Black Garlic, with its amazing sweet-fruity umami notes, is of the most exciting ingredients you can make very easily yourself, with just patience and a rice cooker. You can use it in a million recipes, just like the fresh version, but it has so much more flavour and depth due to the super slow Maillard reaction that happens when leaving it for weeks on very low heat. Much cheaper than in the supermarket too.
Why You Will Love This
The first time I spotted Black Garlic in my local supermarket in Waterford, I was intrigued. I mean, of course the shiny black cloves looked slightly weird, but it was new, so of course I had to try it.
Versatile
What I wasn’t prepared for though, was the flavour explosion in my mouth. Sure, there was a hint of garlic, but so much more! None of the pungent sharpness of fresh garlic was left. Instead hints of fruit, going particularly well with cheese, umami and sweetness, making it an incredible pairing for any meat or mushrooms. Notes similar to good balsamic vinegar, but without the acidity. I could just eat them as they were like tiny snacks, similar to dried fruit with many of the same characteristics.
Essentially, everything you throw it at gets better. I mean it. Even cookies. I’m not kidding you. https://forthepleasureofeating.com/sourdough-oatmeal-white-chocolate-chip-cookies-with-black-garlic/
Adds “Oomph” to Dishes
Similar to its fresh version, you can use it in salad dressing, sauces for meat, compound butter, bread and many more. I think I saw even an ice cream made with it once. It became a trend ingredient in high end restaurants for a reason, adding lots of flavour, lifting up other ingredients, but without overpowering them.
I think my all-time favourite use of it were Burgers with Black Garlic Aioli. https://forthepleasureofeating.com/burger-with-black-garlic-aioli/
Super Easy to Make
All you need is a rice cooker, several bulbs of garlic, unpeeled, clingfilm and tinfoil. And about 40 days of time. That’s not a typo.
Essentially, against all those posts that claim it would be “fermented”, what is happening here is the Maillard reaction (the caramelisation of sugars present on food caused by heat) in extremely slow motion. Which leads to the black colour without any burning, as the sugar in the garlic gets very slowly transformed into caramel. Fermentation however would be bacteria doing the work and generally leading to some sort of bubbly and funky outcome. Think Kombucha or Kimchi or sourdough. There is nothing bubbly or funky about black garlic though. Just little nuggets of concentrated sweetness and flavour.
The Ingredients
I gave it away above, but let me repeat:
Garlic Bulbs. The best quality you can find. Please don’t use any old sprouted ones hanging out in your cupboard. About 6-8 max I found is best. I tried more but found that if I place more than one layer in the rice cooker, the top ones don’t get caramelized as well.
Rice cooker or slow cooker. Ideally one you don’t use every day, because this will be tied up for the foreseeable future. I simply bought a cheap one on Amazon just for this.
The important part is, that it has the “keep warm” function, as that’s what we will be using.
Clingfilm and Aluminium foil. Both.
I have seen and tried methods with just tinfoil or even oven roasting bags, and some using no wrapping at all, but none of them got me the consistent and perfect outcome I got by using clingfilm and tinfoil. And I’ve made many batches by now.
The Method
Cut off as many small pieces of clingfilm and tinfoil as you have garlic bulbs. Each big enough to wrap one bulb.
Now wrap each bulb first in clingfilm, then tinfoil. I did it by placing the bulb in the middle of a square, then just pulling up the sides and twisting the top.
There. The hard part is done.
Please your neat little parcels in your rice cooker.
Ideally add a sticker to your rice cooker, telling you what day you started your black garlic.
Find a well-ventilated spot near a wall plug in your house. Your house will smell of garlic. Unless you have the luxury of a garage or shed with power plugs. I left mine in the utility room, with the window tipped open.
Leave for about 40 days. Start checking the garlic after 30. If the cloves are shiny, black, and still soft, they are done. If they are still light brown, they need more time. If they are hard and crunchy, you left them too long.
That’s all there is to it. Enjoy your little black gems in a delicious Cashew Ranch dressing.
Or add them to compound butter to stuff under the skin of a chicken, for the most delicious roast chicken you will ever have.
Or…bake cookies with it and enjoy the freaked out but delighted look on your friends faces, when you tell them they are eating cookies with garlic.
Storing your Black Garlic
The Black Garlic keeps in a jar in the fridge for several months. Not that I think it’ll last that long. I have a feeling you’ll start a second batch soon.
Please comment!
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share and comment. It helps me a lot.
Black Garlic
Black Garlic, with its amazing sweet-fruity umami notes, is of the most exciting ingredients you can make very easily yourself, with just patience and a rice cooker. You can use it in a million recipes, just like the fresh version, but it has so much more flavour and depth due to the super slow Maillard reaction that happens when leaving it for weeks on very low heat. Much cheaper than in the supermarket too.
Cut off as many small pieces of cling film and aluminium foil as you have garlic bulbs. Each should be big enough to wrap one bulb.
Take an unpeeled garlic bulb and wrap it first in cling film, ensuring it's covered completely.
Next, wrap the garlic bulb in aluminium foil. Place the bulb in the centre of a square of foil and pull up the sides, twisting the top to seal it. Repeat for each bulb.
Cooking:
Place the wrapped garlic bulbs in your rice cooker. If you're using a sticker, label the rice cooker with the start date to keep track of the slow Maillard reaction process.
Find a well-ventilated spot in your home near a power outlet. Keep in mind that this will emit some garlic smell during the process. A garage or shed with power outlets can be great for this. Leaving them in a utility room with a partially open window is another option.
Slow Maillard Reaction:
Leave the garlic bulbs in the rice cooker for about 40 days. Check the garlic after 30 days to monitor the progress.
The cloves should transform into shiny, black, and soft bulbs when done. If they're still light brown, they need more time. If they're hard and crunchy, they've been left too long.
Storage and Enjoyment:
Once the garlic bulbs have reached the desired consistency, remove them from the rice cooker.
Store the black garlic in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until ready to use.
Enjoy your homemade black garlic in various recipes, such as Cashew Ranch dressing or any dish that benefits from its unique flavour profile.
With a good dash of German October Fest spirit, this Pretzel Burger with Black Garlic Aioli might be my ultimate favourite burger. The brioche pretzel buns are chewy, with the typical flavourful pretzel crust, while having the sweetness and tenderness of brioche.
The burger patty is combining the juiciness of pork with classic beef, adding flavour and crunchy edges with some additional ingredients. Brought together by the umami-sweetness of Black Garlic Aioli lifting this to the level of a feast rather than fast food.
Why You Want to Make This
The Burger as Feast
The Buns
To me, especially after being on my weight loss journey, a burger is a feast, rather than a convenient fast food. Which is exactly the treatment they get in this recipe.
Having worked in the kitchen of a Rock Café in Hanover for most of my 20s, known for the best burgers in town, I had a few ideas on how to take a burger to the next level.
While we used simple store bought sesame buns in said pub, (Gourmet Burgers weren’t a thing back then, though they were still really good) I decided I wanted the sesame, but up my bun game. As described in detail in my post for the Sourdough Brioche Pretzel Buns I developed especially for this Pretzel Burger with Black Garlic Aioli, you get the rich, soft, and slightly sweet Brioche experience, needed for contrast to the salty burger. It holds the patty firmly in place, avoiding the dreaded patty slip, while soaking up all the flavourful juices, giving you the perfect flavour in each bite.
