Garlic sauce is a white sauce prepared by combining garlic, olive oil and a dash of lemon juice. The sauce is also referred to as "Thoom" in the Arab countries. The preparation of the versatile sauce is very simple and easy. Most of the garlic based sauces can be poured over or served as an accompaniment to sliced roasts, burgers, and sausages.

Popular Garlic Sauce Recipes

• Chinese Garlic Sauce – This garlicky sauce is considered best for enriching the flavor of stir-fried dishes. The seasonings for this sauce can be picked from the International food section of most food markets. It is prepared using rice vinegar, granulated sugar, light and dark soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, chili sauce, Asian sesame oil, cornstarch, water, peanut or vegetable oil, and garlic cloves.

• Arabic Garlic Sauce – This garlicky sauce variant is considered best to be served on falafel sandwiches and shawarma. There are many recipes for the preparation of this sauce. Sometimes ingredients like egg whites and mashed potatoes, are added to the sauce to enrich its thickness and creaminess. In Syria, the shawarmas are served with creamy and mayonnaise garlic sauces; in Abu Dhabi the dish is served with light garlicky sauce. In a simple way, the sauce is prepared using garlic bulb and oil.

• Lebanese Garlic Sauce – This sauce prepared using ingredients like garlic, sea salt, fresh lemon juice, vegetable oil, and olive is usually considered a good salad dressing or is used as condiment on grilled meats.

• Mediterranean Garlic Sauce – This is a famous garlic paste used in almost every sandwich served in the Middle East and other Mediterranean countries. It goes well with baked chicken breasts, fish, potatoes, and beef, and also makes a very worthy spread for breads. It can be easily prepared by processing minced garlic with salt, canola oil, lemon juice and egg whites in electric mixer. 

• Yogurt Garlic Sauce – It is a universal sauce or dip for kebabs or shawarma. It is also teamed with burgers, French fries, pancakes and bagels. It is prepared by combining plain cold yogurt with garlic cloves, lemon juice, and salt. The sauce remains fresh for about a week if refrigerated properly.

• Karams Garlic Sauce – This sauce is named after the restaurant Karam, where it was first prepared and promoted since last 25 years. Karams is a Lebanese restaurant operating in Seattle, WA. The sauce is prepared using lemon juice, garlic bulbs, olive oil, pepper and salt. It is usually teamed with sandwiches, chicken, fish, roasts, spaghettis, kibbehs and other dishes.

• Chili Garlic Sauce – This sauce is considered a good blend of garlic and ground chilies. It flavors everthing from poultry to crackers and soups. The flavor of the sauce is enriched by the addition of herbs.

• Aioli – A classic garlicky mayonnaise from France prepared using egg, olive oil and garlic. Many variations of this sauce are popular around France. Some variations include Catalonia pears, or mustard. The sauce is considered good when served at room temperature.

• Allioli – This is a Catalan garlicky sauce which is prepared by pounding the garlic cloves with salt and olive oil in a mortar and pestle. The sauce is cooked in numerous ways all over Catalan, Valencia and Balearic islands. It is traditionally served with grilled vegetables, grilled lamb and arros negre.

• Alliade – It is a name for garlicky sauce in Provence. This garlic based vinaigrette is usually considered an enriched version of garlic flavored mayonnaise.

• Mujdei – This Romanian sauce is prepared by combining crushed garlic cloves and seasoning it with salt –pepper. Sometimes the paste is mixed with olive oil or other vegetable oil. Depending on the region of preparation the sauce is combined with vinegar, water or other ingredients. In some regions of Romania the sauce is prepared using ground garlic, cream and salt.

• Skordalia – It is a Greek garlic sauce prepared by mixing the garlic paste with  a puree made up of walnuts, potatoes, almonds, and liquid soaked bread. Olive oil is drizzled over the puree to make it smooth. Sometimes vinegar is also added to impart tart flavor to the sauce.  At times, eggs are also used as emulsifier, and in some areas across Greece, lemon juice or cod stock are also used in place of vinegar. The Skordalia is usually served as a good accompaniment for poached fish, batter-fried fish, fried vegetables and is sometimes used as a dip.

• Mojo – This is a very popular Cuban garlic sauce which is usually used as a marinade for chips and veggies and as a sauce for meats and fishes. This sauce is prepared using garlic cloves, salt, onion, sour orange juice, and extra- virgin olive oil.  Sometimes lemon juice in the place of orange juice, and oregano and black pepper are added to the sauce to make it more flavorful.

• Japanese Style Garlic Peanut Sauce – This sauce is prepared using butter, garlic cloves, shallots, warm water, soy sauce, smooth peanut butter, grated ginger, and hot chili sauce. It serves as a great dipping sauce for grilled meats like beef or chicken breasts. It can be teamed with any meat dish.

• Szechuan Garlic Sauce – This sauce goes well with chicken, shrimp and pork. It is prepared using dry sherry, minced peeled ginger, garlic cloves, dry crushed red pepper, chicken broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, Asian chili- garlic sauce and sugar.