Toum Lebanese Garlic Sauce
User Reviews
5
Toum Lebanese Garlic Sauce
Description
Toum, a traditional Lebanese garlic sauce, combines peeled garlic cloves—without their green germ—with cold water, lemon juice, salt, and a neutral oil to create a whipped, fluffy condiment. The careful and slow emulsification process is key, as oil is drizzled very gradually into the blended garlic mixture to prevent the sauce from breaking. The sauce develops a thick texture that resembles a mayonnaise-like consistency and holds its shape well.
The flavor is strong and pungent raw garlic, brightened by lemon juice and balanced with salt. Using neutral oils such as vegetable or canola ensures the garlic remains the dominant taste. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to two months, during which time the flavor smooths and becomes less sharp.
To avoid bitterness, it's essential to remove the garlic germ before preparing. If the sauce breaks, blending in cooked mashed potatoes can help restore its emulsion. Refrigerating toum before use helps mellow the intensity, and soaking garlic cloves briefly in cold water prior to processing is another method to reduce sharpness.
Ingredients
- 1 cup garlic about 3 heads of garlic, cloves
- 1/3 cup water cold
- 1/4 cup lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 cups vegetable oil see notes
Instructions
- Peel the garlic cloves and cut them in half lengthwise to remove the green sprout (germ).
- Add the garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor with the cold water. Blend to mince the garlic. Stop the food processor and scrape the sides of the bowl using a spatula.
- Add half of the lemon juice (1/8 cup) and the salt to the garlic. Blend again.
- As the food processor is running, very slowly drizzle 1 cup of the oil into the bowl. This should take about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the bowl again.
- Add the rest of lemon juice and keep the food processor running. Drizzle the rest of the oil (2 cups) as slowly as possible. It will take about 6 minutes to pour the oil. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times to make sure all is combined.
- The garlic sauce will be fluffy and thick. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Notes
- Use young garlic and remove the green sprout (germ) to avoid bitterness in the sauce.
- Choose neutral oils like vegetable or canola; avoid olive or grapeseed oils to keep flavor pure and color light.
- Store toum in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months; do not freeze.
- Adding oil too quickly or lemon juice at the wrong time can cause sauce breakage; if broken, blend with cooked mashed potatoes to fix.
- Soaking peeled garlic cloves in cold water for 20 minutes before processing can mellow the flavor.
- Refrigerating toum for 1-2 days before serving softens the garlic intensity.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 36servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 167 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1tbsp | |
| Calories | 167kcal | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 1g | 0% |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 10g | 59% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Sodium | 98mg | 4% |
| Potassium | 17mg | 0% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 1IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 2mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 7mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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