A mix of Sourdough, Pretzel and Brioche for the perfect Burger Bun
But Brioche alone wasn’t what I wanted, or I could just use storebought brioche buns, right? I wanted the added flavour of sourdough and the crust and chewiness of Pretzel buns, topped with salt and sesame. Adding a decidedly German Octoberfest touch. That’s not something I found anywhere. So I made it, and now you can too.
Of course, if you don’t feel like making your own buns, but want to try the rest, feel free to use your favourite shop bought buns.
The recipe for the Sourdough Brioche Pretzel Buns is separate, since you’ll want to start the preparation of them 2 days before and can easily bake them the day before, to just reheat them in the oven. Or prepare to just before boiling in baking soda water and get them into the oven an hour before you want to eat, so they can cool down a little.
The Patty
While burger purists may object, to me, the pure beef patties were never something I found particularly tempting. I feel they are rather dry with mainly iron flavour from the beef, which I’m sure appeals to the steak lovers. And don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy a good steak, but I’d rather have it in its whole form, not ground.
Then what makes a great patty to me?
Let’s start with crispy edges. At said Rock Café, they were created by first frying the patties in a pan for meal prep, then deep frying them to heat up before serving. But also: The ingredients of said patties, which I will explain in the Ingredients section.
While I obviously have no intention of deep frying my burger patties every time, I figured that both air fryer and a second brief fry in the pan will give a very similar crunch. So they get fried just until browned and cooked through first, at which point they are already delicious, but they will be even better when reheated, making them perfect for meal prep and a proper burger feast.
The Sauces
Black Garlic Aioli
Sauces make or break a burger. That much is clear if you look at how popular the Big Mac is. It’s the secret sauce that makes it so addictive. Now I’m not re-creating it here, but rather looking for a gourmet burger sauce, to take this to the next level.
I found it in Black Garlic Aioli.
Black Garlic is created by very slowly caramelising bulbs of garlic over several weeks, transforming it into black, shiny nuggets of sweet umami notes, with hints of fruit and garlic. Think balsamic and liquorice, utterly addictive and complex. Some supermarkets offer it these days, or you can make it yourself very easily in a rice cooker or dehydrator. It’s not complicated. All it takes is time, to cause a very slow Maillard reaction.
Check this post for detailed instructions on how to make your own Black Garlic.
The addition of herbs and lemon takes this aioli over the top and makes it utterly addictive. You’ll want it with all kinds of things from fries over sandwiches to using it in a Grand Aioli, it’s just so good.
If you have a stick blender, it also takes just 5 minutes to make and is super easy. Not that the classic method is hard, slowly drizzling oil into the egg and whisking, it just takes a bit of feel and patience.
BBQ Sauce
If I’m creating a feast worthy burger, I’ll create my own Peach BBQ Sauce with Single Malt for it. I mean, who wouldn’t?
You? Ok, yes, I can see why. And sure, you could use a good shop bought BBQ sauce, I won’t blame you. But if you have 35 minutes to spare, I urge you to try this Peach BBQ Sauce with Single Malt. It’s worth it!
Sweet and summery fruity notes from the peaches come together with smoky malt whisky together with molasses and brown sugar and liquid smoke, to create a stunningly delicious sauce for all your BBQ needs. It’ll keep for a while, so make extra and enjoy with spareribs or steak.
What do you mean “butter”? In a burger?
Yup, butter. One of the best kept secrets of that famous “Booster Burger” from said Rock Café (which has long since been eradicated from existence, much to my dismay) was the home made herb butter from the owners’ wife. It was spread onto the cut bun sides, which were then toasted under the Salamander, to have it deliciously melt into the bun, soaking it with garlic-herb flavour.
I don’t have her secret recipe unfortunately, which consisted of copious amounts of garlic and a lot of fresh herbs, brought to us in huge boxes, we were using so much. But I got pretty close with this one and feel the Black Garlic, which wasn’t in the original, improves it even further.
Could you just use shop bought garlic butter? Sure. It’ll be delicious. But home made takes 5 minutes (either with black garlic or just fresh, if you can’t find it) and works with so many dishes, you’ll just want it in your fridge all the time. You can also make double and freeze a batch, to have the perfect steak or sandwich butter at your fingertips. Or just make the best garlic bread you ever had.
The Toppings
If you use any of the above mentioned ingredients, your burger will already be delicious. So you can choose whichever toppings you love. For me, it’s always the classic combination of crunchy lettuce, fresh cherry tomatoes (Or a really flavourful heirloom tomato if you can find it), sweet dill pickles, red onion rings and crispy fried Serrano ham. Or fried bacon, depending on your preference. I just love how fried Serrano ham shatters into pieces when fried and adds so much salty umami flavour, I don’t miss the fat bacon would bring. And the type of patty I’m making isn’t dry as beef would be, so we don’t need the added fat.
You could of course add avocado, melted cheese, caramelised onions or go a completely different way by using a vegan burger patty.
Optional Sides
Since this Pretzel Burger with Black Garlic Aioli is on the rich side, I wanted something light to go with it, hinting to Germany, but not…well…Sauerkraut. So I made a super quick Herbed Cashew Aioli Slaw (recipe coming soon), which has white cabbage, basically what Sauerkraut is made of, but fresh and playing with the garlic theme of the burger.
In the picture you also see Sweet Potato Fries, which I made following this easy recipe.
My wild guess is though, that, depending on the size of your buns, you probably won’t need many sides. But with this being a proper feast, of course you’ll want all the options.
While these are super easy to make, it’s part of where the magic of the famous Booster Burger stemmed from. Now this will be controversial with the beef purists, but they are, in fact, made from half pork and half beef mince. Not low fat either, as we want them juicy. I’m using ready minced beef and pork here, but if you want to take this completely over the top, mince your own.
Eggs
Wait what? Not your standard burger, the Booster Burger was going more into the direction of really good and homemade meatballs the German way. Made with eggs and soaked white bread to bind the burgers and add crispy edges and juiciness.
Baguette
Another controversial one, water (or milk) soaked baguette which is then squished, to lower the water content again, is used in a similar way as breadcrumbs in meatballs. It binds and adds both juiciness and crunch to the burger patties, making them utterly delicious on their own.
Flavourings
Finely chopped onions, ideally caramelised (though I’ve used raw in the past, when in a hurry) add a lovely backbone to the flavourings of this Burger patty. Some dried parsley, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper complete it. Make more than you need. You’ll definitely want one straight from the pan and freeze some for emergency burger cravings. My freezer is not complete without these.
Black Garlic Aioli
Since the black garlic is sweet, the balsamic complements it perfectly, but I felt it needed a more acidic counterpoint, to lift it, hence the addition of lemon zest and juice.
While the herbs are optional, I urge you to try fresh dill, as it’s very fresh version of anise flavour goes perfect with the black garlic and takes this to a whole different level. The parsley adds minerality, to balance both sweetness and umami. You could use dried, but personal I always miss the freshness when I do.
