I'm the Culinary God

In the little kitchen, everything was ready; it was time to officially start filming the Laba Garlic video.

Facing the camera, Lin Xu smiled and said:

"There’s a saying that once Laba is over, the New Year is basically here. Generally, when Laba comes around, folks back home will make a snack called Laba Garlic, also known as Green Garlic, to get ready for Spring Festival. Today I’ll teach everyone how to make Laba Garlic."

Standing to the side, Shen Jiayue asked curiously:

"How many ways are there to make Laba Garlic, Baobao Xu? Why do I see some people say you can eat it the next day, while others say it needs to soak for twenty days? Is there a big difference between these two methods?"

Other people filming videos love to tack on a little homemade mini–drama at the drop of a hat.

But Lin Xu and Shen Jiayue had tried that before and found it way too awkward, so they went with a straight Q&A format instead.

They taught the viewers how to cook while answering their questions, and in that back‑and‑forth they also slipped in some popular science for everyone watching.

"The tradition and classic way of making Laba Garlic is to put peeled garlic into a crock or glass jar, pour in enough Rice Vinegar to just cover the garlic, and just let it soak. But that method is relatively slow, which is why you see those ’turn green in one day’ Laba Garlic recipes online."

As the pace of life has picked up, people’s efficiency with day‑to‑day things has improved a lot, and it’s the same with food.

Back when supplies were scarce, the garlic pickled on Laba Day wouldn’t be opened until New Year’s Eve.

After more than twenty days of soaking, the garlic would take on a jade‑like green color; by then most of the sharp bite had leached out, so there wasn’t much heat when you bit into it. Instead, you’d get a kind of tart, crisp, icy coolness.

That kind of flavor with dumplings is like Liang Mountain meeting Zhu Yingtai, or Romeo holding hands with Juliet: an absolutely perfect match and pairing.

Freshly boiled dumplings are scorching hot; technically you should let them cool a bit before eating, but for people who only got to eat meat a few times a year, they’d already be swallowing back drool as soon as the dumplings hit the pot.

Looking at that bowl of steaming hot dumplings, who still has the patience to wait?

In that moment, a small plate of cold, tangy, emerald‑green Laba Garlic being set on the table, to go with those piping hot dumplings, is just right: the chill of the garlic balances out the heat of the dumplings.

At the same time, that wave of coolness in your mouth helps calm the eater down a little.

There are plenty of dumplings—no need to wolf them down.

Plus, because the dumpling filling has pork in it, it’s on the greasy side, and a clove of Laba Garlic is just the thing to cut through that greasiness.

If eating just the garlic isn’t satisfying enough, you can use a clean, oil‑free spoon to ladle out some of the Rice Vinegar used to pickle the garlic from the jar, and dip your dumplings in it.

During the pickling, all the garlic’s heat ends up in the vinegar.

So the vinegar used for Laba Garlic actually tastes spicier than the garlic itself, but that sour‑spicy flavor both cuts grease and boosts your appetite.

Pick up a dumpling, dip it in the vinegar and pop it into your mouth—the rich flavor of the dumpling and the sharp sour‑spiciness of the vinegar form a strong contrast on your tongue.

Even someone who doesn’t really like dumplings can polish off a big bowl when they’re dipped in that kind of sour‑spicy vinegar.

And Laba Garlic isn’t just for dumplings; it can also be used as an ingredient in stir‑fries—whether you’re cooking Fatty Intestines, beef, mixed pork offal, or chicken, duck, goose and other poultry.

Throw in a few jade‑green cloves of Laba Garlic, and the dish will look and taste that much better.

As for the vinegar left after you’ve eaten all the Laba Garlic, don’t toss it. Use it to stir‑fry Potato Strips, lotus root strips, mung bean sprouts and the like; that sour‑spicy flavor will take the dishes up a notch.

All in all, back when supplies were limited, Laba Garlic held a very important place in Northern households.

In summer, when new garlic hit the market, that was the time to buy some and pickle Sweet Garlic.

In winter, when the weather turned harsh and cold, that was the season for making Laba Garlic.

No matter how scarce things were, hardworking people would always find ways to enrich the dishes on the table, so their families could eat and drink as well as possible.

But nowadays, Laba Garlic isn’t anything rare.

If someone suddenly feels an itch to make some, they don’t have the patience to wait over twenty days for it to pickle.

And on today’s New Year’s Eve tables, dumplings have pretty much become a supporting role; the real focus is on the whole family working together to cook up a tableful of big dishes to reward themselves for a year’s hard work.

If dumplings themselves aren’t the star anymore, then Laba Garlic, which is just their sidekick, has even less of a place.

So the traditional method really doesn’t fit modern life; even if you make it, by the time New Year’s Eve comes you’re too busy to bother with a bite of garlic.

That’s why you get all those recipes online that promise "turn green in one day, ready to eat in three."

Lin Xu spoke into the camera:

"I’ll teach you the traditional method first... The first thing you need is a glass jar. It can’t have any oil or water in it. This jar has just been scalded and wiped dry, so we can use it directly."

He picked up the glass jar and held it up to the camera, then pointed at the garlic and said:

"The traditional method is to leave the roots on. All the garlic is pickled with the roots attached. That way it pickles more slowly, but the upside is it keeps the garlic crunchy for a long time."

He packed the garlic into the glass jar, then took a bottle of Rice Vinegar and poured it in until the cloves were just covered.

"Rice Vinegar has a strong sourness but not much aroma, so if you want more fragrance from the vinegar, you can drizzle in a bit of Chinkiang‑style vinegar."

He added some of the aromatic vinegar into the glass jar, then put in a small spoonful of salt. This was the secret weapon for keeping the garlic crisp for a long time; without the salt, the cloves would slowly soften in the jar.

Next he dropped in a few pieces of Crystal Sugar:

"The Crystal Sugar is optional; traditionally you don’t add it. But a certain Baobao in our family likes this sweet‑and‑sour flavor, so I’m putting a few pieces of Crystal Sugar in."