Toum

by Joseph Abboud, featured in Rumi

Published by Murdoch Books

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Introduction

The problem with toum is that you’ll find yourself using it everywhere, and everything you make ends up ‘needing toum’. If you’re not sure what toum is, it is the Arabic word for garlic as well as the paste that is a combination of garlic, oil, salt and lemon — almost like a thick garlic mayonnaise without egg.

As featured in

Rumi

Image of Joseph Abboud's Toum — Photo by Armelle Habib

Ingredients

Makes: 600 g (1 lb 5 oz)

Metric Cups

150 grams garlic cloves (peeled)
8 grams salt
500 millilitres canola oil
70 millilitres lemon juice
iced water (optional)

5½ ounces garlic cloves (peeled)
¼ ounce salt
2 cups canola oil
2¼ fluid ounces lemon juice
iced water (optional)

Method

Toum is a guest recipe by Joseph Abboud so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

Blitz the whole garlic cloves with the salt in a food processor for 20–30 seconds.
Slowly add half the oil, as you would for mayonnaise, ensuring the mix does not split. This should take about 2 minutes.
Add half the lemon juice, then most of the remaining oil. This can be added a little faster. Add the remaining lemon juice, then the last of the oil.
You can add a little iced water to make the toum fluffy, white and a little softer, if you like.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Blitz the whole garlic cloves with the salt in a food processor for 20–30 seconds.
Slowly add half the oil, as you would for mayonnaise, ensuring the mix does not split. This should take about 2 minutes.
Add half the lemon juice, then most of the remaining oil. This can be added a little faster. Add the remaining lemon juice, then the last of the oil.
You can add a little iced water to make the toum fluffy, white and a little softer, if you like.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Additional Information

Weigh your ingredients and refrigerate for a few hours until cold before making your toum. Cool the blade of your blender too if that’s an option. Keeping everything cold like this will prevent your toum from splitting. If your garlic is a little old and has a green shoot in the centre, split the clove and pick out the green shoot, as it can add an unwelcome bitterness to your toum.