For oil you could use ¼ cup of a very mild olive oil instead of part of the neutral oil (I’m using Grapeseed oil), but don’t replace it all with olive oil, as it tends to get bitter when used for mayonnaise.
And fresh egg of course. This emulsifies the aioli together with the mustard.
Liquid smoke – I’ve added this specifically for these Black Garlic Aioli Burgers, to complement the flavour and despite not grilling them, give a reminder of summer BBQs. You can leave it out if you don’t have it.
Black Garlic Lemon Butter
Use good quality unsalted butter here, so you control the saltiness. Several cloves of Black Garlic. You can vary how strong you’d like the flavour of it. Same goes for fresh garlic.
Some fresh herbs. I like Dill, Parsley and Basil. Though I left out the basil this time, as mine had died it’s usual winter death.
The Process
Buns
If you chose to make these incredible Sourdough Brioche Pretzel Buns to take your burgers to the next level, start by feeding the sourdough 2 days before you want to eat them. Then follow the recipe here for the whole process.
If you’d rather not, get some good burger buns from your supermarket. But honestly: Do make the buns. You won’t regret it, I promise.
Peach BBQ Sauce
You can use shop bought. But if you decided to make your own Peach BBQ Sauce with Malt, follow the recipe here.
Black Garlic Aioli
Using a slim jar or container that just fits the stick blenders head with very little room to spare on the sides, you add your egg, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, liquid smoke if using, and lemon juice at the bottom, then top it with all of the oil. Gently lower your blender head, equipped with the whisking disc, all the way down, so it covers the egg. Switch it on at full speed and do not move it for a few seconds. You will see mayonnaise forming right away at the bottom. Keep it still until the white mass doesn’t expand upwards further, then gently tip your blender into a diagonal, and very slowly move it upwards until all the oil is incorporated.
Mash your garlic and black garlic or chop it, chop your herbs roughly and add all of them with some salt and pepper to your mayonnaise. Blend again with the pureeing attachment, to create a smooth and delicious Black Garlic Aioli. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Try not to eat it all with a hunk of fresh bread.
Keep in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Black Garlic Butter with Lemon
Add all the ingredients to the small bowl of your food processor and mix until you have a smooth mass.
Alternatively, if making by hand: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, let the unsalted butter soften at room temperature. Add all remaining ingredients to the softened butter and mix thoroughly with a fork until well combined.
Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning if desired.
Once the black garlic lemon butter is well mixed, transfer it to a serving dish or roll it into a log shape using plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up the butter.
Toppings
Prepare your toppings. Slice pickles, tomatoes, and onions. Wash your lettuce. Fry Serrano ham or bacon until crispy, if using and keep warm in the oven.
The Patties
Caramelize Onions
If you choose to caramelize your chopped onions, do that first. In a pan with a little olive oil, fry them on medium heat slowly, until caramelised. Don’t let them burn, or they will turn bitter.
Alternatively add your chopped onions raw.
Soak Baguette
Rip your baguette into 3 large pieces. In a medium bowl cover with water (or milk, if you like) and let it sit to soak while you add the remaining ingredients to a large bowl.
Mix Patties
In a large bowl, add your pork and beef mince, the eggs, Dijon mustard, dried parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of your baguette, by squishing it with your hands. Add to the bowl with the meat.
Using your hands (this is the fun part), mix the whole thing until you have a relatively uniform dough that holds together nicely.
Fry
Heat a pan to medium high heat and add some oil. I’m using standard (not extra virgin) olive oil, but any oil that is suited for frying will work.
Using your hands, form thin, large patties with irregular edges. You don’t want perfectly shaped rounds here, as the edges will crisp up and add the addictive caramelised crunch to the burger.
Once your pan is hot, fry the patties. I usually manage to get 3 into the pan and keep the rest warm, if I plan to eat them right away.
Re-heat for extra crispy edges
However, and this is a step I highly advise you to take, you could prepare them the day before (or weeks and just freeze them) and quickly reheat them when you are ready. Either fry a second time in a very hot pan, to crisp them up or in the air fryer at 400°F/200°C for a few minutes, until hot and with crispy edges.
I know this sounds unusual for burgers, but trust me, it makes them even more irresistible.
To Serve
Briefly re-heat your burger buns by sprinkling them with a little water, then baking for 5-10 mins at 350°F/175°C in the air fryer or oven. Slice them open horizontally. Spread some Black Garlic Butter with Lemon on each side and briefly fry in a hot pan until golden. Or put them under your grill in the oven, but keep a very close eye on them, as they burn quickly.
Top both sides with a little Black Garlic Aioli. On the bottom side, stack lettuce, followed by a hot burger patty and add your desired toppings. Drizzle with BBQ sauce. Add the top half of the bun and enjoy your Pretzel Burger with Black Garlic Aioli.
Meal Prep
You can make pretty much everything in this recipe ahead of time, except for slicing your Tomatoes if using, frying the bacon or Serrano ham and re-heating buns and patties.
Both the Sourdough Brioche Pretzel Buns and the Burger Patties freeze well. So does the Black garlic Lemon Butter. The Peach BBQ Sauce can me made weeks ahead, the Black garlic Aioli ideally the day before.
For more amazing Black Garlic Recipes check these:
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share and comment. It helps me a lot.
Pretzel Burger with Black Garlic Aioli
With a good dash of German October Fest spirit, this Pretzel Burger with Black Garlic Aioli might be my ultimate favourite burger. The brioche pretzel buns are chewy, with the typical flavourful pretzel crust, while having the sweetness and tenderness of brioche.
The burger patty is combining the juiciness of pork with classic beef, adding flavour and crunchy edges with some additional ingredients. Brought together by the umami-sweetness of Black Garlic Aioli lifting this to the level of a feast rather than fast food.
Sourdough Brioche Pretzel Buns – Recipe see Link in Post
Optional Toppings:
Peach BBQ sauce with Malt - See link in post
Crunchy Lettuce
Crispy fried bacon or Serrano Ham
Fresh sliced tomato
Sliced dill pickles
Sliced onionsfresh or caramelised
Cheese
Avocado
Instructions
Sourdough Brioche Pretzel Buns:
Follow the instructions in the provided link to make the Sourdough Brioche Pretzel Buns. Begin by feeding the sourdough 2 days before you plan to make the buns. Follow the detailed recipe at forthepleasureofeating.com.
Peach BBQ Sauce (If using):
Follow the recipe at forthepleasureofeating.com to make the Peach BBQ Sauce with Malt.
Black Garlic Aioli:
In a slim jar or container, layer egg, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, liquid smoke (if using), and lemon juice.
Top with all the oil.
Using a stick blender equipped with the whisking disc, blend on full speed without moving for a few seconds until mayonnaise forms at the bottom.
Gradually tilt and move the blender upwards until all the oil is incorporated.
Mash or chop black garlic and regular garlic, chop herbs, and add them to the mayonnaise with salt and pepper.
Blend again with the pureeing attachment until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep refrigerated in a lidded container for up to 3 days.
