What is Tahini and how do you use it? – The Middle Eastern Pantry

Tahina or Tahini, is an important ingredient in many Middle Eastern cuisines, and it’s used in a wide array of sweet and savoury dishes. It’s a paste made from sesame seeds that has a bitter, nutty and fatty flavour unlike any other. Making Tahini is super simple, and there’s a lot of easy dishes you can make with it.

Ingredients (Makes about 200ml of Tahini):
200g (7 oz) White Sesame
4 Tbsp Neutral Vegetable Oil or Sesame Oil

Light Tahini Sauce:
75g (2.6 oz) Yoghurt
50g (1.8 oz) Tahina
50g (1.8 oz) Water
20g (1 Tbsp) Lemon Juice
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp White Pepper
1/4 Tsp Cumin
1/4 Tsp Chilli Powder (Optional)

Heavy Tahini Sauce:
70g (2.5 oz) Yoghurt
70g (2.5 oz) Tahina
50g (1.8 oz) Water
20g (1 Tbsp) lemon Juice
10g (1/2 Tbsp) White Vinegar
2 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp Pepper
1/4 Tsp Cumin

1/4 Tsp Chilli Powder (Optional)

To make the Tahini:

1. Place the Sesame seeds in a cold pan over medium heat, and toast them for 3-5 minutes until just starting to change colour and you can smell the sesame aroma
2. Pour into a food processor or blender, and then process them into a very fine mixture
3. Once it resembles sand, add in the vegetable oil and process for 5 minutes
4. After 5 minutes it should resemble tahini paste, you can continue to process it to get it even smoother

To make the Tahini Sauces

1. Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl
   Add extra water to get to your desired thickness