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Tahini Sauce

A Cooking with Kids Original Recipe (No-flame, No-fire)

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1/2 cup

 

Tahini, a thick, rich paste of ground sesame seeds, appears as a kitchen staple throughout the Middle East. Available in health-food stores and Middle Eastern markets, tahini (ta-HEE-nee) resembles natural peanut butter in that the oil often separates and rises to the top of the jar. Mix it up with a chopstick or fork before using.

Blend tahini paste with yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice to make this tart and tangy Tahini Sauce, served in countries from Greece to Iran as a dip, marinade, or dressing on salads, vegetables, and grilled meats.

 

Do this first:

• Squeeze enough lemon juice from 1 lemon to make 2 tablespoons
• If the tahini paste has separated in the jar, stir until blended before measuring.

 

Ingredients and Steps

• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini paste
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

 

1. To make by machine: Place all ingredients in the work bowl of a handheld blender or mini-chopper and process until the garlic is chopped and all ingredients well blended.
2. To make by hand: Crush and finely mince garlic. Place in mixing bowl with lemon juice, tahini paste, yogurt, and salt; stir with a fork until well blended.

 

Vary It! This is a powerful flavor mixture—if the taste of the Tahini Sauce is too strong, thin the sauce down by adding additional yogurt or water to taste. Drizzle Tahini Sauce on cooked broccoli or zucchini instead of butter, or on lettuce and tomatoes as a salad dressing. But when making the Hummus recipe that follows, don't dilute the Tahini Sauce—the other ingredients in Hummus tone down the flavor.

 

Recipe © 1999, 2007 by Kate Heyhoe