Classic Lebanese Toum (Garlic Whip Sauce)
A fluffy, intensely garlicky Lebanese sauce made by slowly emulsifying neutral oil into fresh garlic with lemon juice and salt. No eggs, no dairy - just four ingredients whipped into a cloud-like condiment for shawarma, grilled meats, and fries.
Ingredients
For the Toum
- 1 cup garlic cloves, peeled green sprouts removed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 1/4 cups neutral oil canola, sunflower, or grapeseed
- 1 tablespoon ice water optional, to lighten
Instructions
- Add the garlic and salt to a food processor. Pulse for about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides, until the garlic forms a fine paste. Add a spoonful of lemon juice and blend until completely smooth.
- With the processor running, drizzle in the oil in the slowest thin stream possible, alternating small additions of oil with spoonfuls of lemon juice. Keep the stream steady and do not rush - this takes 15 to 20 minutes.
- When all the oil and lemon juice are incorporated, the toum should look like fluffy white mayonnaise and hold soft peaks. Blend in the ice water if it is very thick.
- Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a clean airtight jar and refrigerate. For the mildest flavor, rest 1 to 2 days before serving.
Notes
Everything must be dry - water breaks the emulsion. Dry the garlic and the processor bowl before starting.
Use a neutral oil. Olive oil turns bitter when whipped and overpowers the garlic.
If the sauce breaks (turns liquid and greasy), blend 2 tablespoons of it with 1 fresh garlic clove until smooth, then slowly drizzle the broken mixture back in.
Toum mellows in the fridge over 1 to 2 days. It keeps up to 2 months refrigerated; do not freeze.