Once you’ve mastered the fine (but actually really simple) art of mincing garlic to a paste, you’ll never go back to the bittiness of chopped garlic unless a recipe specifically calls for a chunky kind of chop 😉

Garlic paste will keep for a week or so in the fridge (in a glass jar) or a few weeks (in a plastic box) in the freezer if you’re making lots in advance, which can be a nifty time-saver if you’re the well-prepared type 😉

Here are two utterly foolproof methods for mincing garlic to a smooth paste – use the one that makes most sense for your dish…

#1: Smooth raw garlic paste – Directions:

1. Peel and roughly chop your garlic (as much or as little as you’re planning to use)
2. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over it
3. Mince to a fine paste – you’ll be surprised at how quickly it turns to a paste, and how smooth it gets

The whole ordeal will cost you less than 5 minutes, and the end result is usable in any cooked dishes 😀

#2: Mellow roasted garlic paste – Directions:

1. Pop your garlic unpeeled into the oven in a dish with whatever else you’re roasting (of course, this method makes most sense if you happen to be roasting, as you would in making this yummy Lebanese cauliflower dish, which is best served with mellow roasted garlic in the sauce)
2. After about 30 minutes, remove your garlic from the oven, and leave it to cool enough to handle
3. Peel your garlic (the skin should be crispy, and practically fall off the garlic), and mash it with a fork in a small bowl – it’ll turn to paste almost instantly, and release its gorgeous mellow aroma

The whole ordeal will cost you less than 1 minute once the garlic is roasted, and the end result is usable in any cooked or raw dishes – especially great when you want to mellow out the garlic flavour, which is ideal if your dish is raw 😀