Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)
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Toum is a Lebanese garlic sauce built from just four ingredients, and it turns into a thick, pale emulsion much like mayonnaise, with no egg involved. The traditional method uses a wooden pestle and mortar, and the garlic paste itself holds the oil as you add it slowly. You control the heat by choosing how much garlic goes in, from 10 g for a mild sauce to 40 g for a fierce one.
Instructions
Put the peeled garlic in a mortar with the salt and pound it with a pestle, wooden if you have one, until it becomes a very smooth paste. You can add the salt at the start or once the garlic is already well crushed.
Begin adding the oil one drop at a time, stirring each drop into the garlic with the pestle before adding the next. Keep the motion steady and avoid pausing for more than a moment.
Once about 1 tbsp of oil has been fully absorbed, switch to a thin drizzle instead of single drops. Keep stirring constantly as the mixture thickens.
After roughly half of the oil is in, alternate small amounts of the strained lemon juice with small amounts of oil. Continue until all the oil and juice are used.
The toum is done when it is pale and as thick as mayonnaise. For a faster route, crush the garlic and salt to a smooth paste, then add the oil and lemon juice in a blender or food processor.
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