Fish Sauce-Pickled Garlic

Place the garlic, spices, and chilies into a sanitized quart jar. 

In a small sauce pan, bring the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and fish sauce up to a boil over high heat. Allow the salt and sugar to dissolve. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Pour the hot brine over the garlic mixture. Cover and place into the fridge for one day before eating. The pickled garlic will last for one month in the fridge. 

*Note: the garlic may turn a blue-green color as it ages in the vinegar-based brine. Do not worry, as long as there is no mold present or it doesn’t smell rotten, it is completely safe to eat. In fact, there is a tradition of Chinese pickling that creates blue garlic as a condiment.