Houston-made toum is the key to this delicious garlicky sandwich
I inherited my love of condiments from my mother. At any given time, she had about 10 to 15 homemade condiments lining a shelf in her kitchen. Carrots and turnips fermenting in a mustard broth; salted green mangoes curing in the sun; or chilies in oil stuffed with tangy pickling masalas.
While I am not quite as elaborate as my mother, I also have a rotating selection of four to five homemade condiments, such as cilantro chutney, mango pickle or salsa verde. A few months ago, I encountered a Middle Eastern garlic condiment called toum that I fell head over heels in love with. A condiment as old as the Ottoman Empire, I’d had it before smeared in a shawarma, but this version was airy, fluffy, creamy and perfectly balanced.
Made by a Palestinian couple Sabrina and Ziad Taha and sold at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market, I could not get enough. I temporarily cast all my other condiments aside and ate the toum with breakfast, lunch and dinner. While I have not attempted to make toum yet, I know it has four simple ingredients: garlic, lemon juice, salt and oil.
While talking with Ziad, I learnt that he was born and raised in Palestine, then came to Houston in the early 2000s after living as a refugee in Jordan for over 10 years. Since his mother passed away a few years ago, he vowed to keep her spirit alive by cooking the traditional foods of Palestine and this is how I discovered his table at the market.
Here is a simple vegetable sandwich brought alive by the toum.
While I love the traditional mayonnaise and cheese on sandwiches, with this garlicky spread, I missed neither. Do give it a try or at the very least, go buy the delicious Taha Toum at the farmers market or at Central Market, where it is now sold as well. I know my refrigerator will never be without it.
Anita Jaisinghani is the chef-owner of Pondicheri restaurant in Houston. Her website is india1948.com. Her new cookbook, “Masala” (Ten Speed Press), is out now. Email: anita@pondicheri.com