Maakroun Bi Toum

If you love garlic then you must try this delicious Lebanese recipe of pasta dumplings in a lemon and garlic sauce.  With a whole bulb of garlic it's certainly not for the fainthearted!


Ingredients
serves 4
for dough
300g plain flour
1/4 tsp dried yeast
250ml water
1 tsp salt

​for the toum
12 garlic cloves (at least)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus a little more to taste
4 tbsp lemon juice, plus a little more to taste
1 tsp salt.

Method

Begin by making the dough.  In a small bowl activate the dried yeast by adding a splash of warm water.  In a larger bowl mix together the flour, yeast and water.  Knead the dough together for a few minutes adding more flour/water to create a smooth dough.

Cover the bowl with clingfilm and let the dough rest for half an hour. 

Next the garlic sauce.  Peel the garlic cloves then bash them using a pestle and mortar. Add some salt and continue to grind into a paste. Gradually add the lemon juice continuously mixing with the pestle then slowly drip feed the olive oil.  The end result should be a runny sauce and not mayonnaise.  Taste and adjust the balance if needed. Set aside.

Then on a floured surface divide the dough into four and it out with your hands to produce a long 1cm thick string of dough.  Cut into 2cm long pieces.  Create an indent with your fingers to all the pieces. 

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the dumplings. Cook in batches maybe sensible to stop them from sticking to each other.

Boil for between 5 - 15 minutes. I prefer the dumplings to be on the softer side so once they begin to float they're more or less ready in my opinion. If you prefer the maakroun to be more solid then continue to boil for up to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Drain then return them to the pan. Add all the lemon and garlic toum. Give it a gentle stir and allow to soak for a few minutes before serving.

Transfer to a serving bowl using a slotted spoon.  Spoon over another spoonful of the sauce. Drizzle lightly with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with a pinch of salt.