Is it me, or do you find that every time you want extra condiments like spicy mustard in a Chinese joint or some extra Toum in a Lebanese restaurant, the waiters think they are dispensing gold? I must admit that I will consume massive amounts of these things with my food, but I cannot be alone. In fact, I know I am not alone! When I bring home a tub of Toum, it’s a fight to the end with my daughter and my three sons over who has the last teaspoon. The only viable option to satisfy my family’s insatiable appetite for this garlic delight would be to figure out how to make our own. So I set out to do what turned out to be no less arduous task. How do you ask the owner of the restaurant we frequent to reveal his secret recipe while assuring him that he will not lose our business? You do not.
So I turn to the internet looking for a recipe that suits the family palette. After reading recipes, tips and ideas and countless YouTube videos, I came to the conclusion that it was a simple process and that I would give it a spin. During this process, one of my son’s friends who used to work at the Lebanese store we sponsored found out about my efforts and decided to offer a tip. Apparently this fine establishment whose garlic sauce I loved used mashed white potatoes to thicken the Toum, a strategy I read about in a recipe or two I found online. So, I sent the wife to gather the required ingredients, a garlic bulb, salt, lemon juice, canola vegetable oil, and of course a nice large white potato. Armed with these ingredients and a blender, I couldn’t help but feel a huge craving for what was sure to be a hit with the family. I pressed the garlic into the blender, added a teaspoon or so of salt, a cup or two of oil, and turned on the blender, slowly adding the lemon juice as instructed. Then I took the skinless and boiled potato and threw it into the mix. Man, this looked good and we couldn’t wait. What happened next can only be described as “MISSION SCRUBBED”!
I resigned myself to having to buy several tubs of the product at the local restaurant, to a fateful walk to the farmers market with my sister, where we decided to have lunch at the Lebanese-style restaurant located inside the market. My God, this guy’s Toum was off limits. I eat a whole tub with just rice. On leaving I noticed the owner was looking at my sister so we went there for a quick chat as I am still trying to get her married. While flirting with her, I thought about asking her about her amazing Toum. I started the conversation by telling him that the joint on the east end that he loved used potato to thicken its garlic sauce. He responded quickly, in a strange way, suggesting that he did not use carbohydrates in his, that the only ingredients were oil, lemon juice, some salt, and egg white. At this point, I figured I’d leave him well enough alone and not snoop.
Later that night, not being the type to give up easily, I thought I’d give it one more try. I pressed about five garlic cloves into a mixing bowl, about a teaspoon of salt, a cup of canola oil, and about 5 tablespoons of lemon juice which I started mixing with a hand mixer this time. The aroma was excellent and the mixture turned milky white with a creamy yet runny texture. At this point, I decided to add some egg whites. Always concerned about various health concerns, I bought the egg whites in a carton that has been pasteurized, hoping to further reduce the chance of salmonella contamination as they will not cook. Anyway, I slowly added what would equal about half a cup of egg whites, and nothing seemed to change. My wife, always trying to help me, told me to keep mixing it as the egg whites could take several minutes to thicken. Then about 4 minutes after mixing, like magic BOOM, the mixture thickened to the point that it shot out of the side of the hand blender and stuck to the sides of the bowl, Eureka!
Now for the moment of truth. I took a spatula and dipped it in the creamy fluffy smoothie concoction to taste it, yeah bingo! I felt like I had hit the jackpot. Now I had an endless supply of Toum for literally pennies per 8-ounce bowl. Since then it has been a great success with my family and friends. I get all kinds of compliments and tasters who even say it’s better than what the excellent downtown dining room serves.
In short, I have learned that it is not so much the proportion of ingredients that matters, but the method of how it is mixed to give it the right consistency. This is a technique that you will have to experiment with, and I suggest that you only use a hand mixer (the one that resembles the shape of a wand). I have not yet had the same degree of success with a traditional food processor or blender. As for the ratio of oil, garlic, salt and lemon juice, just adjust to taste and open to your preference.