Origins of Toum Garlic Sauce
Toum is a traditional Lebanese garlic sauce known for its rich, fluffy texture and intense garlic flavor. The word toum simply means "garlic" in Arabic. This sauce has been a staple in Levantine cuisine for centuries and is often served with grilled meats, shawarma, and roasted chicken.
Toum shares similarities with Mediterranean aioli, but it is distinct because it uses emulsification with oil rather than egg yolks. Lebanese cooks perfected the technique, ensuring a stable, creamy consistency without dairy or eggs.
Basic Toum Recipe
Here’s a simple recipe to make toum at home. This is for a small batch, and you'll need an immersion "stick" blender and its accessory jar.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup garlic cloves (1 average head, peeled)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup neutral oil (such as canola, sunflower, or grapeseed)
- 2 T. fresh lemon juice
Instructions:
- Prepare the garlic: Slice the peeled garlic cloves in half and remove any green sprouts (this helps reduce bitterness), then cut each half in half.
- Place ingredients in a stick blender jar: Submerge the blender head to the bottom (as best you can).
- Start emulsifying: Start the blender, keeping the head at the bottom until the emulsion starts to form. Continue to blend until all the oil has been incorporated.
- Store: Transfer the toum to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a month.
Tips for Success:
- Use fresh garlic for the best flavor and smoothest texture.
- If the sauce breaks, you can try fixing it by blending in a couple tablespoons of aquafaba (liquid from canned chick peas) or slowly incorporating a spoonful of ice water while re-blending.
Freshly-made toum can be quite pungent. The pronounced flavor of raw garlic will mellow after a couple of days in the refrigerator.