Black Garlic Butter with Lemon:
In a food processor, combine unsalted butter, mashed black garlic, minced fresh garlic, chopped parsley, chopped dill, kosher salt, lemon zest, and freshly ground pepper.
Mix until smooth.
Transfer to a serving dish or roll into a log shape using plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up the butter.
Toppings:
Prepare toppings by slicing pickles, tomatoes, and onions, and washing lettuce.
Fry Serrano ham or bacon until crispy, if using, and keep warm in the oven.
Burger Patties:
Optionally caramelize chopped onions in a pan with olive oil until golden.
In a medium bowl, soak large baguette pieces in water or milk.
In a large bowl, combine pork and beef mince, eggs, Dijon mustard, dried parsley, salt, and pepper.
Squeeze moisture from the soaked baguette and add it to the meat mixture.
Mix by hand until a uniform dough forms.
Heat a pan with oil and form thin, irregularly shaped patties with your hands.
Fry patties until cooked through and crispy at the edges.
To Serve:
Reheat burger buns by sprinkling with water and baking at 350°F/175°C for 5-10 minutes in the air fryer or oven.
Slice buns horizontally and spread Black Garlic Butter with Lemon on each side.
Briefly fry in a hot pan until golden or place under the oven grill.
Top both sides with Black Garlic Aioli.
On the bottom side, stack lettuce, a hot burger patty, and desired toppings.
Drizzle with Peach BBQ Sauce.
Add the top half of the bun and enjoy your Pretzel Burger with Black Garlic Aioli!
Notes
Meal PrepYou can make pretty much everything in this recipe ahead of time, except for slicing your Tomatoes if using, frying the bacon or Serrano ham and re-heating buns and patties.Both the Sourdough Brioche Pretzel Buns and the Burger Patties freeze well. So does the Black garlic Lemon Butter. The Peach BBQ Sauce can me made weeks ahead, the Black garlic Aioli ideally the day before.Since both burger size, calories of the buns and toppings vary, I'm giving you a rough estimate of the calories of the patties, rather than the whole burger.The other recipes have calories included on their own posts, so you can add them depending on the parts you are using. Burger Patties:Total Calories per Portion: Approximately 387 calories
Total Protein per Portion: Approximately 27 grams
Total Carbohydrates per Portion: Approximately 15 grams
Total Fat per Portion: Approximately 24 grams
Total Sodium per Portion: Approximately 376 milligramsFor the complete Burger as I made it, it added up to this:
Calories: Approximately 778 calories
Protein: Approximately 14.2 grams
Carbohydrates: Approximately 29.7 grams
Fat: Approximately 32.3 grams
Sodium: Approximately 393 milligrams
Nutrition
Calories: 778kcal
Nutrition Facts
Pretzel Burger with Black Garlic Aioli
Amount per Serving
Calories
778
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Black Garlic, burger bun, meal prep, Pretzel, Protein
Last but not least in my Pork Shoulder Series, I have a stunning Black Garlic Pork Ramen bowl for you. Sweet and savoury marinated pork, Pickled vegetables, crunchy fresh ones, some bamboo, and water chestnuts for good measure. Topped by addictive Korean marinated eggs and black garlic oil, this tastes as amazing as it looks. Just right for the colder days that are starting now.
Why You Want To Make This
If you followed along and already have pork shoulder and pickled vegetables, you are half done, and this will be a quick leftover dinner, with just a few added ingredients. Many are optional but recommended for layers of flavour and a party in your mouth.
I’m giving you the luxury version with all the bells and whistles here, from which you can pick and choose which parts you’d like to try.
Don’t be scared by the long list of ingredients. Most can be prepared well ahead of time and used throughout the week. Several are optional, but recommended.
The important parts: Broth, Tare, noodles, a protein, and some vegetables. Some say eggs are mandatory, but if you’d rather not add them, you will still have a really flavourful bowl.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not an authentic Japanese ramen, which would be called “Tonkotsu Ramen”, and a great recipe can be found here.
That one takes more than a day to make. And while I’ve been known to do more elaborate recipes at times, this isn’t one of them.
Rather a use for leftover pork, with lots of added vegetables, marinated eggs and ways to meal prep the whole thing, so you have a fresh, steaming, and flavourful bowl on your workdays.
Ingredients
The Pork
I’m using my Cuban marinated air fryer pork for this, as it slices nice and thin, which is great for adding the Asian marinade, to make it really sing in Pork Ramen.
It’s the same marinade and pork I used for the Pork Banh Mi, so if you want to make both, just double the amount and you’ll be set for the week and have two different veggie packed dishes to spoil yourself and your family with. You can use other meats here or tofu, if you prefer a vegetarian version. The marinade will work for all of them.
If you haven’t made them, check the Marinade part in the Process section or the recipe, where you’ll find the details. It just takes minutes to put together.
The Pickled Vegetables
The acidity and freshness of the Quick Pickled Vegetables cuts through the richness of the pork and adds lots of crunch to the Ramen.
They can also be used in many other recipes, like my Banh Mi or, as I love them, simply as snack, straight from the fridge. You can flavour them any way you like. A classic would be hot, with fresh chili, but I’m not a big fan, as I always feel I can’t taste anything else, as soon as chili is involved, so I left it out.
I’m using 3 different ones for the Ramen: Sweet, crunchy carrots, vibrant red cabbage, and cute mini sweetcorn cobs. These are optional, so they are not in the recipe itself, to not overload and scare you away. You can just make one or leave them out. Or even add ready made Kimchi for example, if you like it.
The Stock
I’ve used homemade stock here, as I had it in my freezer, but you can use ready-made chicken, vegetable, or beef stock. Whatever you prefer.
What transforms it into Ramen is 1 piece of Kombu (showing beside the spring onions) and optional katsuobushi or bonito flakes, which are preserved, fermented tuna flakes.
The Tare
Or the soul of any good Ramen. Tare is a mix of Miso, Japanese sesame paste and a variety of other flavourful ingredients. It’s usually put at the bottom of your ramen bowl and stirred in, to add lots of Umami, hints of sweet and sour and sometimes hot flavour, depending where go get it.
Miso – This is the main flavouring here. I’m using white, which is slightly sweeter than the darker versions. You can use whatever miso paste you enjoy or have on hand. It adds the typical umami flavour that you know from ramen.
Sesame paste – Since it is notoriously difficult to find any exotic ingredients in Ireland, I went with Tahini instead of the traditional Japanese sesame paste. I’m using my favourite Al Nakhil here, which I order from an Asian shop.
I would either look out for a really good quality Tahini, which should be creamy and runny, not firm, as the standard supermarket ones you get. Otherwise you might end up adding a very bitter flavour to your ramen, which is not what we want.
Failing that, you could use roasted peanut butter, to achieve a similar effect, which is that of slightly thickening your broth and adding a toasted, nutty flavour.
Toasted Sesame Oil – To get the toasted notes back in, that are missing from the Tahini in lieu of toasted sesame paste, I’m adding toasted sesame oil, which is very intense in flavour, so you need very little.
