How to Fry Garlic, Thai-Style

Fried garlic is a delicious condiment for Thai food but can be drizzled on top of any savory dish. Whether its pasta, fried rice, stir-fried vegetables or soup, fried garlic adds a flavorful crunch and burst of decadent flavor. Follow these instructions for perfectly tasty, perfectly fried garlic.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1/4 cup of mild vegetable oil
• 4 or 5 peeled cloves of garlic
• 1 small piece of white bread (1 inch cube size)
• Mortar and pestle
• Saucepan
• Stove (preferably gas, so to control temperatures with more ease)

How to Fry Garlic

1. Ensure that all cloves of garlic are thoroughly clean and peeled.

2. Mash up garlic cloves, two at a time, with the mortar and pestle. Try to mash them up so that no large pieces of garlic remain intact. If the consistency is similar throughout the mash, it will cook evenly.

3. Once all garlic is mashed, heat the oil in the saucepan gently, over medium heat. Keep an eye on the oil so that it does not overheat. When the oil seems hot, test the temperature with the bread. If it immediately begins to turn golden when dropped in the oil, it's ready for the garlic.

4. Discard bread and carefully add all of the garlic mash to the oil.

5. Stir constantly, keeping a careful eye on the color of the garlic. Make sure all clumps of mashed garlic are separated.

6. As soon as the garlic begins to turn golden brown, remove it from the heat. The garlic will continue to cook in the oil as it cools.

7. Continue to watch garlic carefully. If the golden color of the garlic deepens, remove the garlic from the oil. Garlic is easy to burn, even when the pan is removed from the heat.

8. Store garlic and oil in airtight, screw-top container, like an old jelly jar or glass salsa container.

9. Use the garlic as a flavorful condiment on most any dish and save the oil to sauté vegetables or meat. The oil also makes delicious garlic bread when spread on slices of baguette or other white bread.

Tips & Warnings

• A garlic press will serve just as well as a mortar and pestle to achieve desired mash consistency.
• Mincing garlic with a sharp knife also works well. Minced garlic is also less likely to burn, as it contains less moisture, but some texture is sacrificed.
• If an Italian flair is desired, use olive oil to fry the garlic. Olive oil has its own distinctive taste, which is why it is not often used in Thai food, as Thai cooking prefers a mild, nearly tasteless oil.
• Be careful to watch oil and garlic throughout the whole process! It is hard to dispose of burned oil and burned garlic is a waste of precious garlic.
• Don't give up if the first try is ruined. Frying garlic well takes practice.