Lebanese Garlic Sauce – Toum
There is nothing more amazing than tasting delicious dishes and recipes from all over the world, except when you do it in person in that country. Some dishes are completely wonderful, some have you scratching your head wondering why anyone would enjoy this, and other dishes just might be taboo to the American Culture, this dish may be one of those taboo dishes, not because it violates any type of religious or political belief or structure, but because of the not so pleasant side effects it has. Are you wondering what that is? Just look at the title of the recipe! When this is called garlic sauce, we ain’t kidding, it is garlic sauce to the 20th power! This sauce will clean your pallet and clear your sinuses like nothing else. It is pure liquid garlic! But…….it’s so delicious.
If you have plans for a hot date tonight, you might want to reschedule, because if you are talking face to face with that special someone that you fancy or like, it will be your last time with them. You can smell this on someone’s breath from 20 miles away. Brushing your teeth or swishing some mouthwash will be about as effective as putting out a massive fire with a squirt gun. It’s over!
Now that I have your attention, lets talk about Lebanese Garlic sauce, which is known as “toum.” Toum has been a part of Lebanese culture and cuisine for many centuries. It’s origins go way back in time, probably before toothpaste and mints, haha. It has been and continues to be eaten with grilled meats, such as chicken kebabs, beef kebabs, probably lamb kebabs as well. Today it is also used as a dip for French fries and artichokes.
When I made this recipe, we used the garlic sauce as a dip for chicken kebabs, recipe is right here. It was a hit, even though it caused awful breath. Did we stay home after that? Nope, I took my two daughters to a soccer (football) game after that. Thankfully the row in front of us was mostly empty.
When preparing this sauce, keep in mind this is an advanced recipe, most people (myself included) don’t get it right when making toum or lebanese garlic sauce. The main key is patience. When dripping the oil and lemon juice into the blender, take your time, don’t rush it. It took me 30 minutes of gradual dripping. Below are the recipe and the instructions. Good luck and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of garlic cloves (3 to 4 heads garlic)
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 3 cups avocado oil/vegetable oil, or sunflower oil
Instructions
- Remove skins and green stems from garlic cloves (green stems can cause bitterness)
- Add garlic cloves to blender
- Add kosher salt to blender
- Turn blender on medium to medium high
- Turn off blender and push garlic down sides of container so it all blends
- Very gradually add one drip of oil and alternate with one drip of lemon juice
- Be very patient during this process, and even wait a minute between drips in the beginning
- Mix should emulsify into a mayo like substance, this is what you want, still be patient
- After 20 minutes, add oil and lemon juice in at larger amounts until both are gone
- Once the oil and lemon juice are in the blender, add a few ice cubes and blend
- Now empty your garlic sauce into an empty jar and place it in the fridge
- Tip: Do not take this jar of garlic sauce with you outside on a picnic or to a barbeque. The heat will make it melt back into oil and the consistency will be ruined.
Enjoy!