Lasoon Sirka – Laba Garlic – Pickled Garlic Recipe

Sirke wala lasoon is an easy to make pickled garlic recipe that uses only a few ingredients – garlic, chillis, vinegar, sugar, salt, and water. Call it pickled garlic cloves or laba garlic, it is delicious!

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Garlic is a really versatile food item. And one we use in cooking quite often, from adding it to a chicken tope, to a paya khudi, to simply adding it to a buttery mushroom recipe. So when dad asked me to make a garlic pickle that was similar to the onion sirka that he loves, I dived in!

After a bit of experimentation, we created the perfect lasoon sirka recipe. Little did we know that it already existed in another country, China! Over there the garlic is a tad brighter, and it’s called jade garlic, green garlic, or laba garlic over there!

They usually let it rest for 20 days to turn really dark green, but we prefer to keep it for just 1 to 3 days to get that lighter green color that also has a crispier taste.

This pickled garlic also has a nice pungent flavor!

Anyways, the garlic tastes as crunchy as the onions, so we’ve started making it quite often.

But why does the pickled garlic turn green or Blue?

Garlic contains amino acids that contain sulfur. The sulfur is that bit of the garlic that gives it the nice pungent odor.

When mixed with vinegar, the amino acids react with the minute traces of copper in the vinegar to form copper sulfate. This copper sulfate produces green, blue, or even purple color.

But garlic doesn’t always turn blue or green. It depends on the age of the garlic, older garlic contains more sulfur and therefore turns green faster. Use younger garlic, and you won’t really see any change in color.

But whether it turns green or blue or stays plain white, pickled garlic is a great addition to salads or other dishes. It’s also perfect for spreading on toast with butterrrrrrrr…

What Ingredients Do You Need For Pickling Garlic?

We use 4 medium-large onions cut in rings, 2 slit green chilies, 5 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp salt, 200 ml vinegar, and 300 ml water. If you don’t want to use red onions, use about 500 grams of white onions or shallots cut vertically in wedges.

If you want to make only the pickled garlic, use these measurements.

1 pod garlic – sliced
1 green chilly slit
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp salt
75 ml vinegar
100 ml water

If you want to make pickled garlic and onion together, use these measurements.

3 large onions and 1 pod of garlic – sliced
2 green chilies slit
5 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp salt
200 ml vinegar
300 ml water

How to make pickled green garlic at home?

Simply mix all the ingredients together in a glass jar, leave it outside for 24 hours or longer if you prefer. You can either leave the garlic in the vinegar solution or remove it and transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate it.

If you use the method of removing the garlic from the vinegar solution after 1 or 2 days, then you can reuse the vinegar solution to make 3 or 4 more batches of garlic. Just add a tbsp or 2 more of vinegar each time.

You could reuse the vinegar solution a lot more times, but we don’t because it starts to stink really bad after the 4th time. You know how garlic smells! Multiply that by 4 and then try to breathe! Haha!

Making Pickled White garlic

Decide if you’re not okay with your garlic turning green or blue. If you aren’t, then blanch the garlic in hot water for about 30 seconds before using it. This will prevent the sulfur in the garlic from reacting with the copper in the vinegar.

Or make sure you use very young garlic. This will also stop them from turning green.

Making pickled garlic and pickled onions together

If you want to save time and space, you can make both the Indian pickled onions and pickled garlic together. Just add the onions in the same jar above the garlic. The resulting shades of colors are amazing.

Tips for the best Lasoon Sirka aka Garlic Pickle

• Add to salads, pastas, or stir fry’s.
• Or serve on toasted bread with butter and cheese, just like garlic bread.
• You can multiply the quantity a number of times to make larger batches.
• If pickling the garlic for only 1 to 2 days, you can reuse the vinegar solution 3 to 4 times.
• If you don’t want colored garlic, use fresh garlic or young garlic to make the lasoon sirka or garlic pickle.

Questions about Pickling Garlic at home

Is garlic a herb or spice?

Garlic is a vegetable, but it’s often used as a herb or spice.

Can I eat green garlic?

Yes, of course. As long as it’s pickled garlic that turned green because of the vinegar added to it. Green garlic, blue garlic or jade garlic is also a popular pickle eaten during the Chinese New Year, and also called Laba garlic.

If the garlic has turned green for some other reason such as moss or fungus, throw it away.

Which vinegar should I use for pickled garlic?

You can use any vinegar to make pickled garlic – red, brown, or white will do. We use apple cider vinegar because it’s healthier.

Why is it called Laba garlic?

The green pickled garlic is called laba garlic by the Chinese because it’s made during the Chinese New Year or Laba Festival.

How do I stop the garlic from turning blue?

To stop the garlic from turning blue, blanch it in hot water for about 30 seconds before pickling. Or use young garlic instead of aged garlic.

How long can I store pickled garlic?

Once you remove the garlic from the vinegar solution, store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container and finish within a week. On the other hand, if you’re storing it in the vinegar solution, you can store it for 6 months or longer.

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