Toum Recipe (Garlic Sauce) (2024)

FAQs

What is toum garlic sauce made of? ›

In the mortar, combine garlic and salt and grind until it becomes a smooth paste. Work oil into paste 1 teaspoon at a time. After adding 1 tablespoon oil, work in a few drops of lemon juice. Repeat until all the oil, lemon juice, and water have been incorporated.

If your toum is not emulsifying, you can try the following: While making it in the food processor, process it in 1 cold pasteurized egg to act as the liaison to help make it fluffy. You may need more oil and more high-speed processing to emulsify. Try adding 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time while processing.

Cook's Tip: for best results, do not rush the emulsification process. It helps to use a smaller food processor. Storage: toum can best be stored in a tight-lid mason jar or container in the fridge for 4 weeks or so.

Before making the garlic sauce, you can soak the garlic for 30 minutes in ice water. After making the garlic sauce, you can whisk in some lemon juice to mellow down the flavor. I find it mellows down with time though.

The word 'toum' itself translates to 'garlic' in Arabic, which is a testament to its key ingredient. Across the Middle East, garlic has long held a significant culinary place, not only for its flavour but also for its many health benefits including boosting the immune system and aiding digestion.

Do be sure to use the freshest garlic you can find: Older garlic tends to result is a very spicy toum. If your toum is too spicy at first, it should mellow out after a couple of days in the fridge.

If you enjoy toum in a thicker consistency, allow it to sit in the fridge for a day and it will thicken up. Another way to get thicker toum using the immersion blender is to use more oil. This recipe uses less oil than usual, and that's because I don't like toum tasting too oily.

In the Lebanese city of Zagarta, fresh mint leaves are often included, and it is called zeit wa tum ("oil and garlic"). Toum sauce differs from aioli in the proportion of garlic added, which is much higher in the case of toum.

One of the big reasons that your toum is thin is because your ingredients got too warm while processing. All you need to do is take a tablespoon of ice cold water and drizzle it into the processor while it is on. Let it process and watch it thicken up. If it is still not thick enough, add another tablespoon of water.

Can toum go bad? ›

Toum keeps really well in the fridge for a couple of months. The garlic flavor mellows out significantly after a couple of weeks, so keep that in mind.

One way to reduce that potency is by soaking the garlic with ice water. Make sure to dry them thoroughly though afterwards if you do this. Make sure to alternate the lemon juice with the oil.

Certain ingredients can help to balance or neutralize the garlic taste. Acidic ingredients like lemon juice or vinegar can help to cut through the strong flavors of garlic. Adding dairy products like milk, cream, or yogurt can also help to mellow the taste and create a more balanced dish.

In the Lebanese city of Zagarta, fresh mint leaves are often included, and it is called zeit wa tum ("oil and garlic"). Toum sauce differs from aioli in the proportion of garlic added, which is much higher in the case of toum.

That said, no matter what it is called, toum is a white, creamy sauce that has a texture similar to mayonnaise. In addition, it has a bold garlic flavor that is married with refreshing lemon for a condiment that is buttery smooth and unbelievably delicious.

The sauce is comprised of soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, chili, black bean sauce, and vegetable stock. I have this Chinese restaurant right next to work. It is my favorite take-out place and I eat there a lot…