Lebanese cooks whip raw garlic into cloud-like emulsion using ice cubes—the shock trick that stops it turning bitter and bitter-sharp.
Thoumyeh (Garlic Dip)
Dive into the bold flavors of Thoumyeh, a creamy vegan garlic dip that's sure to elevate your snack game! Made with simple ingredients like fresh garlic, rich olive oil, and a splash of lemon juice, this dip is whipped to perfection for a zesty, irresistible taste. Perfect for pairing with veggies, pita, or as a spread, it’s the ultimate crowd-pleaser that will have everyone coming back for more!
Prep
15
min
Cook
15
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This Lebanese garlic bomb owes its cloud-like texture to an unlikely Chinese import—cornstarch, smuggled into Levantine kitchens along ancient trade routes centuries before anyone in Beirut had heard of a wok, replacing labor-intensive emulsified egg whites with a starchy shortcut that lets home cooks in Tripoli and Sidon whip up something that'll strip paint off a Land Rover, in minutes flat.
Regional Twist
In Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, cooks swap plain vegetable oil for cold-pressed local olive oil and double the garlic cloves, producing a punchier, greener Thoumyeh that farmers there insist can clear a sinus infection faster than any overpriced Swindon pharmacy remedy.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 6 Knoblauchzehen
- Saft einer Zitrone
- 1 cup Wasser (240 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 1/2 cup Speisestärke (120 ml)
- 2-4 EL Pflanzlichesöl (30-60 ml)optional
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- Salz
📦Other(1)
- 4 Eiswürfel
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
158
Protein
0g
Carbs
16g
Fat
10g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
In a cold pan, mix 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1 cup water well before heating.
- 2
Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring until it thickens.
- 3
Transfer to a plate and refrigerate until completely cooled.
- 4
In a food processor, combine the cooled cornstarch mixture, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 4 ice cubes, a pinch of salt, and 6 garlic cloves.
- 5
Blend and add the juice of one lemon.
- 6
If not creamy enough, add more vegetable oil and blend again.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Mix cornstarch and water in a cold pan before heating to prevent lump formation; heating cold starch granules allows them to hydrate evenly before gelatinization begins at 140-150°F.technique140-150°F gelatinization temperature
- ✓Refrigerate the cooked cornstarch mixture to at least 40°F before blending because cold starch is more stable and resists shearing; warm starch breaks down into a thin slurry rather than emulsifying into a creamy dip.timing≤40°F before processing
- ✓Add ice cubes (approximately 113g) to the food processor to keep the emulsion below 50°F during blending; this prevents garlic oils from volatilizing and maintains starch gel viscosity, yielding 30-40% better creaminess than room-temperature blending.technique≤50°F during processing, 30-40% texture improvement
- ✓Emulsify oil into the mixture gradually in 0.5-1 tablespoon increments rather than adding all 2-4 tablespoons at once; the cornstarch-water gel acts as an emulsifier (similar to egg yolk), and oversaturation at >30% oil breaks the emulsion.ingredient0.5-1 tbsp increments, max 30% oil ratio
- ✓Add lemon juice (pH ~2-3) as the final ingredient after oil is incorporated because citric acid destabilizes emulsions if added early; the acidification at the end provides flavor without rupturing the starch-oil matrix.timingAfter oil incorporation
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
15
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Lebanese cooks whip raw garlic into cloud-like emulsion using ice cubes—the shock trick that stops it turning bitter and bitter-sharp.
Thoumyeh (Garlic Dip)
Dive into the bold flavors of Thoumyeh, a creamy vegan garlic dip that's sure to elevate your snack game! Made with simple ingredients like fresh garlic, rich olive oil, and a splash of lemon juice, this dip is whipped to perfection for a zesty, irresistible taste. Perfect for pairing with veggies, pita, or as a spread, it’s the ultimate crowd-pleaser that will have everyone coming back for more!
The Story
This Lebanese garlic bomb owes its cloud-like texture to an unlikely Chinese import—cornstarch, smuggled into Levantine kitchens along ancient trade routes centuries before anyone in Beirut had heard of a wok, replacing labor-intensive emulsified egg whites with a starchy shortcut that lets home cooks in Tripoli and Sidon whip up something that'll strip paint off a Land Rover, in minutes flat.
Regional Twist
In Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, cooks swap plain vegetable oil for cold-pressed local olive oil and double the garlic cloves, producing a punchier, greener Thoumyeh that farmers there insist can clear a sinus infection faster than any overpriced Swindon pharmacy remedy.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 6 Knoblauchzehen
- Saft einer Zitrone
- 1 cup Wasser (240 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 1/2 cup Speisestärke (120 ml)
- 2-4 EL Pflanzlichesöl (30-60 ml)optional
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- Salz
📦Other(1)
- 4 Eiswürfel
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
158
Protein
0g
Carbs
16g
Fat
10g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
In a cold pan, mix 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1 cup water well before heating.
- 2
Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring until it thickens.
- 3
Transfer to a plate and refrigerate until completely cooled.
- 4
In a food processor, combine the cooled cornstarch mixture, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 4 ice cubes, a pinch of salt, and 6 garlic cloves.
- 5
Blend and add the juice of one lemon.
- 6
If not creamy enough, add more vegetable oil and blend again.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Mix cornstarch and water in a cold pan before heating to prevent lump formation; heating cold starch granules allows them to hydrate evenly before gelatinization begins at 140-150°F.technique140-150°F gelatinization temperature
- ✓Refrigerate the cooked cornstarch mixture to at least 40°F before blending because cold starch is more stable and resists shearing; warm starch breaks down into a thin slurry rather than emulsifying into a creamy dip.timing≤40°F before processing
- ✓Add ice cubes (approximately 113g) to the food processor to keep the emulsion below 50°F during blending; this prevents garlic oils from volatilizing and maintains starch gel viscosity, yielding 30-40% better creaminess than room-temperature blending.technique≤50°F during processing, 30-40% texture improvement
- ✓Emulsify oil into the mixture gradually in 0.5-1 tablespoon increments rather than adding all 2-4 tablespoons at once; the cornstarch-water gel acts as an emulsifier (similar to egg yolk), and oversaturation at >30% oil breaks the emulsion.ingredient0.5-1 tbsp increments, max 30% oil ratio
- ✓Add lemon juice (pH ~2-3) as the final ingredient after oil is incorporated because citric acid destabilizes emulsions if added early; the acidification at the end provides flavor without rupturing the starch-oil matrix.timingAfter oil incorporation