Best Toum Recipes

GRILLED CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH TOUM (SHISH TAOUK)

Steps:

• Toum:
• Pulse garlic, egg whites, and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth. With motor running, very gradually stream in half of the oil (this will help the emulsion stay together). Scrape down sides of processor and continue to process, gradually adding remaining oil, until mixture thickens and becomes light and airy (it should cling to a spoon). Season with salt.
• Do Ahead: Toum can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
• Chicken and assembly:
• Mix lemon juice, tomato paste, coriander, 1/4 cup toum, and 3 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl to combine. Transfer marinade to a large resealable plastic bag. Save remaining toum for serving.
• Working one at a time, slice chicken thighs in half lengthwise and season generously with salt. Add to bag with marinade, seal bag, and massage marinade into chicken. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Let chicken sit at room temperature 1 hour before grilling.
• Prepare a grill for medium heat; oil grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, folding pieces back and forth accordion-style so they pile onto themselves (it should be about 3 strips per skewer). Grill, turning occasionally, until browned and beginning to char in spots, 10-12 minutes.
• Serve chicken on top of pitas, with pickles and reserved toum alongside

TOUM

Steps:

• Crush garlic in a mortar and pestle with a generous pinch of salt. Mix in oil a teaspoon at a time until the mixture will absorb no more oil. Stir in the lemon juice. serve at room temperature with Lebanese breads, hummus or Tabbouleh.

TOUM (LEBANESE GARLIC SPREAD)

Steps:

• Put garlic cloves in a food processor with the cutting blade in place. Pulse until smooth. Add salt. Use a spatula to push garlic into the middle of the bowl. Pulse again on low. Use the spatula to push down garlic again.
• Using the drizzle adapter in the food processor, slowly pour in 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice on low speed. Pour in 1 cup oil; spread will emulsify and start to turn white. Turn off the processor and scrape down the sides. Add remaining lemon juice on low speed. Slowly add remaining 2 cups oil, processing until spread is thick and creamy.
• Transfer garlic spread to a storage bowl with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.

LEBANESE TOUM - GARLIC SAUCE.

Steps:

• Puree the garlic with the salt in a spice grinder or mortar & pestle.

TOUM (GARLIC SAUCE)

Steps:

• Peel the garlic cloves and slice them in half lengthwise. If there is a green germ in any of the cloves, remove it to prevent the bitter, burning flavor it imparts.
• Process the garlic cloves with the salt in the food processor, stopping and scraping down the sides a few times, until the garlic is minced. Add the lemon juice and pulse several times to combine.
• With the processor on, begin to drizzle the oil in so slowly that the stream turns to a dribble at times; use the oil drip hole in the top of the processor if yours has one. After 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the oil has been added, slowly pour in a tablespoon (15 mL) of the ice water. Continue slowly drizzling in the oil and slowly adding a tablespoon of ice water after every 1/4 cup (60 mL) of oil until the sauce is thickened and all of the oil has been incorporated. This takes about 7 minutes.
• The sauce will be slightly thick, with some body, but still pourable. Store the toum in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.

SHISH TAOUK TOUM - GRILLED / BBQ CHICKEN WITH GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the chicken breasts into 2 cms pieces and place in a bowl. Add the olive oil, tomato puree, garlic 1 tablespoon Toum (garlic sauce - see below recipe), salt, pepper and lemon juice. Mix well to coat the chicken and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Tread the chicken pieces on to skewers and grill for about 10 minutes on the barbecue or under a preheated grill. Turning from time to time.
• Serve with Toum (garlic sauce) for dipping and a salad.
• Toum (Garlic Sauce) - Put the garlic clove and salt in a blender or food-processor and whiz to a smooth puree. Add the egg white and whiz again until smooth. Very slowly pour in the vegetable oil in a constant, steady stream until all the oil is used up and the sauce is the consistency and colour of mayonnaise. Add the lemon juice and keep whizzing until smooth. Taste and add more lemon if necessary.

