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Garlic sauces we love, from subtle to smackingly strong

Whether you like your garlic strong enough to ward off a vampire or a background hum, there's a sauce to suit.

Chermoula lamb shoulder with garlic and tahini yoghurt

Chermoula lamb shoulder with garlic and tahini yoghurt Source: Smith Street Books

--- Join Ainsley Harriott in Ainsley's Mediterranean Cookbook, Sundays 8.30pm on SBS Food or stream it on . Catch him making lemon harissa chicken skewers with garlic-mint sauce in Morocco in episode 6, Sunday 27 September ---

 

From the punch of raw garlic to the rich, mellow caramelised wonder of roast garlic, there are endless ways to use garlic to lift a dish. Using it in a sauce, drizzle or dollop is one of our favourites.
"This versatile sauce is a perfect accompaniment to all kinds of chicken dishes. It will keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for months, always at the ready to be served with the likes of grilled chicken wings, Hainanese chicken rice or even just a simply poached chicken breast," says Adam Liaw. His chilli sauce is made by pounding chilli, ginger, garlic, sugar and salt in a mortar and pestle.
Chilli sauce
Chilli sauce Source: Adam Liaw
The mojo picon (chilli-garlic sauce) in this recipe is an excellent way to use up slightly stale bread. The bread is fried in oil then processed with oil, garlic, chilli, paprika and sherry vinegar to create the perfect drizzle for the juicy marinated pork skewers (you can also make this with lamb or pork.)
Pork skewers with chilli-garlic sauce (pinchos morunos with mojo picon)
Pork skewers with chilli-garlic sauce (pinchos morunos with mojo picon) Source: Sharyn Cairns
In most of the recipes in this list, the garlic stars in a drizzle or dollop. Here, baked chicken wings are finished on the stovetop in a pan of coriander, garlic and lemon sauce, greeting a caramelised, sticky result that's impossible to resist (unless of course, you . In which case, feel free to substitute!)
Chicken wings with coriander, garlic and lemon
Chicken wings with coriander, garlic and lemon Source: Mark Roper
The addictive, punchy garlic emulsion is really simple to make with just four ingredients, says SBS Food's Camellia Ling Aebischer, who shares her tips and recipe for making this divine Levantive garlic sauce in . You can find two more variations in  from the Food Lover's Guide to Australia.
Toum
Toum is a thick sauce perfect with chilled meat or crunchy vegetables and flatbreads. Source: Camellia Aebischer
This Italian fish stew is a powerhouse on its own but O Tama Carey says for her, a big dollop of extra garlicky aïoli is essential. Try it in her recipe, which includes fish, calamari and prawns - although as she says, there are many excellent ways to make it, so feel free to experiment. Just don't leave out the garlic aioli!
Seafood Broadetto
Seafood brodetto Source: Benito Martin
There's something about tahini and garlic, isn't there! Here the duo appear in the simplest of sauces: tahini, vinegar, garlic and water, stirred together. It's great with the marinated beef skewers in this recipe but also a quick and easy way to whip up a condiment for other meats, salads or vegetables.
Beef shawarma with tahini sauce
Beef shawarma with tahini sauce Source: Brett Stevens
"Here is my version of the fried seafood treat with just a light dusting of potato starch and an aromatic seasoning, along with a punchy garlic mayonnaise for dipping action,” says Luke Nguyen of his crisp, lightly battered scampi - the batter is also good with prawns or, for a vegetarian version, okra.
Salt and pepper scampi with garlic mayonnaise
Salt and pepper scampi with garlic mayonnaise Source: Alan Benson
Vegetables get the five-star treatment served raw with a garlicky-anchovy butter dipping sauce. Serve with bread, for extra sauce-swiping satisfaction.
Pinzimonio (Italian crudites) with bagna cauda
Pinzimonio (Italian crudites) with bagna cauda Source: Benito Martin
The garlic, tahini and lemon sauce is the perfect finishing touch to this Moroccan-spiced lamb. Marinade the lamb overnight if you can for maximum flavour.
Chermoula lamb shoulder with garlic and tahini yoghurt
Chermoula lamb shoulder with garlic and tahini yoghurt Source: Smith Street Books
There's so much flavour packed in, which Ainsley Harriott whips up when he visits Marrakesh in Ainsley's Mediterranean Cookbook. The chicken is marinated in a mix of yoghurt, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic, harissa paste, preserved lemon and olive oil, then grilled alongside sticky aubergine slices, and finally served up with a yoghurt, mint and garlic sauce.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ainsley Harriott (@ainsleyfoods) on Jul 11, 2020 at 3:36am PDT
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ainsley Harriott (@ainsleyfoods) on Jul 11, 2020 at 3:36am PDT

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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only.
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4 min read
Published 22 September 2020 11:05am
By SBS Food bite-sized
Source: SBS


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