Next, I very slowly add oil in a thin stream. Adding the oil too quickly will flip the emulsion inside out, dispersing water droplets into the oil and resulting in a greasy sauce, so it’s important to take it slow.
I interrupt the oil stream after each half cup with spoonfuls of lemon juice and water. This prevents overcrowding the liquid phase with too many droplets of oil and breaking the emulsion. Continuing this process, alternating with oil and water, will yield a fluffy, thick, and stable garlic sauce. Add more oil for a thicker and milder spread, or less for a more pungent and free-flowing sauce.
How to Fix Toum When It Breaks
Sometimes, even after you’ve delicately drizzled in oil and patiently made your garlic paste, this fussy sauce will still break—perhaps because the food processor overheated the toum, or the garlic was old and dry. Don’t worry: You can harness the emulsifying powers of an egg white to bring it back together. Just combine one egg white with a quarter cup of the broken emulsion, and process until fluffy before slowly pouring in the rest. Although this won’t be a traditional toum, it will still be delicious and creamy.
Stocked with homemade toum, you’ll never be left to suffer the whims of miserly takeout portions or greedy husbands again.
