Toum, or Lebanese garlic paste, is a vegan emulsion that has the look and feel of a very garlicky mayonnaise or aioli. It is smooth, fluffy, and creamy, and it tastes delicious with grilled meat or vegetables.
The the main ingredients in tuom are garlic, oil, and lemon juice. Usually fats (in the oil) and water (in the lemon juice) do not combine well. That is why when you make a simple vinaigrette with oil and vinegar, the oil floats to the top and the vinegar stays at the bottom. Tuom is a fat-in-water emulsion, which means the the fat is suspended in tiny droplets called micelles within the water. Like other emulsions, tuom has ingredients called emulsifiers that help the fat and water combine in a stable form. Emuslifiers are amphiphilic, meaning they have both a fat-soluble and a water-soluble side. When emulisifiers are added correctly, the water-soluble part can bind with the water and the fat-soluble side can bind with the fat. This makes them good chemicals that can allow water and fat to mix. The garlic contains both proteins and molecules called saponins, which are emulsifiers.
To make a successful emulsion, the oil must be added a tiny (tiny!) bit at a time to a garlic paste. If you add the oil too quickly, you will end up with a gloppy mess of lemon juice, garlic paste, and oil, instead of light, fluffy tuom. Overall, the recipe will take 10-15 minutes of processing in the food processor to make the tuom. It is extremely important to carefully follow the instructions below to get a good emulsion.
Many recipes for tuom include the whole garlic clove. Unless you are using very fresh or mild garlic, this can lead to an extra bitter or spicy tuom. I remove the center germ (The little strand in the center that is sometimes green), which makes a more mild tuom. This does take extra time.
This recipe is adapted from The Lemon Bowl’s Authentic Lebanese Garlic Sauce.
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Ingredients
1 cup (130 g) garlic cloves, peeled, with center germ removed unless the garlic is very fresh or mild
1 1/2 teaspoons (4.5 g) kosher salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups (600 to 720 ml) canola oil
1/4 to 1/3 cups (60 to 80 ml) fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Put the garlic cloves and salt in the bowl of a food processor that has at least a 7 cup capacity. Use the standard blade. Process for 30 seconds, then scrape the sides down. Process another 30 seconds, and scrape the sides down again. The mixture should be smooth, with no clear chunks of garlic.
- Turn the food processor on and begin to add the oil in an extremely fine stream, which should be about as thick as a thread. Continue to run the processor while adding the oil. Add 1/2 cup (120 ml) at this speed. At this time, you should see the emulsion beginning to form–the garlic/oil will start to lighten and become fluffy. Turn off the food processor and scrape the sides down again. Turn the food processor on again and add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of lemon juice. Continue to add the oil in a very thin stream. When the emulsion has more clearly formed, you can increase the thickness of the oil stream to about the thickness of a thin yarn. After you have added another 1/2 cup (120 ml), turn the food processor off again and scrape the sides down. Turn the food processor on again and add 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of lemon juice.
- Continue alternating 1/2 cup (120 ml) oil and lemon juice, increasing the amount of lemon juice added by a teaspoon (5 ml) with every addition. The tuom is ready when it is light and fluffy, and no oil beads have formed. If you see oil beads starting to form, turn off the food processor and wait a minute or so to start blending and adding oil again.