Lebanese Toum
ثومية·(toom)
MEAL PREP
Per serving: NET CARBS: 0.8 g Total carbs: 0.8 g | Fiber: 0 g | Sugar alcohols: 0 g Fat: 10.5 g | Protein: 0.1 g Calories: ~100
Traditional toum requires nothing more than peeled garlic cloves, avocado oil, and the brute force of a spinning blade. It looks like mayonnaise but contains no egg, relying entirely on the brutalized cellular structure of fresh garlic to suspend a massive volume of oil. While commercial kitchens take cheap shortcuts by padding their sauces with cornstarch to stretch the yield, the pure method produces a thick emulsion when you lock the food processor lid, let the motor whine, pour the oil in a hair-thin stream, and spoon the paste heavily over charcoal-grilled chicken skewers.
Before you start
Remove the green sprouts.
If your garlic cloves have a green germ running down the center, pluck it out; it carries a harsh, oxidized bitterness that will taint the pristine flavor of the final sauce.
Ingredients
- fresh garlic cloves1 cup
- kosher salt2 tsp
- neutral avocado oil3 cup
- fresh lemon juice1/2 cup
- ice water2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Pulverize the garlic into a wet, fine paste.
Process the garlic cloves and salt in a food processor until completely destroyed, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.
- 02
Start the emulsion drop by agonizing drop.
With the machine running, add the avocado oil extremely slowly through the feed tube; rushing this initial stage will break the emulsion instantly.
- 03
Build the structure with a continuous stream.
Once you have coaxed the first half-cup of oil into a creamy, opaque base, slightly increase your pouring speed to a very thin, steady drizzle.
- 04
Alternate the fat with the acid.
As the mixture thickens and aggressively climbs the bowl, splash in a tablespoon of lemon juice to thin it out, alternating with the remaining oil until both are fully incorporated.
- 05
Adjust the final consistency.
If the blindingly white paste feels too dense or greasy, blend in a tablespoon or two of ice water to fluff the sauce before transferring it to an airtight glass container.
Notes
Why this swap?
We aren't making a swap—we're returning to the source. Modern restaurants pad their Toum with cornstarch or boiled potatoes to save money on oil, which dumps up to 60g of hidden carbs into a batch. Relying entirely on the garlic's natural emulsifying properties keeps it virtually zero-carb.
Label Check: Commercial garlic sauce.
If you are ever tempted to buy pre-made Toum, check the label. Almost all commercial brands use cheap, inflammatory soybean oil and modified food starches for shelf stability.
Fixing a broken emulsion.
If you rush the oil and the sauce splits into a sloshy, greasy disaster, do not throw it away. Scoop it out, blend a fresh garlic clove with a tablespoon of lemon juice in the empty bowl, and with the machine running, slowly drizzle the broken mixture back into the vortex.
Respect the oil selection.
Extra-virgin olive oil contains polyphenols that turn violently bitter when torn apart by a high-speed processor blade. Avocado oil gives you the necessary neutral flavor and stable emulsion without resorting to inflammatory industrial seed oils.
From Keto 10 Minute Meals.