Maacaron bi Toum: Lemon Garlic Noodles
I’ve been to many “garlic lovers” restaurants including the “Stinking Rose” in San Francisco. I savored many ethnic garlicky dishes at friends’ homes. However, so far I’ve never come across any dish with a richer and more intense garlic flavor than this Homemade Lemon Garlic noodles, called Maacaron Bi Toum (or Maacroun bi Toum). The name simply translates to noodles in garlic. And here is the Maacaron bi Toum Recipe
Traditional Dish Lemon Garlic Noodles
This is a traditional “villager” dish Lemon Garlic Noodles from the mountains of Lebanon that city dwellers tend to shy away from. I tell you though to heck with shyness, bring on the garlic man!!
FAQs
Is aioli the same as toum?
Garlic, salt, and oil are the main ingredients in both sauces, though aioli sauce contains egg as a stabilizer too. On the other hand, toum sauce has only garlic as a stabilizer.
What is toum in English?
A condiment made from garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and mint that is popular in the Levant similar to aioli
Maacaron bi Toum - Lebanese Homemade Lemon Garlic Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb flour general purpose
- 1/4 teaspoon yeast
- 2-3 teaspoons salt
- 2 potatoes peeled, cut into small cubes
- 15 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed, not bottled
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
Dough Preparation and Cooking Method
- In a small cup, melt the yeast with warm water.
- Mix the flour, yeast, with 1 teaspoon of salt and 200 ml of water (around 1 cup) and knead by hand for 5 minutes or until you get a smooth dough. Let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes depending on your room temperature.
- Sprinkle some flour on your working area and start forming the dough into a “snake” , that is 1/2 to 2/3 of an inch in diameter.
- Cut the “snake” of dough into 2-inch long pieces.
- Place your index finger on each cut dough piece, and roll inwards towards yourself while punching a wedge inside the dough (as in the video). The point here is to create a wedge inside the dough so that it cooks through well.
Garlic Sauce Preparation Method
- In a food processor blend the garlic with 2/3 teaspoon of salt, and while the blender is running, slowly alternate between adding the lemon juice and olive oil until you have a nice paste.
Cooking the Maacaron bi Toum
- In a cooking pot, heat up a few cups of water with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of olive oil until it reaches a boil.
- Lower heat, add the cubed potatoes, then add the noodles one handful at a time depending on the size of your pot. The boiling time should be 20-25 minutes.
Serving Maacaron bi Toum
- Once the noodles are cooked, strain from water then mix immediately and while hot with the garlic sauce.
- Server alongside Fattoush or other savory salads.