Tomu (Creamy Garlic Sauce)

Recipe ©copyright Julie Le Clerc, from Taking Tea in the Medina cookbook (Penguin Books NZ)

Makes 1 cup

Toum is a pungent garlic sauce emulsified with olive oil. It has the same remarkably creamy, almost fluffy texture of aïoli (garlic mayonnaise) but amazingly, does not include egg yolks. Use toum as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken kebabs or to baste chicken while grilling. Once tried, this slightly mysterious mixture is unforgettable and addictive.

INGREDIENTS:

5 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon water

METHOD:

Place garlic, salt and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and process to purée.
Gradually blend in the olive oil – the mixture will emulsify like mayonnaise and form a thick, creamy paste.
Finally, blend in the water. Store in the fridge.