How to Make Lebanese Garlic Sauce

Lebanese garlic sauce, also called "toum," is used in Middle Eastern cooking on everything from noodles to roasted meats to vegetables. Standards toum recipes use a food processor, but some modern chefs have discovered that it can be prepared with a blender instead. Make Lebanese garlic sauce by gathering the best ingredients and emulsifying those ingredients in a food processor or a blender.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Gathering Ingredients for Lebanese Garlic Sauce

1
Find fresh garlic. The better quality of garlic you use for your sauce, the tastier and more flavorful your sauce will be.
- Cut the garlic cloves in half lengthwise and remove any green stem. This part of the garlic can make your sauce taste bitter.
2
Look for a juicy lemon. Make sure the fruit is ripe, and rub it on a cutting board or other flat surface to get the juice ready to release.

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3
Use your favorite oil. Most toum recipes call for canola oil, grapeseed oil or sunflower oil. You can also use olive oil or any vegetable oil you prefer to cook with.
4
Have salt and ice water ready to add to your garlic sauce for flavor and to thin out any sauce that seems too thick.
5
Decide whether you want to use an egg white. Some people do not use eggs in their Lebanese garlic sauces, others feel that the egg white makes the sauce creamier. This is a matter of personal taste, and you might want to try it both ways.
- Try making the sauce in your food processor without the egg white, and go ahead and use the egg white if you decide to use a blender instead.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Lebanese Garlic Sauce in a Food Processor

1
Put 1 cup (8 oz.) of garlic cloves in a food processor and add 2 tsp. (9.85 ml) of salt.
- Pulse the garlic until it is minced and fine. Remember to stop between pulses to scrape down the sides of the food processor. You do not want to end up with large clumps of garlic in your sauce.
2
Pour oil slowly into the food processor while it is running. You will want to add about 1/2 a cup (4 oz.) at a time, ultimately using 4 cups (32 oz.) of oil.
3
Add 2 tsp. (9.85 ml) of lemon juice after every 1/2 cup (4 oz.) of oil. Continue to let the food processor run while you are adding the oil and lemon juice.
4
Stop every few minutes to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
- Scrape all of the sauce out of the food processor into a bowl. Add salt to taste and refrigerate.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Lebanese Garlic Sauce in a Blender

1
Place 5 cloves of garlic in a blender. Add a healthy pinch of salt and the juice from 1/4 of a lemon.
2
Blend on medium speed for one minute. Stop and scrape the garlic off the sides of the blender. Continue to blend.
3
Add one egg white to the mixture in the blender and mix on medium speed.
4
Pour 1/2 cup (4 oz.) of oil into the blender at a steady pace. You do not have to go as slow as you do when using a food processor, but do not dump it all in at once.
5
Add the remaining juice of a whole lemon (3/4 of the lemon). Switch to a slow speed as the lemon and oil emulsify.
6
Pour another 1/2 cup (4 oz.) of oil into the blender while it blends on slow.
7
Add 2 tbsp. (29.5 ml) of water to get the texture lighter and creamier.
8
Scrape the sauce out of the blender and into a bowl.

Community Q&A

Question

How long does this sauce last?

Community Answer

If refrigerated, it should be okay for 1-2 weeks.
Question

What do I do if my sauce is too runny?

Community Answer

Gradually add Maizena flour until the sauce thickens a bit. Don't add too much, as to consistency will be off. I usually add two tablespoons or less.