I’m always looking for new ingredients to use in my recipes, to literally ‘spice up’ our weekly meals in the Wuthering Bites household, so when Sainsburys kindly sent me some Black Garlic to try, i was curious and ready to experiment as always.
Before you get scared, Black Garlic is just in fact- regular garlic, that’s been cooked at a very low temperature for around three to four weeks. Its result is a tremendously sweet, umami flavour, rich but with a wonderfully subtle garlicy aftertaste.
It’s great for adding to meaty dishes of which you’d prefer the slow cooked taste of garlic rather than the very strong raw taste. Personally i find it wonderful for raw marinades and dressings- especially if you’re looking for the same garlic health benefits too!
Marinade Lover
One of the easiest, foolproof ways to introduce Black Garlic to your cooking is in Asian dishes, so i experimented with a marinade for a stir fry. Marinades really are a godsend and i never really get back in to the swing of making them throughout the winter as they are mostly associated with Barbecuing; as spring and summer approaches it’s almost second nature, but as i make this marinade on a chilly morning- i wonder why not?
Make a batch of the marinade and keep it in the fridge- ready to pour over some meat before work, and after a long day, you certainly reap in all the taste rewards.
Gluten Free Black Garlic & Sesame Chilli Beef
Serves 3
1 Large/2 small cloves of Black Garlic roughly chopped
1 tsp of Brown Sugar
1 small Fresh Red chilli
2 tsp of Chilli Flakes
2 tbsp of Olive Oil
3 tbsp of Tamari (more if you fancy)
1 tsp of Dark Sesame Oil
Salt and Pepper
350 grams Organic Beef Steak, diced.
A bunch of Tenderstem Broccoli
A few spring onions, chopped.
Sesame seeds.
Rice Noodles (to serve)
Start by making your marinade, put the black garlic, brown sugar, chilli flakes, olive oil, tamari and dark sesame oil into a small bowl and use a pestle or fork to stir and combine in the black garlic well.
Season the marinade with Salt, Pepper and a touch more chilli, sugar, tamari- dependent on your tastebuds!
In a medium sized bowl, put the diced beef in, season well with salt and pepper. Pour the marinade over the beef, stir it around well with a spoon. Cover the bowl with cling film and put in the fridge for 2-3 hours to marinade.
Heat a frying pan to a high heat and fry up any vegetables you may like to in a little oil. ( Here i’ve used broccoli and spring onions, but it’s up to you!)
Once the vegetables begin to steam well, add in the marinaded beef and cook until medium.
Add in a scattering of sesame seeds and give it a good stir.
Serve with rice or rice noodles and a drizzle more Tamari for taste.
The Black Garlic in this recipe was provided to me by Sainsburys. For more information about Black Garlic check out their website.
