincts which said the garlic at the bottom might be done, which turned out to be true - the cloves at the bottom were hard as a rock - like drop them in a bowl and they clinked like gold nuggets in a prospecting pan in heaven. Break your teeth hard. The others were more chewy.
The Malliard reaction, the process that turns garlic black or foods brown (think caramelised onions) is a form of non-enzymatic browning which typically starts from around 140 to 165 掳C (280 to 330 掳F). Was my rice cooker not warm enough, or was there not a tight enough seal on it? I don't know. But I was sure a little miffed that the garlic didn't turn gothic black. The taste was there though - a kind of mushroomy, burnt caramel taste. Some describe it it as sweet like tamarind or containing hints of balsamic vinegar. It's a very earthy, umami flavour. I'd almost describe it as truffle-like - it's very distinctive.
Now what?
Out with the spice grinder (our coffee grinder) then, resulting in a black garlic dust which is intensely flavoured and I'm guessing will be amazing sprinkled on risotto, in Asian broths, on creamy pastas or just about anything. The rest I have made into a paste with vinegar and salt to preserve it a little, and I imagine it will be wonderful in all kinds of dishes too.
The health benefits of black garlic are said to be even more than ordinary garlic, and the bonus is that my husband can eat it as it changes the fructose in it, meaning he can tolerate it on his FODMAP diet. Some benefits are outlined below:
- yeast-fermented black garlic exhibited much better bioactivity against syndromes such as obesity, hyperlipidemia, nephropathy, and hepatopathy1
- improves gastrointenstinal function 2
- has increased antioxidant effects3
- may have anti-cancer actions 4
- Helps lower cholesterol and may help diabetics
Perhaps we might try a more traditional method instead - it will be an interesting experiment again, if nothing else! You can also use a fermenting box, which is said to only take a week.
Have you tasted black garlic?
Have you ever made it?
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://www.riverflowings.com/?p=393
@naturalmedicine II Discord Invite II #naturalmedicine
Website | 