TOUM (GARLIC WHIP)

Steps:

• Place peeled garlic and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the garlic for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then repeat three more times until garlic is finely chopped.
• Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and continue processing until a smooth paste forms, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl every 45 seconds or so. You want the wet, finely chopped garlic mixture to end up with a texture similar to mashed potatoes. Pinch it between your fingertips, and it should no longer feel gritty. (If you don't blend the garlic enough at this stage, it won't become fluffy and emulsified later.)
• With the food processor running, start incorporating 1 cup oil, drizzling it in at a slow, steady stream. Once the oil is incorporated, slowly add another 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Repeat this step with another 1 cup oil, then another 2 tablespoons lemon juice. By the end, the mixture should have a fluffy consistency.
• With the food processor running, alternate adding 1/2 cup oil in a slow, steady stream, then 1 tablespoon lemon juice. This should happen twice. Next, with the food processor running, add the remaining 1/2 cup oil in a slow stream until totally incorporated, then do the same for the ice water.
• Once finished, transfer to a lidded container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Toum will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks.

TURMERIC CHICKEN WITH TOUM

Steps:

• Toum
• Combine the garlic, lemon juice, salt, and orange blossom water in a blender. Pulse on the lowest setting until just combined. Then in a slow and steady stream, add the oil while continuing to blend on low, gradually increasing the speed to medium-high until the mixture has fully emulsified. The consistency should be similar to mayonnaise with some soft peaks.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The consistency will thicken slightly after refrigeration.
• Note: The garlic is what binds the oil with the other liquids to make more of a solidified consistency. If you double this recipe, it will be even easier for your blender to emulsify the ingredients.
• Marinade
• In a bowl, combine the ground turmeric, orange peel, fennel, cumin, coriander, garlic, and fresh turmeric. Then add the orange juice, orange blossom water, and yogurt and stir to combine.
• Chicken
• Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper. Rub some of the marinade inside the cavity of the chicken.
• Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. I like to keep the wings loose and not tied so the breasts and wings get crispy.
• Evenly season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on a sheet pan and let it sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then rub the marinade all over the outside. (It may seem like a lot but use it all.) Transfer the sheet pan, uncovered, to the refrigerator and marinate overnight.
• When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours prior to cooking. (Cooking the chicken cold will take longer and might dry out the meat.)
• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the chicken breast-side up on the rack of a roasting pan. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes (if the skin is browning too quickly, decrease the heat to 375°F), until the meat between the leg and thigh feels tender to the touch or using an instant-read thermometer placed in the thigh, the temperature reaches 160° to 165°F. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes to let the juices redistribute. Cut off the kitchen twine, carve, and serve with a side of toum.

TOUM (LEBANESE GARLIC SAUCE)

Steps:

• Place garlic in bowl. Add salt and lemon.
• Add a little oil at a time to the garlic and mix with spoon until the oil stops being absorbed. Keep adding the oil until it runs out.
• Add the mayonaise and mix. If too mayonaisey - add more oil and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Once complete, put in jar and refrigerate.

LEBANESE GARLIC SAUCE (TOUM)

Steps:

• In the bowl of your food processor, add the 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and the peeled garlic cloves. Pulse until chopped. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to pulse until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl one last time before securing the lid.
• With the food processor running, very slowly pour 1/4 cup of oil in thin steady stream through the hole of your lid or the food chute. Stop and allow the processor to run for 30 seconds before adding in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Repeat this step until both the oil and lemon juice are gone.
• Once all the oil and lemon juice have been used, continue to process the garlic sauce until light and fluffy, about 30 to 45 more seconds.
• Remove the bowl from the food processor and take out the blade. Allow the sauce to cool on the counter for 1 hour or until the sauce has cooled down before storing.

LEBANESE GARLIC SAUCE (TRADITIONAL TOUM) | CHEF TARIQ

Steps:

• Put the garlic in the bowl of a food processor with the salt, and process until the garlic is as fine as possible.
• Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides as needed.
• Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and process to create a bit of a paste.
• With the food processor running, drizzle about 3 tablespoons into the paste.
• Add another one teaspoon of lemon juice.
• Add oil about a quarter cup at a time, followed by a teaspoon of lemon juice.
• Follow this alternating until you have used up your ingredients.
• The main thing to remember is to go slow, it can take ten or fifteen minutes to go through this process.

TWO-MINUTE TOUM

Steps:

• 1. Put the garlic and salt into the canister of your stick blender (immersion blender, stab mixer - whatever). Stab a few times to process the garlic to a paste. Remove stick blender, pour in remaining ingredients, and allow to settle for about 15 seconds. 2. Put stick blender back into canister, resting it on the very bottom, and switch on. Mixture will begin to emulsify from the bottom up. When it's 2/3 emulsified, slowly begin lifting out the stick blender. By the time it reaches the surface, all of the mixture will be completely emulsified and fluffy.

