Toum (Garlic Whip)

Recipe from Phoenicia restaurant

Adapted by Brett Anderson

Updated Jan. 31, 2023

Toum (Garlic Whip)
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Donna Hay.
Total Time
15 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
4(572)
Comments
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This toum recipe comes from Marjayoun, Lebanon, where Sameer Eid grew up eating it with shawarma. Samy, Sameer’s son, learned how to make it after he started working at Phoenicia, the family’s restaurant in Birmingham, Mich. “It took me more attempts than any recipe in my life to get it right,” he said. The key is to be patient during Step 1, to be sure the garlic breaks down enough to later become a creamy, fluffy condiment. Toum is called “garlic whip” on Phoenicia’s menu. It’s served with roasted chicken and kebabs; some customers even request it with babyback ribs. It’s versatile, and also great drizzled over roasted vegetables and avocado toast. —Brett Anderson

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Ingredients

Yield:4½ cups
  • 1cup peeled garlic cloves (about 32 cloves, from 3 to 4 whole heads)
  • 2½teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 to 4 lemons)
  • 3½cups canola oil or grapeseed oil
  • 2tablespoons ice water
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)

436 calories; 48 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 30 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 153 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    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.

  2. Step 2

    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.)

  3. Step 3

    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.

  4. Step 4

    With the food processor running, alternate adding ½ 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 ½ cup oil in a slow stream until totally incorporated, then do the same for the ice water.

  5. Step 5

    Once finished, transfer to a lidded container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Toum will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
572 user ratings
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Comments

Prakash Nadkarni

Raw, emulsified garlic is widespread in Mediterranean dips, but even garlic lovers might find this recipe a bit intense. Cut it (at step 3) with either microwave-baked potato or walnuts+stale bread (variants of Greek skordalia) or Greek yoghurt (reduce the oil here). Drastically simplify the recipe by adding some oil + lemon juice to the garlic+salt in step 1 to ease blending. Replace half the canola with extra-virgin olive oil. Dried herbs (any combo you like) also help. Skip the ice water.

Camille Dumas

I have tried to do this with olive oil but it always tastes bitter; I use canola per the recipe here. If the emulsion breaks we add an egg white because it makes life easier. You can add as little as one clove of garlic to one cup of oil, but I prefer full strength. If you add egg white it's technically an aioli, but the white doesn't alter toum too much, just the yolk.

Josh

Half Recipe worked great, FYI.

Suzanne R

Use a neutral oil of your preference and yes - make a large batch and freeze in small jars for use over time. The oil may separate after thawing, but can be stirred back in or used as I do drizzled onto salad greens or for the starter oil in a recipe that you want to have a garlic kick. Makes awesome garlic bread with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan In no time at all! Make it when great garlic is available at farmers markets as hard neck garlic doesn’t store for very long. So much better than that insipid garlic available in stores all winter and into early Spring!

Eva

I halved the recipe using an immersion blender. It emulsified beautifully, like Julia Child's Blender Hollandaise. From this day forward, toum will reside in my refrigerator.

SLO Smith

Didn’t whip… I’m so sad. The first time I made this (half batch) worked like a charm and I loved it down to the last wipe of the jar. Today, it’s very tasty white oil-not thick fluffy whip . Is it the sunflower oil? Anybody got ideas?

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Credits

Adapted from Phoenicia restaurant, Birmingham, Mich.

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