Mincing and fine chopping: garlic and herbs

Mincing (French hacher) is the finest chop, down to 1–2 mm or less. Garlic, ginger, shallots, chillies and herbs are prepared this way — anything that should spread its flavour through a dish rather than turn up as a chunk. Finely chopped in recipes usually means 1–3 mm, and a finely cut firm vegetable is practically brunoise (see the dice article).

• Put the clove on the board, cover it with the flat of a wide knife (edge facing away from you) and press with your palm: the skin cracks and comes off easily.
• Slice the clove thinly, then into sticks, and gather them into a pile.
• Rock-chop: the tip of the knife stays on the board, the fingers of your free hand rest flat on the spine near the tip, the handle moves up and down while the knife fans across the pile.
• Gather the pile with the blade now and then and repeat until fine enough. For garlic paste, add a pinch of salt and drag the flat of the knife across the board a few times.

• Herbs must be dry: wet ones clump and turn into mush.
• Gather a tight bunch, cut off the thick stems, slice crosswise, then rock-chop like garlic.
• Do not over-chop: parsley, dill and cilantro need 10–15 strokes. Delicate herbs (basil, mint) are better cut as a chiffonade — chopping darkens them. Scallions and chives are sliced thinly crosswise, not chopped.

The finer the garlic, the more cells are broken and the sharper the flavour: mashed into a paste it is the strongest, sliced it is the mildest.