What is Tahini?

What is Tahini?

Wondering about its use in cooking?    

Tahini is a spreadable paste made from ground sesame seeds— usually made from hulled seeds (seeds with the hulls removed, called kernels), and so it will usually contain this lower amount of calcium.

What is Tahini Made From?

We all are very well aware of sesame seeds as they are prevalent and a common ingredient in everyday cooking because of their endless health benefits. Well, Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds by grinding them smooth. The paste can be made from roasted or raw sesame seeds and from hulled or un-hulled sesame seeds. The Tahini is used for making dressings of cakes, pastries, cookies, or other baked items, snack bites, soft serve, stuffed dates, and so on. Tahini is an Arabic name used for grounded sesame seeds. However, it is thought that it was originated from Persia, where it was called “ardeh.” From there, it moved to middle-eastern countries.

What is Tahini in terms of uses?

Tahini can be eaten directly from a jar and can be swirled into cheesecake, drizzled over fruit, or as a marinade for chicken or lamb. In Israel, tahini sauce is pour over falafel pitas. Tahini can be used as a topping for vegetables or fries or over toast. It can be used to thicken smoothies or increase the creaminess of sops. Tahini tastes like natural peanut butter in appearance but is not sweet like peanut butter. It has a bit bitter taste, along with the earthy, nutty flavor of sesame seeds. We hope that now you know what Tahini is, you try a recipe.

Tahini Recipes

Ingredients

Falafel

• 1½ cups cooked chickpeas

• 1 small red onion chopped

• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped

• 4 tablespoons chickpea flour (can use brown rice or quinoa flour)

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 tablespoon ground coriander

• ¼ teaspoon chili powder (optional)

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ground black pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed (or chia) + 3 tablespoons water (makes 1 egg)

• 1 grated carrot

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley

• roll in ½ cup gluten-free bread crumbs (or ground flax seed)

Homemade Tahini Sauce

• ¼ cup pure tahini

• 2-4 tablespoons of water to thin out

• ½ of one lemon, juiced

• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Method

FALAFEL

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Combine the chickpeas, onion, garlic, flour, spices, oil and salt, pulse in a food processor until the mixture is well combined and smooth.

• Form the mixture into 8-12 small balls or patties with wet hands. Roll each ball in bread crumbs if preferred (or do half and half). Bake in oven for approximately 30-35 minutes or until crispy and golden. Serve these delights in a rice tortilla wrap with hummus, tahini sauce or on top of a salad.

HOMEMADE TAHINI SAUCE

• Blend all together in blender – it can be as creamy or thin as you desire!

• Serve with a salad of mixed greens, cucumber, olives, red onion with a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.