Tahini is an integral part of the Eastern table. Tahini is sesame seed butter and we store it in the pantry. The most important part is to know which tahini to buy, as not all tahini is created equal. The more light in color, the fresher it is and it shouldn’t be too thick. Best tahini is fresh and hasn’t been on the shelf too long.
One of the easiest appetizers to make, it is very important to use filtered water at room temperature. I like to make the tahina in a blender as it comes out like a mousse. If you choose to instead mix it with a spoon, believe that it won’t be any less delicious. My favorite brands are Al-Arz and Har Bracha, both can be found on Amazon.
Ingredients:
1 cup tahini
1 ¼ cups water
¼ cup lemon juice
1/2 garlic clove
½ tsp salt
Toppings:
1 ripe medium tomato
½ tsp paprika powder
2 tbsp olive oil
How to make:
- In a blender, blend on low speed the tahini, water, lemon, salt, garlic then slowly bring it up to high, let it blend for 2 min until you get the thick mousse like texture
- Move the ready tahini into a nice bowl, grate the tomato on top and sprinkle some salt, paprika and olive oil
- You can serve it as is or take a fork and start to mix in the tomato in a circular movement until it looks like a nice painting and finish off by sprinkling some more paprika
