Mai

If you’re from the north of Vietnam or have travelled there, especially to Hà Nội, and experienced the local street food, you definitely know what I’m talking about.

This is giấm tỏi or tỏi ngâm giấm, and it’s a condiment that’s found in pretty much every single shop serving noodle soups in Hà Nội.

Made with raw garlic, it’s pungent, acidic, and ranges anywhere from slightly to very spicy depending on the amount of chilies added. Just a small spoon of it adds a layer of flavor to broths and kicks them up a notch. In Vietnamese, we say that it “làm dậy mùi”, which translates to “awaken smell/flavor”.

It’s the easiest thing to make, takes very little time, and stores well for ages.

Sometimes people have a little trouble with this condiment and when pickling garlic in general and the garlic turns blue. This is a harmless enzyme reaction, which looks a little strange but is completely safe and does not affect the flavor. In China, this color is actually desired for a type of vinegar-preserved garlic called laba garlic.

For Vietnamese giấm tỏi however, we prefer our garlic to stay white. Some people swear by soaking the garlic in salt water or blanching the garlic, but the first isn’t failsafe and the second cooks the garlic (albeit slightly) and reduces the strong flavor.

The most important thing you can do to buy garlic that has been completely cured and dried. The outside layers of skin must be dry and papery, the roots are dry, the center stem is hard, and the cloves come apart easily.

INGREDIENTS

• Garlic – Tỏi: Make sure you buy garlic that has been completely cured and dried. The outside layers of skin must be dry and papery, the roots are dry, the center stem is hard, and the cloves come apart easily. When peeling the garlic, if the skin is difficult to peel and is sticking to a garlic clove, the clove/head of garlic is not well-cured/dried enough and the final result will likely turn blue (which is completely harmless but not what we want).
• Bird’s eye chili – Ớt hiểm: Use as much or as little as you like, depending on your preference for spiciness.
• White rice vinegar – Giấm gạo trắng: Compared to ‘regular’ vinegar, rice vinegar has a milder and sweeter flavor. Choose a high quality brand if possible. I do not recommend using regular vinegar, the taste would be too strong and not enjoyable.

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil water and pour it into/over your jar to sanitize. Set it aside to cool down and dry.
2. Trim off root end of garlic cloves and peel.
3. If the skin is difficult to peel and is sticking to a garlic clove, the clove/head of garlic is not well-cured/dried enough and the final result will likely turn blue.
4. Thinly slice, lengthwise/root-to-top is recommended.
5. If using: trim off stem of chilies. You can either leave the chilies whole, cut them in halves, or slice them- depending on how spicy you want the final result to be.
6. To the clean and dry container, add the sliced garlic and chili(es).
7. Pour in enough rice vinegar to fully cover the garlic plus at least 3 centimeters.
8. Close the lid and store in a cool dark place (like a cabinet) for at least 2 days, but preferably a week. After a week, you can also store it in the fridge.

RECIPE VIDEO

COMING SOON!

Tỏi ngâm giấm • Vietnamese vinegar garlic

Recipe by MM Bon Appétit Course: CondimentCuisine: VietnameseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

0

minutes

This pungent, tangy, and sometimes spicy condiment is a must-have in every noodle soup shop in Hà Nội, the capital city of Vietnam.

Ingredients

• 100 g 100 garlic (see Notes)

• Bird’s eye chilies

• 200 ml 200 white rice vinegar (depending on jar size)

Directions

• Boil water and pour it into/over your jar to sanitize. Set it aside to cool down and dry.
• Trim off root end of garlic cloves and peel.
  If the skin is difficult to peel and is sticking to a garlic clove, the clove/head of garlic is not well-cured/dried enough and the final result will likely turn blue (which is completely harmless but not what we want).
• Thinly slice, lengthwise/root-to-top is recommended.
• If using: trim off stem of chilies. You can either leave the chilies whole, cut them in halves, or slice them- depending on how spicy you want the final result to be.
• To the clean and dry container, add the sliced garlic and chili(es).
• Pour in enough rice vinegar to fully cover the garlic plus at least 3 centimeters.
• Close the lid and store in a cool dark place (like a cabinet) for at least 2 days, but preferably a week. After a week, you can also store it in the fridge.

Notes

• Garlic: Make sure you buy garlic that has been completely cured and dried. The outside layers of skin must be dry and papery, the roots are dry, the center stem is hard, and the cloves come apart easily. When peeling the garlic, if the skin is difficult to peel and is sticking to a garlic clove, the clove/head of garlic is not well-cured/dried enough and the final result will likely turn blue (which is completely harmless but not what we want).

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