After making the falafels, I got several requests on how to make the traditional garlic dipping sauce and I felt it was about time I posted the Toum recipe. So, here I have for you a mini-mid week post.

Toum or Toom (which means garlic) is a creamy garlic dipping sauce, a classic Middle Eastern dip and it goes well with shawarma, falafel, grilled chicken, kebabs, grilled fish, etc. It has a striking similarity with mayonnaise or sour cream but is made without eggs. A successful garlic sauce has a white, creamy texture with a strong aroma of garlic, and a slightly tangy flavor which is the result of adding lemon juice.

Now, I’ll be honest with you, making this sauce is a delicate process, a slight imbalance of oil or lemon juice can break the consistency of the garlic sauce. After few iterations, I have managed to come up with the following measurements which are almost close to making the perfect garlic sauce.

Prep Time : 15 mins
Cook Time : None
Served: Room Temperature

Ingredients:

 1 cup of garlic petals
 1 cup of vegetable oil
 1 lemon, freshly juiced
 1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)

Method:

In a blender add garlic petals and salt and blend it until it has formed a paste. Scrape the garlic from the sides of the blender and mix it again for 20-30 seconds.

Drizzle quarter cup of oil from the tiny holes in the food processor in the garlic and salt mixture for about 20 seconds. Add in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and blend the mixture.

Tip: You can store this sauce in an air tight container in the freezer for later and use it as a marinating mix.

Now, slowly drizzle in the oil through the top of the food processor in the garlic, salt and lemon juice mixture until the remaining oil is finished.

Taste the mixture as you go, add the lemon juice if you feel that the mixture has not achieved a whitish color.

Your mixture should look pearly white with a creamy texture and you can garnish it with some coriander.