Recipe for Macaroon Bil Toum: The ultimate comfort food for garlic lovers from the mountains of Lebanon.
Macaroon Bil Toum (Macaron/Ma3kroun bi Toom) is a rustic dish found in the mountain villages of Lebanon. Little pasta dumplings are boiled until soft and tender, then coated in a lemony garlic sauce called Toum. It is the perfect comfort food for garlic and pasta lovers alike.
I was only able to find a handful of recipes for this dish, so would love to learn more if any of you have tried it. Another recipe I saw included cubes of potatoes and I also came across versions that mix the garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil into the boiled macaroon while cooking over low heat instead of creating the sauce separately as seen here.
The pasta dumplings reminded me a bit of the dumplings in Oman used to make Dhokri, a Lawati Lamb and Dumpling Soup.
To form the dumplings, a basic flour and water dough is kneaded until smooth. Pieces are broken off and rolled into long thin ropes, then the ropes are cut into 1 1/2-2 inch long slices. Use three fingers to roll each each dumpling over to form little grooves and a space in the middle. This helps the dumplings cook evenly while keeping their tender texture and creates little nooks and crannies to hold the sauce.
Letting the hot dumplings sit in the sauce for a few minutes before serving allows the garlic to heat for a bit and helps remove some of the strength. Adjust the amount of olive oil and lemon juice to taste if needed.
Macaroon Bil Toum (Lebanese Garlic Noodles) Recipe
Macaroon Bil Toum (Lebanese Garlic Noodles)
Adapted from Eva’s Lebanese Cooking
Serves 2-4
Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold water
Toum (Garlic Lemon Sauce):
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Mix in the water to form a dough and knead until soft and smooth. Set aside and cover with a towel for 20-30 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
In a mortar and pestle or blender, mash together or blend the garlic cloves with a pinch of salt. Mix in the lemon juice and slowly add the olive oil until smooth and creamy.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
On a floured surface, pull off a large piece of dough and roll it into a 1/2 inch thick rope. Slice the rope into 1 1/2 inch long pieces. Push three fingers into the center of a cut piece of dough and gently pull the dumpling towards you to roll it. Repeat with remaining dough.
Reduce the boiling water to medium high and add the dumplings in batches, being careful not to overcrowd. Stir to keep any dumplings from sticking to the bottom. Once they rise to the top, cook for a couple minutes longer, until tender and about 15 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon and repeat with remaining dumplings.
Toss the cooked dumplings with the garlic lemon sauce and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
linda spiker
I have never seen these before. They sound amazing! Anything garlic….
Julia
This dish reminds me of Slovakian dumplings. The method is different but still looking quite similar. We serve it with special kind of a cheese and bacon 🙂
Tara
I have a version of those covered too! https://tarasmulticulturaltable.com/bryndzove-halusky-slovak-potato-dumplings-with-sheep-cheese/
Sarah
Cool, this is a new dish to me! But anything creamy and garlicy is a winner to me 😀
Liz Cleland
Ive never made pasta but I want to learn how someday soon!
Traci @ The Kitchen Girl
Looks delicious…and EASY! I need to try this recipe for sure…I’m a complete noodle addict, but who isn’t?! 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Ben Myhre
I know it is not exactly the same, but these dumplings remind me of Knoephla soup. A dumpling recipe, but it is served in a creamy, buttery chicken broth. I have such fond memories of making this with my Grandmother. I have yet to make it this year.
Tara
I will have to try Knoephla Soup sometime 🙂
cakespy
This looks absolutely delicious, and I love the texture on these dumplings. Thanks for introducing me to a new recipe that is bound to become a favorite!
Tara
Thanks everyone!
Lauren
Sounds easy enough!
Greg
My Family makes these every year for Ash Wednesday and it is made pretty much the same way that you described I have asked many Mediterranean restaurants in my travels and no one had ever heard of it boy are they missing out on such a simple and delicious dish
Tara
Hi Greg! This is definitely one of my favorites!
Lisa
My mom used to make it all the time and I learned from her. She learned it from my dad’s mother and his aunts, who would make to feed their 5 families during hard times during War World II. My grandmother would use garlic salt instead of cloves because she get any fresh.
Monica
Thank you for posting this recipe. It aligns perfectly with the way my grandmother (“Sitto” in Lebanese) used to make macaroon a toum. She had emigrated to Vermont from the Catholic village of Hadeth el Jibbe in the mountains of Lebanon in 1900.
Since we Catholics were forbidden to eat meat on Fridays back in the day, this dish became one of the Friday treats. My mother added a teaspoon of baking powder to the dough recipe to fluff it up a bit. A variation on the configuration of the segments of the “rope” can be to take each segment and roll it between the palms of your hands until the ends taper off, kind of like a boat shape with a circular solid middle. Then drop these little “boats” into the boiling water.
Katherine
The Lebanese side of my family makes this every year. Always a huge batch and everyone gets together to roll the dough. We use the little ribbed pasta paddles to put groves in the dumpling when rolling it out. Not so much lemon for us, but lots of garlic, oil, and salt. No recipe just always by “eye”. It doesn’t reheat well so usually needs to be eaten right away. Always brings back such good memories!