Tamarind Paste – For adding fruity flavours of sweet and sour, I love using Tamarind paste, which is widely available these days. It comes either in form of a block of pulp, which has to be soaked in hot water, then pulled apart, cooked, pureed, and pushed through a sieve (I did that a few times when I just couldn’t find the ready made version) or as creamy paste, that can just be added as is.
If you can only find the block and would like to make paste, here is a great recipe I used in the past.
Soy, Mirin, Garlic, Vinegar – Apart from those three ingredients, it’s soy sauce (you can use Tamari or Coconut Aminos for a gluten free option), Mirin, garlic, vinegar (I used rice vinegar here, but white wine or even cider vinegar work well too) and Gochujang paste for a spicy kick.
Gochujang – This is a Korean (as I said: Not an authentic ramen) chile paste, that is sweet, spicy and savoury all at once. I got mine here.
As this is one of the few places in Ireland that sells it and my favourite online shop to find any exotic ingredients I might need for my…let’s just call it “Kitchen Travels”.
This paste is one of the very few hot and spicy ingredients I actually enjoy, as it adds layers of different flavours to the dishes it touches, not just plain hotness.
If you can’t find Gochujang, you could use Sriracha or other chile sauces you enjoy. Or just leave it out entirely. Your ramen will still be delicious.
Marinated Eggs
You could just use medium boiled eggs if you are in a hurry. Or you could really up your ramen game (and get addicted to these marinated eggs in the process) and throw together a few ingredients the evening before, to make incredibly flavourful Korean marinated eggs from Tiffy Cooks.
All you need is 6 boiled eggs, peeled, salt, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and optional Gochujang, spring onions and sesame seeds.
Vegetables
You can use as little or as many vegetables to top your Black Garlic Pork Ramen as you like. I love to use a lot, as I enjoy the flavour and crunch they bring to every spoonful. And they help me to stay full by adding volume and fibre, while adding very little calories, which is a great help with weight loss as the linked study shows. It was big part of my journey to lose 70lb.
I’ve used broccoli, Pak choy, zucchini, sugar snaps and spring onions fresh. Plus bamboo shoots and water chestnuts from cans, to add an Asian touch to the mix.
Noodles
Ramen has to have noodles of course. Personally I don’t want a huge portion of them, so I’m just using about one portion of noodles from a ramen package. You can buy ramen noodles in pretty much any supermarket these days. Choose whichever you love.
Black Garlic Oil (Mayu)
If you think this is the slowly caramelised version I’ve used in many recipes on this blog, you will be just as surprised as I was, when I found this recipe.
I mean, who would put literally burned garlic into their soup, right? Right. Yet, we do. No really.
That’s what makes this into Black Garlic Pork Ramen.
And I honestly recommend you try it. It’s incredible. You only need 3 ingredients: Garlic, chopped, oil for frying and toasted sesame oil for finishing. And you’ll have the most amazing condiment for your ramen bowl, that will last for ages.
The Process
The Marinated Eggs
Start with the eggs if you are using them, as they are best when they had a chance to sit in the marinade over night, but at least 2h.
Boil your eggs for 6-8 minutes. I’m using large ones from the fridge and find 7.5 minutes gives me the perfect consistency with firm white and gooey yolks. You don’t want them soft for this, as it’ll cause a mess when peeling them later.
Once boiled, put them in iced water, so they stop cooking and are easier to peel.
In a lidded container or freezer bag, mix your marinade ingredients.
Once your eggs are cool enough to handle, peel them and add them to the marinade. Ideally the marinade should cover them, but I found none of my containers works for that, so I just turn them after 1h. Or even the next morning, if leaving them overnight.
They will have an incredible sweet-savoury-spicy flavour and you can add them to anything you like. A bowl of rice, sandwich, ramen of course, or just eat them as protein snack.
The Broth
I’m preparing about 6 cups of stock here, which tends to be enough for roughly 6 large bowls of ramen.
Bring your preferred stock to the boil. Add the piece of Kombu and the bonito flakes, if using and switch off the heat. Leave for at least 10min. Up to 1h, while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
When you are ready to assemble, take out the kombu and re-heat. You can use the kombu a second time if you want.
The Tare
Mix all your ingredients for the Tare in a jar, which you can keep in the fridge until ready to use.
When ready to assemble, add to the hot broth and stir. You could also add it just to the bowls, but I love my ramen hot, so I prefer to heat it.
The Black Garlic Oil (Mayu)
Chops your garlic cloves finely. Add your preferred cooking oil (I used groundnut for this) to a small saucepan, ideally non-stick. I used stainless steel, which worked nicely. Add the garlic.
Slowly heat everything and cook at medium heat, until your garlic turns very dark brown. Don’t take your eyes of it. You don’t want charcoal. Just about one shade before black. Keep stirring. There might be bits sticking to your pan, that’s fine. They will come lose after cooling down a little.
Once your garlic is very dark brown, take the pan off the heat and add the sesame oil. Don’t taste this. This is really not one of the condiments that tastes great on its own. It’s also very concentrated, so a little goes a long way.
Once your Pork Ramen bowls are assembled, add about a tablespoon per bowl, drizzled over. Be prepared to be amazed.
The Pork
About 20min before you want your ramen, preheat your oven or air fryer to 200°C (400°F).
Slice your pork of choice thinly and add to a lightly greased ovenproof dish. I’m using Pyrex here, as it can also go in the fridge with the leftovers later. Mix the marinade ingredients together and pour them over the pork.
Let the meat with the marinade heat and slightly caramelise in the oven/air fryer for about 10-15minutes. I found the air fryer is usually much quicker, so best keep an eye on them. You want the meat really hot and the marinade slightly sticky and caramelised. But not black.
The Vegetables
How you prepare them depends a lot on what you are using.
I’ve used some of my quick pickled vegetables here as a topping, since they can be prepared ahead of time and add a nice tang and crunch.
For fresh ones, I chopped some tender stem broccoli in half and blanched it in salted, boiling water for about 3-5 minutes until just tender-crisp. Then quickly plunged it into iced water, to keep it bright green and crunchy.
I sliced the pak choy in half lengthwise and gave it a quick fry of the cut side with some oil in a pan, just to get the leaves a little charred. You could also slice it crosswise and add it to your broth, about 2 minutes before serving, so it gets just heated up, but keeps its crunch.
If using zucchini, cut lengthwise into half, then quarters. Slice across into bite sized pieces. Add them to the broth 3-4 minutes before serving, to heat them through.
For the sugar snaps, I like to slice them into bite sized pieces across, then just add them fresh to the assembled bowl, so they stay sweet and crunchy. You could leave them whole, but they might feel a bit stringy. The small pieces get around that.
The spring onions get the same treatment as the sugar snaps and chopped into fine slices, to be added as fresh topping later.
Water chestnuts can come whole or sliced in the can. If sliced, just drain them, and add to the broth to heat them through. Since they stay crunchy, there is no special timing required. If they come whole in your can, slice them across into bite sized pieces.
The bamboo shoots can just be drained and added together with the water chestnuts.
The Noodles
About 10min before serving, bring the water for your noodles to the boil. Add the ramen noodles and some salt and boil according to packet instructions. Usually they need about 3-5 minutes. Drain. Add to your serving bowls when ready to assemble.
