Garlic scapes (maneuljjong – 마늘쫑 ) are in season. I got a bunch from a Korean market for the first time this season. They are available in the late spring and early summer, when scapes are most tender and sweet.
What are garlic scapes?
Garlic scapes are the curly flowering shoots/stalks of garlic plants that are snipped off to allow the bulbs to grow bigger. They have a milder flavor than garlic cloves but are still quite garlicky. When cooked, the scapes become sweeter with a subtle garlic undertone and have a texture similar to that of thin asparagus.
In Korea, garlic scapes are commonly used as a vegetable for various side dishes. I sometimes pickle garlic scapes in a soy brine. I also blend scapes into a paste and add it to the grated potatoes to make potato pancakes.
For this recipe, I stir-fried the scapes with walnuts in a soy sauce-based sauce. You can omit the walnuts if you want. Stir-fried garlic scapes are a simple and delicious spring side dish!
This recipe was originally posted in May 2013. I’ve updated it here with new photos and minor changes to the recipe.
If you haven’t cooked with garlic scapes, make that a goal this spring. You’re missing out on a wonderful vegetable! The scapes only appear in markets for a short period time, so grab them while you can.
For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces garlic scapes maneuljjong
- 1/2 cup shelled walnuts broken into quarters -- optional
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon oligodang or corn syrup or more sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Rinse and cut the garlic scapes into 2-inch lengths. Mix the first four sauce ingredients well together, and set aside.
- In a heated pan over medium low heat, roast the optional walnuts for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan, and increase the heat to medium high. Sauté the scapes for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Return the walnuts to the pan, and pour the sauce into the pan. Cook until the garlic scapes are tender and the sauce is almost gone, about 2 - 3 minutes.
- Add the oligodang (or corn syrup), and stir well. Finish with the sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Jackey says
So happy to find this recipe!
Do you have a recipe for garlic scape side dish? I had it once in a Korean restaurant and fell in love with it. But never came across it since, probably not the right season. But I would love to grow garlic scales and learn to make a side dish with it.
Thank you!
Hyosun says
hmm this is a garlic scape recipe. You must have a specific one in mind.
Anna says
Hi😊 I came across your website while searching for a recipe for pickled garlic scape. Going through your website i clicked on a link where it says soy brine, just one question, does pickling garlic scape require the same process of brining in two liquids just like when pickling garlic? By the way, Your recipes are very easy to follow Im just not sure as they are two different ingredients. Hope to hear from you.😊 Thank you!
Hyosun says
Hi Anna! No you don’t need to do the first step for garlic scapes. Just do the second brine. Thank you for finding my blog and for the nice words!
Joy says
Just harvested my scapes today and tried this recipe. So good! I made extra sauce and then added (cooked) brown rice to the pan. It was lovely.
Hyosun says
Wow that must be so tender and delicious coming from your own garden! Fried brown rice sounds great with it. Thank you for taking the time to leave me the comment! Really means a lot to me.
kero says
These are my favorite! The garlic scapes season is so short, we take advantage when we can. Thank you for this recipe!
Lim says
Thank you so much for the recipe! Could you recommend a good brand of rice wine to use in Korea? There are so many!
Hyosun says
How about 롯데 미림 or 두산주류 청주한큰술? Either one should be pretty good.
Emily Jang says
I was on a banchan spree last night and I had also magically found scapes at Whole Foods. I tried this recipe because my husband wanted something more reminiscent of when he at them in Korea when he was growing up. I threw in some anchovies per his request. We both loved this recipe. This was so delicious!! Thank you again for your recipes. Your website is my go-to website because I always end up loving your recipes. I don’t always post comments but I wanted to say a general thank you because your recipes are always consistently delicious. As an adoptee who has no Korean family member to teach me how to make Korean food, your website has been essential to build my Korean culinary skills.
Hyosun says
Aww thank you so much for such nice words! I am so happy to be part of your Korean cooking. I am sure myulchi was delicious with garlic scapes. And thanks for all your comments today. I don’t think I ever received comments on 3 different recipes from the same person on the same day, so Emily you made a record!
Xena Wilder says
I had sautéed garlic scape for the first time with mushrooms and carrots. My husband loved it! I love this website. It always has just yummy Korean foods with the easy to follow instructions!
Hyosun says
Hi Xena! So very happy to hear from you. Thank you so much for the nice words. Mushrooms and carrots sound great with garlic scape. Hope all is well with you and your husband. And hope to see you guys again one day. Cheers!
Kate fu says
I just shared your recipes on FB:) They all look amazing!
Hyosun says
Thank you! I really appreciated it.
G says
Been going through all your old posts and adding things to juxtapost with abandon. Love your blog. Thanks.
madscar says
Love it! Thanks for recipe 🙂
Jeannie Tay says
This sounds delicious! I love garlic scapes too and cooked them with shrimps or sliced pork…yum!
Hyosun Ro says
Hi Jeannie – Sounds great with shrimp or pork! I should try. Thanks for visiting!
Sue | My Korean Kitchen says
Um… Yum! I can smell the taste and feel the texture from your description. 🙂 It used to be one of my favourite banchan my mum made for us. Though, I’ve never seen fresh garlic scapes in Australia. Lucky you, Hyosun! I’m so jealous.
Hyosun Ro says
That’s too bad. Hope they show up in your area next spring. Who knows – garlic scapes might become the next trendy vegetable. It seems like they are starting to get more attention in the U.S. Thanks for coming by!
Irina @ wandercrush says
Yum! My last post was just on wild garlic pesto, so I’ve really been on a garlic spree lately. This looks delicious, and I really miss Korean food! I’ve never had any with walnuts, but it sounds amazing.
Hyosun Ro says
Thank you so much, Irina! Your wild garlic pesto looks great. I’m thinking about making some pesto with garlic scapes and freeze them for later use.
Robert says
Can I take this to mean garlic scapes can be bought in bulk and frozen for later use? If so do they need to be blanched before freezing?
Hyosun says
Hmm that’s not what I meant to say, but try it. Definitely blanch them before freezing.
Mary-Pat Sherman says
Hi Hyosun Ro:
My son just sent me your link last evening after telling me that he follows your blog – and is becoming quite proficient in Korean quisine. I’m thrilled! I don’t know much about Korean cooking but am looking forward to incorporating it into my eclectic repertoire. I’ve never even ‘thought’ about scapes but I will certainly be searching for them now that I’ve read you. I LOVE GARLIC – a wonder food! Thank you so much for your blog; I’m preparing to start a cooking / baking / entertaining blog for my family – especially 3 granddaughters who are now foraying out into the World and are calling / emailing me for recipes. I look forward to really great times catching up with all you’ve shared!
Hyosun Ro says
Hi Mrs. Sherman – Very pleased to meet you on line. How nice of your son to introduce my blog to you! Please tell him that I’m very happy to hear he’s becoming proficient in Korean cooking and I greatly appreciate his readership. That’s awesome that you’re going to start a blog. Please come back and let me know when you do. Thank you so much for visiting!