Arabic Garlic Sauce Recipes

LEBANESE GARLIC SAUCE (TOUM)

Steps:

• Slice the garlic cloves in half lengthwise and remove any green sprouts.
• Transfer the sliced garlic cloves into a food processor and add the kosher salt to the garlic cloves. Process for a minute until the garlic becomes finely minced. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the food processor afterwards.
• While the food processor is running, slowly pour one to two tablespoons of oil, then stop and scrape down the bowl. Continue adding another tablespoon or two until the garlic starts looking creamy.
• Once the garlic looks emulsified by the few tablespoons of oil, increase the speed of pouring the oil and alternate with the 1/2 cup of lemon juice until all the oil and lemon juice is incorporated. This will take about 15 minutes to complete.
• Transfer the sauce into a glass container and cover with a paper towel in the fridge overnight. Makes about 4 cups.
• The next day, replace the paper towel with an airtight lid and keep in the fridge for up to 3 months.

TOUM GARLIC SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Peel the garlic cloves. Cut the cloves in half and remove the green germ (this is optional).
• Place the garlic and kosher salt in the bowl of a food processor (a smaller one may work better here). Pulse a few times until the garlic looks minced, stopping to scrape down the sides. Add the lemon juice and pulse a few times to combine (again, scrape down the sides)
• While the food processor is running, drizzle the oil in ever so slowly (use the top opening of the processor to drizzle in the oil). After you've used about 1/4 cup or so, add in about 1 tablespoon of the ice water. Stop to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl.
• Keep the processor running and continue to slowly drizzle in the oil, adding a tablespoon of the ice water after every 1/4 cup of oil. Continue on with this process until you have used up the oil entirely. The garlic sauce has thickened and increased in volume (it should look smooth and fluffy). This should take somewhere around 10 minute or so.

THOOM - ARABIC GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Use a blender as the well on a food processor is too big for this. Try a wand blender, I havent, but if you have a strong one, I bet it's just the ticket.
• Drop into the blender: cleaned garlic, egg-white and a few teaspoons oil. Blend and add remaining oil by the teaspoon whilst continually blending. Expect to spend a little time now, dribbling in the canola oil (don't break the sauce!).
• You are creating an emulsion, like mayonnaise. At first it will look runny, but keep dripping the oil in gradually, and it will begin to thicken when about 1/3 - 1/2 cup is blended. Make it as stiff or as relaxed as you like, but if you add oil or lemon too much at a time, it will separate into plain oil & puree'd garlic, not an emulsion.
• If the emulsion is too thick to blend, dilute it with the lemon-juice and later w/ water (when you have the level of flavor you want from the lemon but you want to thin the sauce). Conversely, thicken it by adding more oil -- I have scared myself w/ an emulsion that was very fluid till I realized I had added too much lemon juice. So, more garlic, more oil, more blending and voila, problem solved.
• I like to keep this quite stiff as I use it like mayo, but it's harder to blend that way: it gets so thick you have to use a spatula to knock down the top so it will keep blending.
• When most of the oil is emulsified, salt to taste.
• I have seen Americanized versions of this sauce calling for everything from yogurt to mashed potatoes(!) You not need a dairy product in this. Or potatoes, lol!
• Made this way, this will keep a long time, like mayo (the egg is optional). If it's too garlicky for you, add another 1/2 C oil like you did the first cup. This is the real deal, promise!