Assembly
When you are ready to eat, reheat your broth and add the vegetables that need a bit of heat to become enjoyable. You don’t want them boiled and soft, just tender-crisp.
Add the tare to your broth and stir it through.
Add the cooked noodles to your serving bowls.
Scoop a ladle full or two of hot broth over your noodles, then top with the remaining veggies, pork, and marinated egg, cut in half lengthways.
Drizzle with a tablespoon of black garlic oil, sprinkle with some spring onions and maybe sesame seeds and enjoy your incredibly flavourful bowl of ramen.
Meal Prep
This whole Black Garlic Pork Ramen recipe is really about meal prep.
Use leftover Pork for the topping. Prepare Tare, broth, black garlic, pickled vegetables and marinated eggs in advance. Chop and prepare the fresh veggies.
Keep everything in separate containers in your fridge and just boil the noodles, quickly heat your marinated meat in the oven, and heat your broth with the veggies that need it for a few minutes.
All that’s left is a few minutes of bowl assembly and you have a fresh and delicious bowl of Black Garlic Pork Ramen on every workday.
It’s my favourite way of meal prep: A dish that looks like you put tons of work into it just now, yet is ready for you within minutes.
If you liked this, try out the other recipes from my Pork Shoulder series. They are all just as delicious: Cuban Air Fryer Pork Shoulder
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.
Black Garlic Pork Ramen
Last but not least in my Pork Shoulder Series, I have a stunning Black Garlic Pork Ramen bowl for you. Sweet and savoury marinated pork, Pickled vegetables, crunchy fresh ones, some bamboo, and water chestnuts for good measure. Topped by addictive Korean marinated eggs and black garlic oil, this tastes as amazing as it looks. Just right for the colder days that are starting now.
Marinated Eggs (Prepare at least 2h ahead. The day before is better)
6eggs
1tspsalt
1tbspvinegar
3clovesgarlic
½tspgochujang pasteoptional
1spring onion
½tbspsesame seeds
½cupsoy sauce
¼cuphoney
½tbspsesame oil
¼cupwater
Black Garlic Oil (Mayu) – Can be prepared days in advance
12clovesgarlic
3tbspneutral oilI used groundnut
1tbspsesame oil
Tare – Can be prepared days in advance
½cupmiso paste
2tbspkosher salt
¼cupwater
3tbspgood quality Tahini or Japanese toasted sesame paste if you can find italternatively roasted peanut butter
1tbspgochujang pasteoptional. Alternatively Sriracha or chili sauce of your choice
2tbsptoasted sesame oil
2tbspsoy sauce
4tbspmirinalternatively 1-2 tbsp maple syrup
5clovesgarliccrushed
4tbsptamarind pasteoptional but delicious
Pork – Marinade can be prepared days in advance
1lbroasted pork. You can use ready-made slicedroasted pork from the supermarket or follow the recipe for Cuban Air Fryer Pork Shoulder linked above
1/3cupfish sauce
3tbspoyster sauce
1.5limes zest and juice
3tbspmaple syrup
1tbsptoasted sesame oil
2tbspbrown sugar
1tspground ginger
1tspgarlic powder
1tspChinese 5 spice
1tspground coriander
Broth – Can be prepared days in advance
6-8cupsready-made broth of your choice. I’m using vegetable broth here.
1strip Kombu
2tbspkatsuobushi or bonito flakesdried tuna flakes. Optional.
Vegetables – Can be cut and blanched ahead of time
1small pack tender stem broccoli
1zucchini
2Pak choy
1small pack sugar snaps
1small can water chestnuts
1small can bamboo shoots
3cupspickled vegetables such as red cabbage and carrots
1bunch spring onions
1limefor finishing
1tbspsesame seeds for sprinkling
Instructions
Marinated Eggs:
Boil the eggs for 6-8 minutes until they have a firm white and gooey yolks.
Transfer the boiled eggs into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process and make them easier to peel.
In a lidded container or freezer bag, combine 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp vinegar, 3 cloves garlic, ½ tsp gochujang paste (optional), 1 chopped spring onion, ½ tbsp sesame seeds, ½ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup honey, ½ tbsp sesame oil, and ¼ cup water to create the marinade.
Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel them and add them to the marinade, ensuring they are fully submerged.
Allow the eggs to marinate for at least 2 hours or, ideally, overnight.
Broth:
Bring 6-8 cups of your preferred stock to a boil in a pot.
Add a strip of kombu and 2 tbsp of katsuobushi or bonito flakes (if using) to the pot.
Turn off the heat and let the stock sit for at least 10 minutes, or up to 1 hour, allowing the flavours to infuse.
When ready to serve, remove the kombu and reheat the stock.
Tare:
In a jar, combine ½ cup miso paste, 2 tbsp kosher salt, ¼ cup water, 3 tbsp tahini or Japanese toasted sesame paste, 1 tbsp gochujang paste (optional), 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tbsp mirin, 5 crushed cloves of garlic, and 4 tbsp tamarind paste (optional).
Store the tare in the refrigerator until ready to use.
When ready to assemble, add the tare to the hot broth and stir to incorporate.
Black Garlic Oil (Mayu):
Finely chop 12 cloves of garlic.
Heat 3 tbsp neutral oil (e.g., groundnut) in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Add the chopped garlic to the heated oil and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic turns very dark brown, just short of black.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately add 1 tbsp sesame oil to the garlic oil mixture.
Be cautious not to taste the black garlic oil on its own, as it's highly concentrated.
Drizzle about a tablespoon of the black garlic oil over each ramen bowl when assembling.
Pork:
Preheat your oven or air fryer to 200°C (400°F) about 20 minutes before serving.
Slice 1 lb of roasted pork thinly and place it in an ovenproof dish.
In a separate bowl, combine 1/3 cup fish sauce, 3 tbsp oyster sauce, zest and juice of 1.5 limes, 3 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice, and 1 tsp ground coriander to make the marinade.
Pour the marinade over the sliced pork and mix well.
Roast or air fry the pork for about 10-15 minutes until it's hot, slightly caramelized, but not burnt.
Vegetables:
Prepare the vegetables according to your preference.
Blanch tender stem broccoli in salted, boiling water for 3-5 minutes, then transfer it to ice water to preserve its colour and crunch.
Char the cut side of halved Pak choy in a pan with some oil for a bit of charred flavour.
Slice zucchini into bite-sized pieces and add them to the broth for 3-4 minutes to heat through.
Slice sugar snaps and add them fresh to the assembled ramen bowls.
Drain water chestnuts and bamboo shoots and add them to the broth to heat through.
Slice spring onions finely and use them as a fresh topping.
Noodles:
About 10 minutes before serving, bring water to a boil and cook ramen noodles according to package instructions (usually 3-5 minutes).
Drain and add the cooked noodles to your serving bowls when ready to assemble.
Assembly:
Reheat the broth and add the vegetables that need heating, keeping them tender-crisp.
Add the tare to the hot broth and stir.
Place the cooked noodles in your serving bowls.
Ladle a portion of hot broth over the noodles.
