Too many sesame seed stashed or making hummus from scratch? Let’s check this Tahini recipe that sneakily turns every dish the best!
Tahini is a Middle-Eastern sauce, made of the toasted seeds of sesame plant. Since some Asian cuisines also use ground sesame seed paste, it’s easy to mistake one with the other which isn’t really surprising at all since the only difference, that exist between the two, is in their name.
The word “Tahini” originally means to grind which fits the process perfectly as once the sesame seeds are toasted, they are ground to flour then used as dips or as ingredients in another condiments or dishes.
Sesame seeds are one of the oldest memories of human kind as records of instruction, to prepare sesame seed wine to the gods, are found on 4000 years old Mesopotamian (modern day Iran) clay tablets.
Cookbooks were somewhat rare at those times so we do not really know much about when and how Tahini came to our tables but since grinding seeds into paste isn’t such a mysterious preparation method, we can safely assume that Tahini was used many years before it first appeared in a 13th century Arabic cookbook.
Once it was highlighted for everybody to see, Tahini could expand its influence around the world. As with everything pre-internet and globalization, it took a couple of years to Tahini or toasted ground sesame seed to reach international audiences. Although, it has never been as convincing as the sugar-soaked ketchup, it managed to carve itself a loyal niche following especially among fans of hummus and various Arabic dishes.
Nowadays, Tahini can be bought almost everywhere easily but if we have some sesame seeds at home, we can just as easily make one without running the risk of listen to Celine Dion, except, of course, if we want to.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons / 30g Cooking oil (more for thinner consistency)
- 1 cup / 150g Sesame seed
- 1 teaspoon / 5g Salt
How to make Tahini
- In a skillet, heat oil to medium then add in the sesame seeds.
- Roast the sesame seeds while stir continuously to avoid burning, about 4 minutes. Burnt sesame seeds will taste bitter, sour and bad so avoid it at all costs.
- For more intense flavor, roast to darker golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Mind that after taking the seeds off heat, they will keep roasting a bit from the residual heat.
- Put the seeds into a food processor. Add some salt too.
- Process the roasted sesame seeds. Gradually, add more oil for thinner consistency.
Enjoy!
Tahini Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Cooking oil more for thinner consistency
- 1 cup Sesame seed
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In a skillet, heat oil to medium then add in the sesame seeds.
- Roast the sesame seeds while stir continuously to avoid burning, about 4 minutes. Burnt sesame seeds will taste bitter, sour and bad so avoid it at all costs.
- For more intense flavor, roast to darker golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Mind that after taking the seeds off heat, they will keep roasting a bit from the residual heat.
- Put the seeds into a food processor. Add some salt too.
- Process the roasted sesame seeds. Gradually, add more oil for thinner consistency.
Notes
Pin now, Enjoy later!
