Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce (Toum)
Toum or Garlic Sauce is one of the most important sauces/dips in Mediterranean, and specifically Lebanese, cuisine. Like Spanish or Italian aioli but with a lot more bite, this sauce is the perfect accompaniment to so many dishes, but especially grilled chicken like shawarma or kebab.
It is incredibly garlic forward, and will absolutely stay with you for hours. But if you’re fine with smelling like vampire repellant for a while, the flavors this sauce imparts are breathtaking, in large part to the spiciness from the raw garlic.
While most aiolis rely on egg products, whether whole or just yolks to help build the emulsion, toum is traditionally made from oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt.
Throughout my testing, I’ve found that using a small amount of the water found in canned chickpeas you can help create a much more stable emulsion, while still keeping the dish vegan. This opaque, slightly earthy liquid is filled with long-chain starches that mimic the qualities of eggs added to mayonnaise or aioli.
Try experimenting with different extra virgin olive oils whenever you make this recipe and choose which one works best for you. I love to use a medium to full-bodied, spice-forward olive oil because I think it stands up well against the pungent garlic and lemon flavors, but I’ve always found that a lighter, delicate oil makes a slightly less bitter sauce that is great for fish or veggies.
Garlic Sauce (Toum)
Course: Sauces, DipsCuisine: Mediterranean, LebaneseDifficulty: Medium10
servings15
minutesThis garlic sauce is the epitome of Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine — a distillation of a few simple ingredients into an incredibly intense sauce. Perfect with grilled meats, or roasted veggies, this sauce has a ton of strong garlic flavor and a decidedly pungent kick, so be careful!
Ingredients
12clovesgarlic
1/4cuplemon juice
1/4cupchickpea liquid
2 cupsextra virgin olive oil
2tspkosher salt
1tspground black pepper
Directions
- In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chickpea liquid.
- Mix the ingredients on medium speed until the garlic is pureed and the mixture is frothy.
- Begin to incorporate the extra virgin olive oil by drizzling it into the bowl or blender carafe while the machine is running. Be patient and drizzle very slowly to keep the emulsion stable.
- Once the oil has been completely combined the mixture should be light and fluffy and resemble mayonnaise or aioli.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- Store the sauce for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- I like to place a funnel filled with ice over the top of my food processor and drizzle the oil through the ice. This helps keep the oil as cold as possible to ensure a stable emulsion.
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