Top with the remaining vegetables, pork, and halved marinated eggs.
Drizzle each bowl with a tablespoon of black garlic oil.
Sprinkle with sliced spring onions and sesame seeds.
Enjoy your flavourful bowl of ramen!
Notes
Please note the calories here are a very rough calculation, as they take the complete egg and pork marinade into consideration, which you probably won’t spoon into your soup.Calories: Approximately 450-550 calories per serving
Protein: Approximately 18-22 grams per serving
Fat: Approximately 20-25 grams per serving
Carbohydrates: Approximately 50-60 grams per serving
Fiber: Approximately 7-9 grams per serving
Sugars: Approximately 20-25 grams per serving
Nutrition
Calories: 500kcal
Nutrition Facts
Black Garlic Pork Ramen
Amount per Serving
Calories
500
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Black Garlic, High Fibre, meal prep, Protein, vegetables
Sumac Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Black Garlic Mushroom Sauce and a side of Arugula with Lemon Tahini dressing and Za’atar
Are you looking for a lovely vegan Sunday dinner with all the classics, but without the meat? Sumac Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Black Garlic Mushroom Sauce with a side of Arugula with Lemon Tahini dressing with Za’atar is exactly what you need. Hearty, yet fresh, layers of flavour from the fried mushrooms with black garlic, made into a creamy sauce with soy cream. All while your sesame-sumac coated Cauliflower steaks are roasting in the oven. A side of greens with fresh and quick dressing, tying it all together with the addition of Za’atar. No one will miss the meat, trust me.
Why You Want This
Sumac Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Black Garlic Mushroom Sauce is a recipe for the whole family, that feels very much like your classic steak Diane, but fully vegan. The Umami hit of mushrooms with black garlic and thyme is supported by soy sauce (or coconut aminos) and balsamic vinegar, for the acidity and flavour kick that usually Worcestershire sauce would provide. Black garlic adds more nuance to it (though if you don’t have it on hand, fresh garlic will do just fine. Shallot of course, for the all-important backbone of almost any sauce. And thyme, as earthy aromatic herb component. Vegetable broth and soy cream provide the sauce fluid base. As usual, the sauce is the real star of this dish.
Check this post for detailed instructions on how to make your own Black Garlic.
Don’t forget the cauliflower steaks. They are covered with a ridiculously flavourful marinade of Tahini for stickiness, coconut aminos for umami and sweetness, sumac for added lemony notes, thyme, mirroring the sauce. Honey, to balance it all and help the sesame seeds stick for added crunch.
If you have never tried Sumac, it’s available in most supermarkets these days. It’s a dried and ground berry from the middle east, that has a lovely lemony flavour. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll start using it in all kinds of things.
And of course, the classic greens on the side. Here in form of Arugula with Lemon Tahini dressing with Za’atar, again picking up the fresh and acidic thyme theme from the other two components.
The Process
Prepare the Sumac Roasted Cauliflower Steaks first. Cut the outer leaves off the Cauliflower but keep the stem intact. You’ll need it to hold the steaks together. You will probably get about 2 full steaks from each head, as only the middle, where the stem is, holds together. Don’t throw out the rest. You can cover them with the remaining marinade and sprinkle with sesame, so they make shapes similar to chicken nuggets, being perfect for kids. Lay all the cauliflower out on 1-2 oven trays.
Mix all the marinade ingredients and brush them over the cauliflower. Do the side you want to point down first, sprinkle with sesame. Then turn the “pretty” side up and do the same.
While the steaks are in the oven, make the Black Garlic Mushroom Sauce. Cut the Mushrooms into quarters or slices (whichever you prefer. I love mine pretty chunky). Fry them in olive oil until nicely browned on medium-high heat. Be patient here and don’t stir too often. You want them slightly crispy and all the fried mushroom flavour you can get, without burning them.
Chop the shallot and garlic finely. I’m using 6-7 cloves of black and 1 fresh garlic. If you only have fresh, use 2-3 cloves. Strip the thyme leaves off the twigs. Take the mushrooms out of the pan and put them to the side. Lower the heat to medium and gently fry shallots and fresh garlic until translucent and soft.
Once both are done, add the vegetable broth and let it simmer until slightly reduced. Add the thyme and remaining ingredients, including mushrooms. Let the sauce simmer for a bit until it thickens a bit. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Quickly whisk together the Tahini, balsamic, lemon juice, Za’atar and 3 tbsp water. Season with salt to taste.
Once the Cauliflower Steaks are golden brown, pierce them to see if they are cooked. They should still have bite and be tender to the knife.
Serve on a big plate or single portions and enjoy.
Meal Prep
I kept the Sumac Roasted Cauliflower Steaks in a glass container with lid that I lined with baking parchment, and stacked them with baking parchment in between, so the coating wouldn’t come off. They will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge and can be reheated until crispy in either air fryer or oven.
The Black Garlic Mushroom Sauce is kept in a separate glass container and reheated in the microwave.
The Lemon Tahini dressing is best kept in a jar in the fridge and the Arugula keeps amazingly well if you wash it (I often let it stand in cold water for 30min to 1h, so it can get really perky and fresh), then line a container with some paper towel and put the washed and spun dry leaves on it with a closely fitting lid. It will happily keep for 4 days at least like this.
Looking to add protein, ideally for dessert? Try my Protein Creme Brulee. 2 variations, so you can pick your favourite.
For more amazing Black Garlic Recipes check these:
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot. 🙂
Sumac Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Black Garlic Mushroom Sauce with a side of Arugula with Lemon Tahini dressing and Za’atar
Are you looking for a lovely vegan Sunday dinner with all the classics, but without the meat? Sumac Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Black Garlic Mushroom Sauce with a side of Arugula with Lemon Tahini dressing with Za’atar is exactly what you need. Hearty, yet fresh, layers of flavour from the fried mushrooms with black garlic, made into a creamy sauce with soy cream. All while your sesame-sumac coated Cauliflower steaks are roasting in the oven.
A side of greens with fresh and quick dressing, tying it all together with the addition of Za’atar. No one will miss the meat, trust me.
17ounce2 packs mushrooms (I used brown button mushrooms, but you can use whichever you prefer)
3tbspolive oil
1shallotfinely chopped
1clovegarlicminced
6clovesblack garlicoptional but very delicious
1cupvegetable broth
1cupsoy creamor single cream if you aren’t vegan
1tbspfresh thyme leaveschopped
2tbspbalsamic vinegar
1tspDijon mustard
1tbspsoy sauceor coconut aminos
Arugula with Lemon Tahini dressing and Za’atar
1-2bags arugula (depending on how much greens you enjoy
3tbsptahini
2tbspbalsamic vinegar
4tbsplemon juiceabout the juice of 1 large lemon
1tspza’atar
3tbspwater
Instructions
Sumac Roasted Cauliflower Steaks:
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Cut the outer leaves off the cauliflower heads, leaving the stem intact to hold the steaks together. You'll get about 2 full steaks per head.
In a bowl, mix tahini, sumac (or lemon zest), fresh thyme leaves, coconut aminos (or soy sauce), minced garlic, and honey to create the marinade.
