The short answer: black garlic oil, also called mayu, is minced garlic cooked slowly in oil until it turns from gold to very dark brown and almost black, then blended with sesame oil until smooth. It takes about 20 minutes. Drizzle a teaspoon over a bowl of ramen. Keep it in the fridge and use it within 4 days, or freeze it.
Black garlic oil is the dark, glossy swirl you see on top of tonkotsu ramen. It tastes bitter, sweet and deeply roasted, a bit like coffee and caramel with garlic underneath. You need two kinds of oil and one head of garlic. The only skill is knowing when to stop, and the colour guide below shows you where.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Time | About 25 minutes |
| Makes | About 150 ml, enough for 20 to 30 bowls |
| Heat | Low to medium, stirring all the time near the end |
| Keeps | 4 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer |
Ingredients
- 10 to 12 garlic cloves (about 40 g), finely minced
- 60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil: rapeseed, peanut or sunflower
- 60 ml (¼ cup) toasted sesame oil
- Optional: a pinch of salt and ½ tsp sugar
Mince by hand or in a small chopper. The pieces should be small and even, so they colour at the same rate. A garlic press makes a wet paste that spits and burns unevenly.
How to make black garlic oil
- Combine. Put the minced garlic and the neutral oil in a small, light-coloured pan. Start cold, so the garlic heats up gently.
- Cook to gold. Set the heat to medium-low. Stir now and then. After 8 to 10 minutes the garlic turns pale gold and smells sweet.
- Keep going. Stir all the time from here. The garlic turns brown, then dark brown, then very dark. It smells roasted and slightly bitter. This takes another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stop at near black. When most of the garlic is very dark brown to black, take the pan off the heat at once. Pour in the sesame oil. It cools the pan and stops the cooking.
- Blend. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Blend with a stick blender or a small blender until it is smooth and glossy. Add the salt and sugar if you like.
- Cool and store. Pour it into a clean jar and let it cool. Keep it in the fridge.
Ventilation: the last few minutes make smoke and a strong smell. Turn on the extractor fan and open a window before you start.
How dark should the garlic be?
Darker than feels right. Mayu is meant to taste bitter and roasted. If you stop at golden brown, you have fried garlic oil, which is delicious but different. Aim for very dark brown with some pieces fully black. If the whole pan goes black and smells acrid, like burnt toast, it has gone too far. That bitterness is harsh rather than pleasant, and it is best to start again.
Some cooks split the garlic in two batches. They take half out at dark brown and push the rest all the way to black. Mixing both gives a rounder flavour that is easier to like the first time.
Mayu or black garlic: what is the difference?
The names get mixed up, so it helps to know which one a recipe means.
| Mayu (black garlic oil) | Oil with fermented black garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| How the garlic gets dark | Cooked in oil until near black | Whole bulbs aged for weeks with warmth and humidity |
| Taste | Bitter, roasted, smoky | Sweet, soft, like balsamic and dates |
| Time | About 20 minutes | Weeks, or buy the black garlic ready made |
| Best on | Ramen, rice, noodles | Dressings, toast, dips |
To make the second kind, mash 3 or 4 cloves of shop-bought black garlic into 100 ml of olive oil. Store it the same way as mayu.
How to use black garlic oil
- Ramen: drizzle ½ to 1 teaspoon over tonkotsu, miso or shoyu ramen just before serving. A little goes a long way.
- Fried rice: stir a teaspoon in at the end.
- Noodles: toss with soy sauce, a pinch of sugar and spring onions.
- Eggs: spoon over a soft-boiled egg or a fried one.
- Grilled meat: brush onto chicken or pork as it comes off the grill.
For a spicy partner on the same table, see our guide to making chili oil.
How to store black garlic oil safely
Mayu contains garlic in oil. Cooked garlic in oil should be treated like fresh garlic in oil, because the low-oxygen setting lets harmful bacteria grow at room temperature. You cannot see, smell or taste them.
- Fridge: in a clean, closed jar, and use it within 4 days.
- Freezer: pour it into an ice-cube tray, freeze, then keep the cubes in a bag for up to 3 months. One small cube flavours several bowls.
- Never keep it at room temperature.
The same rule applies to garlic confit and any other garlic you keep under oil.
Can you make it in the NOIDS Herb Lab?
Not the black version. Mayu needs a pan that goes well above 100 °C to char the garlic. The NOIDS Herb Lab Oil function holds 100 °C (212 °F), which is right for a gentle garlic infusion, not for charring.
Questions
What is mayu?
Mayu is Japanese black garlic oil. Minced garlic is cooked in oil until it is near black, then blended with sesame oil. It is drizzled on ramen for a bitter, roasted flavour.
Why is my black garlic oil too bitter?
The garlic went past near black into fully burnt, or the heat was so fast that the outside charred before the inside cooked. Use medium-low heat and stir all the time in the last few minutes.
How long does black garlic oil last?
4 days in the fridge in a closed jar, or about 3 months in the freezer. Do not keep it at room temperature.
Can I use olive oil?
A neutral oil works better. Olive oil has its own flavour and can turn harsh at the heat needed to blacken the garlic.
How much mayu do I use per bowl of ramen?
Half a teaspoon to one teaspoon. Start with less and add more at the table.
