Crushed garlic blended with salt and lemon juice in a food processor, then vegetable oil and olive oil added gradually while blending until the sauce turns white and thick like mayonnaise.
The sauce of shawarma and grilled chicken in Levantine restaurants, and its texture is neither mayonnaise nor does it hold any egg: the garlic itself is the emulsifier, and its proteins grip the oil when it goes in drop by drop, so the sauce turns white and thick enough to stand on a spoon.
Adding the oil gradually is the whole recipe.
Blend the crushed garlic with the salt and the lemon juice in a food processor.
Add the vegetable oil and the olive oil gradually and blend them in well.
Keep working the ingredients until they come together and the sauce turns like mayonnaise.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Toumiya Garlic Sauce, and how to fix them:
The oil went in too fast. Start again with a crushed clove of garlic in the processor and add the split mixture to it gradually, and it comes back together.
There is too little garlic for the oil, or the lemon all went in at the end. Follow the source's order: garlic, salt, and lemon first, then the oil.
The garlic is very fresh or there is too much of it. Toumiya settles after an hour in the refrigerator, and the garlic can be cut back slightly next time.
The tablespoon of salt is the source's amount and it is generous. Start with half of it and taste once the sauce has thickened.
In a sealed glass jar for up to a week, and it thickens further as it chills.
At room temperature with grills, shawarma, and fried potatoes.
Freezing: the emulsion breaks completely on thawing and does not come back.
A sharp smell that is not the smell of garlic, or a change in color: throw it out without tasting.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | All vegetable oil | 440 ml | The toumiya comes out gentler in flavor and whiter in color, which is what restaurants usually do. |
| Lemon juice | Half of it white vinegar | 60 ml lemon with 60 ml vinegar | A steadier acidity and a longer life in the refrigerator. |
| Salt | Half the amount | 9 g | For anyone watching their sodium, and the acidity makes up for it in bringing out the taste. |
| Raw garlic | Half of it garlic boiled for two minutes | 25 g each | It softens the bite considerably while keeping the flavor, for anyone who cannot take raw garlic. |
| Servings | Garlic | Lemon juice | Vegetable oil | Olive oil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 servings (half batch) | 25 g | 60 ml | 110 ml | 110 ml |
| 4 servings (base recipe) | 50 g | 120 ml | 220 ml | 220 ml |
| 8 servings (double) | 100 g | 240 ml | 440 ml | 440 ml |
Going slowly is not advice but a condition: pouring the oil in all at once breaks the emulsion and the toumiya separates into oil and garlic within seconds. Start with a very thin thread and do not increase it until the mixture whitens and thickens.
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