Place the cauliflower steaks on prachment lined oven trays. Brush the marinade over both sides of each steak, starting with the side that will be facing down. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the coated side.
Turn and repeat the process.
Roast the cauliflower steaks in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown and tender with a slight bite.
Black Garlic Mushroom Sauce:
Cut the mushrooms into quarters or slices, depending on your preference.
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are nicely browned and slightly crispy. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set them aside.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the chopped shallot and minced garlic to the pan. Cook until the shallot is translucent and soft.
Pour in the vegetable broth and let it simmer until slightly reduced.
If using black garlic, add the chopped cloves at this stage.
Add the soy cream, chopped thyme, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and soy sauce (or coconut aminos). Stir well.
Return the cooked mushrooms to the pan and let the sauce simmer until it thickens. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste. You may want to add salt. I felt it was fine without.
Arugula Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, za'atar, and water until well combined and smooth. Season the dressing with salt to taste.
In a large bowl, place the arugula. Drizzle the lemon tahini dressing over the arugula and toss to coat the leaves evenly. (If you plan to keep some for the week, drizzle only the amount you are using today and store the rest in a kitchen towel lined container as described in the meal prep section)
Serving:
Plate the sumac roasted cauliflower steaks and drizzle a generous amount of the black garlic mushroom sauce over them.
Serve the cauliflower steaks alongside a portion of the arugula salad with lemon tahini dressing on the side.
Notes
Calories: Approximately 260-300
Fat: Approximately 18-22 grams
Protein: Approximately 7-9 grams
Carbohydrates: Approximately 21-25 grams
Sugar: Approximately 9-12 grams
Nutrition
Calories: 280kcal
Nutrition Facts
Sumac Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Black Garlic Mushroom Sauce with a side of Arugula with Lemon Tahini dressing and Za’atar
Amount per Serving
Calories
280
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword Black Garlic, For Guests, Healthy, High Fibre, Low Calorie, vegan, Vegetarian
An easy and healthy weeknight dish with lots of veggies, this Mushroom Spinach Pasta Bake with Black Garlic has it all: Quick preparation time, vibrant greens, umami-rich fried mushrooms, supported by the balsamic notes of black garlic. The wholewheat pasta is smothered in a tomato sauce while feta and mozzarella make it the perfect comfort food, adding satisfying cheese layers.
The Inspiration
Having a bit of black garlic left and feeling the urgent need for pasta, but also meal prep for my workdays, I wanted a dish with lots of veggies that was quick to prepare. Especially considering I had lots of baking to do for my German Plum Streusel Cake.
You can absolutely make this with just fresh garlic instead. I realise not everyone has black garlic at home (Make it! It’s fantastic!), but it adds an incredible fruity-balsamic-umami flavour to anything you use it with. Even cookies! So you know what could be for dessert. 😉
Check this post for detailed instructions on how to make your own Black Garlic.
The Ingredients
While black garlic and mushrooms go incredibly well with cream, calorie heavy sauce isn’t exactly what I want to eat all week, given half a choice. So, I opted for a ready-made, good quality tomato sauce instead. This one was from a bottle and made of cherry tomatoes with basil and garlic, perfect for what I had in mind. Of course, you could make your own with canned tomatoes, but that defeats the easy weeknight meal, doesn’t it?
The base flavour comes from slowly fried onions and some fresh garlic, just taken to the point of soft and translucent in a pan.
For veggies mushrooms and spinach were my choice, as they are perfect for baking. Though I pre-fry them, to get all the amazing flavour from crispy browned mushrooms into this Mushroom Spinach Pasta Bake and have the spinach a bit softened, to mix it easier into the pasta.
The tomato sauce adds extra veg content, and so do the fresh cherry tomatoes, which also look super pretty on top. Don’t leave them out, as they give extra fresh and juicy pops of flavour to this dish.
The Cheese
While I added some feta cubes for tang inside the casserole, I topped it with grated mozzarella for the cheese-string factor. An absolute must have for any comfort food needs in my mind.
You can use any melty cheese you have in your fridge. It’s a perfect dish to use grated leftovers on. Also any veggie odds and ends you have lying around. Chop and throw them in.
How To Make It
All you need to do here is roughly chop your mushrooms (I usually quarter them, depending on size, as I love the chunky pieces, but you could also slice them if you prefer them smaller). Wash the spinach. Chop onion and garlic into small cubes and slice the black garlic (if using. This is really optional).
Pre-cook your pasta according to packet instructions. Make sure it still has some bite. You don’t want it to go mushy when you bake it.
Slowly fry onion and garlic until translucent and soft. Take out of the pan. Add the mushrooms and fry until golden brown. Be patient here, don’t turn them too often. That is the secret to deliciously crispy edges and lots of flavour! Add the spinach and wilt briefly.
Grease a casserole dish with either butter or a few sprays of olive oil. Add the drained pasta, fried mushrooms, wilted spinach, onions, and garlic. Mix in tomato sauce, crumbled feta, black garlic, and halved cherry tomatoes. Top with grated mozzarella and some fresh basil.
Bake for 20-25min and you have a steaming, cheesy comfort dish with lots of veggies ready.
For more amazing Black Garlic Recipes check these:
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?
Mushroom Spinach Pasta Bake with Black Garlic
An easy and healthy weeknight dish with lots of veggies, this Mushroom Spinach Pasta Bake with Black Garlic has it all: Quick preparation time, vibrant greens, umami-rich fried mushrooms, supported by the balsamic notes of black garlic. The wholewheat pasta is smothered in a tomato sauce while feta and mozzarella make it the perfect comfort food, adding satisfying cheese layers.
2.5cupswholewheat pasta.I used penne here. You can use whatever you have in your pantry.
2cupsready made tomato sauce of your choice. Cherry tomato sauce is what I used here, as it’s particularly fruity.
2clovesof garlicchopped
6clovesof black garlicoptional
1onionchopped
2packs500g fresh mushrooms. I used brown. Use whatever you have on hand.
1bag250g fresh or frozen spinach. If using frozen, thaw it in the pan instead of just wilting, so you can mix it in easily
1cupcherry tomatoeshalved
1block200g feta
1cupshredded mozzarella
A handful of fresh basil leavesoptional
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until it's al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
In a large skillet or frying pan, heat a bit of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and onion, sautéing until they become soft and translucent. Remove from pan.
Add the fresh mushrooms to the pan and cook until they release their moisture and get golden brown and crispy around the edges. If you are using frozen spinach, add it now and cook until it is thawed, and any excess water evaporates. For fresh spinach, add and let it wilt for a minute or so.
Serve with some fresh basil on top.
Notes
This works great for meal prep. It keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheats simply in the microwave for perfectly melted cheese.Total Estimated Nutrition per Portion:
Calories: Approximately 400-420
Fat: Approximately 16-18 grams
Protein: Approximately 20-22 grams
Carbohydrates: Approximately 44-46 grams
Fiber: Approximately 8-9 grams
Sugar: Approximately 8-9 grams
Nutrition
Calories: 410kcal
Nutrition Facts
Mushroom Spinach Pasta Bake with Black Garlic
Amount per Serving
Calories
410
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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