Ingredient: Green Garlic

This Spring has sprung us quite a bit of rain -alright, quite a bit more than a bit, in fact. The sky has been leaking almost daily for weeks on end. It's perfect soup weather, yes, but I haven't been eating much soup. I steadfastly refuse to surrender to this horrible weather, and I've been doing a lot of sprightly stir-fry in defiance.

One of the ingredients I have been using a lot is green garlic. Have you seen it? It looks like an over-grown scallion, or perhaps a meager leek. It is a fresh shoot of a young garlic plant, before it develops the bulbs that we are familiar with in older garlic. Young garlic has a taste that is unmistakably garlic-ky, but in a milder and gentler way. It turns quite sweet and delicious when cooked, and retains the flavor of garlic without being overpowering.

I adore green garlic. In fact, the very first recipe I posted on Chez Pim -way back before it became a food blog- actually had green garlic as an ingredient. I have been using it a lot in stir fries, and for dinner yesterday I did a variation of the first recipe I posted on this blog, but this time with shrimp, a much more available and easier to deal with than crabs.

Shrimp stir-fry with green garlic
Goong Pong Gari

300 g. or about 10 oz. shrimps, shell on (but head off)
1/2 onion, sliced into thin rounds
1/2 cup julienne green garlic (cut into about 2" very thin sticks)
1 heaping teaspoon of curry powder
4 tbsp cooking oil (use high smoke point oil, I use grape seed oil)
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp water

1. With a very sharp knife, cut each shrimp in half lengthwise with the shell on. Clean out the veins from the shrimp halves and set the shrimps aside.
2. Heat a fry pan or a wok until hot, add oil and then about a quarter of the julienne green garlic. (This will be used as garnish at the end so you won't need much.) Cook until the sticks just begin to change color. Take them out of the oil immediately. Set aside to rest on a paper towel.
3. Turn the heat to medium then add the shrimps to the pan, laying each one the shell side down. Let the shrimps cook, shell side down only, for 2 minutes or until the shells begin to caramelize. Take the shrimps out of the pan and set aside.
4. Add onion into the pan, cook until translucent, then add the curry powder, the rest of the green garlic, and give everything a quick stir to mix well.
5. Add the shrimps back to the pan, then the fish sauce and the water. Stir vigorously until the shrimps are cooked to the desired doneness. I prefer mine a little on the under-done side, but you are welcome to cook them more. Check the seasoning, add more fish sauce if needed.
6. Transfer into a large plate, garnished with the fried green garlic, and serve with freshly cooked jasmine rice.

P.S. Despite how I feel about soups currently, I concede that green garlic is quite good in them. Might I suggest you try a variety of Vichyssoise, but use green garlic in place of the leeks? My friend Eric said it's mighty tasty.

tag(s):food |green garlic |Thai recipe |shrimp

Comments

[Bea at La Tartine Gourmande]

I had never seen or heard about green garlic. Looks like I will be on a search now! I was looking for purple garlic yesterday (or however you say this in English) but no luck either!
Nice sized shrimps!!

[keiko]

This looks mighty tasty, Pim :) What beautiful pictures too. I like the idea of adding green garlic in vichyssoise, hope I can find some around here...

[kishko]

the green garlic just started hitting the vegetable stands here in florence. so i have been on a green garlic binge myself lately and i will definitely give this recipe a try!

[beastmomma]

Green garlic seems interesting and also makes me wonder about what other things have a different flavor at various stages of maturity. Also, I like getting a glimpse into the first recipe you posted.

[Dianka]

I have used this ingredient so many times and I am embarrassed to say I didn't know it was called green garlic! Thank you for the lesson! Your recipe looks great, I will have to try it.

~Dianka
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/

[Dianka]

I have used this ingredient so many times and I am embarrassed to say I didn't know it was called green garlic! Thank you for the lesson! Your recipe looks great, I will have to try it.

~Dianka
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/

[Catherine]

Hi Pim,

I found green garlic at our farmers market last week and used it to adapt FarmGirl's savory scone recipe. It really was delicious(and better the next day toasted!)

[matana]

Is Taiwanese leek the same thing as green garlic?

[Preya]

I love green garlic as well:) Awesome blog! I lived in BKK for a couple of years and traveled there a lot when younger!

[Ivonne]

Pim,

That's just lovely! Here in Toronto we're just feeling the first kiss of spring so the local produce is still a bit away. I'm glad to see that's not the case where you are!

[Joe West]

I love green garlic! If you use it in Aioli instead of regular garlic, and make it really intense with the green garlic it goes well with fresh heirloom tomatoes and sweet 100's. Maybe toss them with some ramps, fresh cracked pepper, and sea salt... mmmm!

[Edward - http://www.sydneytable.com/]

Fantastic recipe, I made it last night, the green garlic makes it really interesting!
Our local Thai place (Ploy Thai) also makes these wonderful little steamed garlic cakes from the green garlic.

[Pim]

Bea and Keiko: I have seen green garlic at a variety of markets in Europe. You just have to look, I think.

Kishko: Do try and let me know what you think.

beastmomma: I've been on a green-thingies kick lately, inspired by the various shades of green from all this rain we've been getting around here, no doubt.

Dianka: thanks.

Catherine: Thanks for the pointer. I'll check out Farmgirl's blog for that.

matana: No, I don't think so.

Preya: Thanks.

Ivonne: I'm sure your kiss will come soon enough. :-)

Joe: That does sound good. I'll give it a try.

Edward: Thanks! I'm glad you like it. I think you are referring to Guey Chai, which is usually made with garlic chives. The green garlic version sounds interesting though.

[The Jeff Next Door]

What's the difference between green garlic and garlic scapes? Those are what I usually find at my local food cooperative.

[Gourmet]

Beautiful pic!!
great pic!!
:-)

[Yishay]

Ah, my dear. You provoke such nice memories..
http://yishaym.wordpress.com/2006/04/19/uh-green-garlic-soup-did-you-say-garlic-soup/

[Bea at La Tartine Gourmande]

Just meant to add this note Pim. Isn't it funny how sometimes we find out about ingredients? Before I read your post, I had never heard about young garlic. Next thing is that I go to my veggie market and buy what I took for spring onions. Came home and thought, hmm, different smell. Went back and realized I had bought Young garlic! I had never seen before and bought it even without knowing about it! Made the connection because of your post! ;-)

[Jennifer at EQ: EpicureanQuest]

Chere Pim,
Thanks for this outstanding recipe! It's green garlic season again and this dish certainly withstands the test of time.

It's my first time cooking with green garlic -- what a treat. Julienning is the way to go. You can read about it on EQ. epicureanquest.blogspot.com

[dianne ryan]

my neighbour grows both green & purple garlic best i have ever tasted