YOGURT MARINATED CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH TOUM GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, onion, garlic, lemon, mint, and olive oil. Cut the chicken into 1- to 2-inch (2.5 to 5 cm) pieces and place them in a medium bowl or a plastic ziplock bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover the bowl or seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 8 and up to 24 hours (the longer, the more flavorful).
• Preheat a grill or broiler on medium-high. Place the chicken in a colander and drain off the marinade. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Thread 6 skewers with the chicken, leaving some breathing room (about 1/8 inch / 3 mm) between the pieces. Generously season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
• Grill the chicken over medium-high heat, or broil them on a broiler or sheet pan, until the chicken is cooked through and is slightly charred around the edges, about 10 minutes on the grill and about 20 minutes under the broiler. Turn the skewers over halfway through cooking.
• Remove the cooked chicken from the skewers with a fork. Serve the chicken hot with the toum, either on the side for dipping or drizzled over the chicken after it has been removed from the skewers.

CHARRED SWEET POTATOES WITH TOUM

Steps:

• Chill oil in freezer 30 minutes (this helps the sauce emulsify). Pulse garlic in a blender with lemon juice, 1/4 cup cold oil, and 1 Tbsp. ice water until smooth. With motor running, very gradually and steadily stream in 1/2 cup oil (you don't want to risk having the emulsion split). Scrape down sides and continue to blend, slowly adding remaining 1/4 cup oil, until a slightly thick sauce forms (it should cling to a spoon). Add 1 more Tbsp. ice water, season with kosher salt, and pulse again to combine. This whole process will occupy 8-10 minutes. Take your time! Transfer toum to a medium bowl.
• Place a rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Place sweet potatoes in a large heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. The pan should be large enough so that sweet potatoes cover only half of the pan. Pour in just enough water to barely coat bottom of pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake sweet potatoes until tender, 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool; reserve skillet. Slice sweet potatoes in half lengthwise.
• Return reserved skillet to rack and heat 20 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and swirl 2 Tbsp. butter around in pan to coat. Add sweet potatoes, cut side down, and roast until edges are browned underneath and crisp, 18-25 minutes.
• Spoon some toum on a plate or in shallow bowl and arrange sweet potatoes on top (save extra toum for another use). Stir remaining 2 Tbsp. butter and honey in skillet and place over medium heat to warm. Drizzle honey butter over sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with nigella seeds, if using, and sea salt.

BAVEL'S TURMERIC CHICKEN WITH TOUM

Steps:

• PreparationToum Combine the garlic, lemon juice, salt, and orange blossom water in a blender. Pulse on the lowest setting until just combined. Then in a slow and steady stream, add the oil while continuing to blend on low, gradually increasing the speed to medium-high until the mixture has fully emulsified. The consistency should be similar to mayonnaise with some soft peaks. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The consistency will thicken slightly after refrigeration. Note: The garlic is what binds the oil with the other liquids to make more of a solidified consistency. If you double this recipe, it will be even easier for your blender to emulsify the ingredients. Marinade In a bowl, combine the ground turmeric, orange peel, fennel, cumin, coriander, garlic, and fresh turmeric. Then add the orange juice, orange blossom water, and yogurt and stir to combine. Chicken Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper. Rub some of the marinade inside the cavity of the chicken. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. I like to keep the wings loose and not tied so the breasts and wings get crispy. Evenly season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on a sheet pan and let it sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then rub the marinade all over the outside. (It may seem like a lot but use it all.) Transfer the sheet pan, uncovered, to the refrigerator and marinate overnight. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours prior to cooking. (Cooking the chicken cold will take longer and might dry out the meat.) Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the chicken breast-side up on the rack of a roasting pan. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes (if the skin is browning too quickly, decrease the heat to 375°F), until the meat between the leg and thigh feels tender to the touch or using an instant-read thermometer placed in the thigh, the temperature reaches 160° to 165°F. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes to let the juices redistribute. Cut off the kitchen twine, carve, and serve with a side of toum. Reprinted with permission from Bavel: Modern Recipes Inspired by the Middle East by Ori Menashe, Genevieve Gergis, and Lesley Suter, copyright © 2021. Published by Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.