To make microwave fried garlic, put about a quarter cup of minced garlic in a small bowl, cover it with any neutral oil, and microwave it in 15-second increments until the garlic turns deep gold. The process takes a grand total of two to four minutes, and the results closely mimic Simeon’s original deep-fried garlic recipe.
The microwave is the secret to easy fried garlic with much less mess.
The microwave fried garlic won’t come out exactly the same as the deep-fried garlic that you’d make on the stove, but you’ll still get a super-savory, garlicky topping for enhancing your noodles, rice, soups, and stir-frys. For the best results, Simeon recommends stirring the garlic in between the 15-second intervals: “Some bits might not get as crispy as others, because it doesn’t have the roaring boil that’s constantly moving—but the method still works,” he explains.
Then “you want to get all the excess oil off of the garlic, as quickly as possible,” Simeon says, by immediately straining the cooked garlic through a tea strainer or fine-mesh sieve held over a bowl. This helps keep the garlic extra crispy. Otherwise, the garlic will start to act like a sponge, soaking up the oil and becoming soggy.
You can use your microwave fried garlic right away, or store it in a sealed container for up to three weeks at room temperature. That way, you’ll have it on hand for sprinkling on hearty salads, grilled vegetables, or coconut shrimp—or seriously, anything savory. You’ll want to put the remaining garlic-infused oil to good use, too. “The oil is the best byproduct of fried garlic,” says Simeon. Consume it immediately or keep it in the fridge for a week.
You can use this slightly sweet, super-savory oil to make fried garlic rice with a fried egg on top the next morning, or use it Simeon's favorite way: drizzled over an order of Jollibee’s 12-piece fried chicken. All I can say is, now that the easy microwave method is in play, I know with certainty that my kitchen is bound to smell like fried garlic a little more often.
