Ingredients
Quantity: | Measure: | Ingredients: | Description: |
---|---|---|---|
4 | Teacup | Teel. (Sesame Seeds) | Bake |
1/2 | Teacup | Sweet Oil | Teel Oil |
Method
While Tahini is readily available in health food stores, Middle Eastern groceries, and even most supermarkets today, it is also very easy to make your own.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Spread the sesame seeds on a shallow baking tray and bake, shaking frequently, until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Do not brown. Cool.
Put the sesame seeds in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the vegetable oil. Process to a smooth paste, about 5 minutes. Add more oil if necessary, to bring the paste to a thick pouring consistency. Tahini will keep stored in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator for several months.
Makes 3 cups.
What is Tahini?
Think peanut butter, only made with sesame seeds. To make tahini, sesame seeds are soaked in water for a day, then crushed to separate the bran from the kernels. The crushed seeds are put into salted water, where the bran sinks, but the kernels float and are skimmed off the surface. They are toasted, then ground to produce their oily paste. There are two types of tahini, light and dark, and the light ivory version is considered to have both the best flavor and texture.
Tahini is most closely associated with the Middle East, where it is eaten as is, and often used in making hummus (mashed chickpeas, flavored with lemon juice and garlic), baba ghanoush (a purée of eggplant, lemon juice, garlic, and oil), halvah (a confection that includes honey or cane syrup), and other traditional dishes.
Some people say it reminds them of peanut butter, which you can substitute for it if you want. But we wouldn’t.
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