I’m really excited about this because where I live good tahina – sesame seed paste – is pretty hard to come by. It’s an essential ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking and so finding a source of tahina has always been a priority but hey, life just got easier! I’ve realised that If you can get hold of raw hulled sesame seeds and if you have a reasonably powerful food processor you can whip some up in no time.
In its concentrated form, which is what you would usually buy, tahini keeps in the fridge for months. (Don’t confuse this with the ready mixed tahini sauce. Mixing your own is way better) Depending on the brand, the paste can be very thick and almost dried out. When you come to use it you have to thin it down with a little water and lemon juice to get a light, creamy sauce. The same applies to this made from scratch tahina.
If you want the very light coloured tahini – the type imported from countries like Lebanon – then use raw white seeds. If you prefer the heavier darker tahini – the type sold in health food stores- then use whole toasted seeds I personally prefer tahini made with the white seeds because it works better with Middle Eastern foods such as hummus etc.
Tahini
Ingredients
1 cup raw white sesame seeds
2-3 tbs olive oil
Ingredients for sauce
(serves 2-3)
4 tbs tahini
Approx.3 tbs water (2+1)
Approx 1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper
I small clove finely crushed garlic
Chopped parsley and paprika for garnish (optional)
Method
First, lightly roast the seeds in dry frying pan. The toasting brings out the flavour of the seeds but don’t overdo it or they will get too strong and dark. Let them cool slightly then start to grind them in a food processor. Once they have broken down completely and your mixture looks a bit like breadcrumbs, add some olive oil. The mixture will immediately turn into a paste. Add more oil as desired and keep processing till really smooth
What you will get at this point is a thick, earthy nutty bitter tasting paste. This is the concentrate and it doesn’t taste great. You can stop right here and store it in a container in the fridge until you are ready to use it, or you can mix it into a sauce.
To make the tahini sauce, take two or three tablespoons of the paste and work a few tablespoons of water into it. It might curdle but keep mixing vigourously. Add a little bit more water and then some fresh lemon juice and keep stirring until it becomes a smooth sauce . Mix, mix, mix. The lemon and water will lighten the colour. Gradually mix in the olive oil. Add salt, black pepper to taste and some crushed garlic -optional but preferable. Play with it a bit till you get it right. If you find have made it too thin, work in a little more paste. It’s more of an art form than a science
It’s your choice how thick or thin but if you are going to eat it as a dip with pita, don’t make it runny. It will just be messy. Ideally it should be thick but creamy.
Although tahini is essential to making humus, drizzling over falafel and the irresistible babaganoush, it can be eaten in lots of ways. More tahini recipes coming soon.
So is it tahini or tahina? Well, that depends where you come from. Its a kind of “You say tahini and I say tahina” type of thing. Anyway, whatever you call it, it’s good for you and it’s delicious AND you can make your own from scratch perfectly well if you don’t live somewhere that sells it.
