Best Lebanese Garlic Sauce (By Kay)

Submitted by twissis

"Last fall when leaving the U.S. to return home, we stopped-over in Minneapolis for a family mini-reunion w/my Aunt, Uncle, their 7 children + various grandchildren I had not seen in 18+ yrs or even met b4. They are so lucky to all still live in the same city, but talk about the real *Luck of the Irish* - Mike (my cousin) brought his Lebanese heritage wife *Kay* into our Irish family & substantially raised the level of the cooking bar (already set pretty high). Kay is a great cook & made the the most wonderful Lebanese meal for us that included hummus, stuffed grape leaves, marinated + grilled lamb/chicken skewers & the most incredible garlic sauce I have ever tasted (just to mention a few). Thank goodness the garlic sauce was not a recipe shrouded in generations of secrecy because I had to have it to share w/you. *Enjoy* ! (See Notes Below)"

 

• Ready In: 5mins
• Ingredients: 5
• Yields: 14 2-Tbsp Servings
• Serves: 14

ingredients

• 3 cups corn oil (Per Kay, Mazola is a must for this as it rarely works well with other brands, but see my note below)
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 head garlic (lrg size)
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Place ingredients in a blender, blend till smooth & chill for several hrs b4 use to allow the full flavor to develop. Done!
2. *Note From Kay* ~ Some do not add egg whites & they pour the oil in slowly so it thickens. I have no patience for that. When I have tried it that way, I could never get my garlic sauce thick. Adding the egg whites is technically cheating, but it works every time. (Kay also said more garlic can be used to suit taste pref.).
3. *Note From Me* ~ Altho unable to find Mazola corn oil here, I can happily report that I have now made a half recipe of this sauce using my immersion blender in a wide-mouth glass jar w/a lid so it could be capped, chilled & stored. I used the *Euro Shopper* brand corn oil, Kay's recipe (including the egg whites) + the thin stream addition of the oil method w/excellent results ~ a richly garlic-flavored & thick sauce. I did add some seasoning salt to better match the Icelandic garlic sauce that is sold commercially & very popular to serve w/lamb (& other meats).
4. *Note Re Serving Suggestions* ~ Serve chilled or at rm temp: 1) With grilled, marinated or roasted meats (including chicken, kebabs, etc.), 2) With oven-roasted or baked potatoes or 3) As a dip for garlic-lovers, but I would prob opt to add texture for this option w/some bell pepper, red onion or others you might choose. :-).

Reviews

[PalatablePastime]

I made this with regular vegetable oil along with the egg white, slowly adding the oil through the top of a food processor until it was emulsified and smooth. The result was something with a texture like yogurt. We had it served on kofta with pita and also a little over some veggies. Fabulous! Thanks for sharing. ~Sue

 

[Amy R.]

The recipe sounds perfect - although I haven't tried it. It sounds like what my Kuwaiti mother in law has tried to explain to me (minus the measurements - she is too good to use those). The only question I have is the egg whites...are they cooked or raw? I worry if they are raw.

 

[Anonymous]

The first time I made this recipe, the garlic was too overpowering and burned as I was eating it. I could also taste garlic for the next three days. The second time I made this, I minced the garlic, threw it in a small saucepan with about a half cup of the oil and put it on the stovetop on low for about two hours to "roast" the garlic. This didn't affect the emulsification process, but it certainly removed the potent garlic burn. So delicious. I may try jarred minced garlic next time in order to bypass the two hour roasting time.

 

[Chef Nadea]

This is an absolutely amazing recipe!! I have tried making this garlic sauce SO many times and it always turns out great! I followed the exact recipe with a few minor changes that I read from other reviewers. I first placed the garlic in the food processor and chopped it up, then I added the lemon juice, salt, & egg whites. I let those ingredients blend, then I slowly added the corn oil from the top until I used all 3 cups. It turned out great!

 

[Sandi From CA]

This is FANTASTIC. Superb! Amazing! Delish! :o) I ended up using egg white because no matter how slowly I drizzled in the oil, it simply would not thicken. But when I did start with the egg white, it thickened immediately, so I only used about one. The only problem would be storage. Because I made it in the blender, I needed to make the whole recipe to give the mass some weight (or it shimmies up the blender sides). But... because I used egg, I didn't think it would store long in the fridge, so I had a ton of garlic sauce I couldn't use. It's my understanding that if you can make this without the eggs, it stores a long time, so I'm going to try the immersion blender technique next time. And, oh, there WILL be a next time! Thanks a bunch, Twissis!