In Persia, Ardeh is common condiment in their country. They use it among all the dishes they’re cooking. It’s for dipping, a dressing, and a recipe for baking. This condiment is widely known as tahini paste. This middle-eastern dish is commonly used in countries of Middle-East and in Asia. It can be used as a dish itself or a side dish. So, how do they make this paste? What is tahini made out of?
Tahini is the main ingredient of hummus and halva. Its bitter taste is not a hindrance for its versatility. It can be mixed with anything and goes with everything. It’s nutty, creamy, thick, and full of flavour. It comes in different variety. You can choose between hulled, unhulled, raw, or toasted. Tahini is made from sesame seeds which are grind and added with olive oil. It looks like a peanut butter in colour and consistency.
Not only in Asia and Middle-East this is famous but all of the vegan people around the world use this. It is completely vegan and healthier more than what you expected. It is a good source and abundant in calcium and protein. Not only has that, it also meet the need for your body’s daily requirement of other vitamins and minerals. Sesame seeds are also rich in omega -3 and omega-6 which is helpful for your heart functions.
Now, let’s see what tahini is made out of.
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 cup sesame seeds (hulled or unhulled)
Procedure:
- If you want toasted tahini, in a pan turn on the stove in medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and keep stirring the sesame seeds until aromatic and becomes golden brown in color. Be careful not to burn the sesame seeds. Once done, transfer in a container to let it cool. But if you like a non-toasted tahini, you could skip this part.
- In a blender, put tahini and olive oil in. Mix them together and make sure they are well blended. The outcome would be a very thick tahini paste.
- If you want it to be thinner consistency, you can add in more olive oil or warm water at a time. Mix again in the blender for your desired consistency.
- You could add in a pinch of salt to taste your homemade tahini paste.
- After you have your desired tahini, store it in a close-tight jar and put inside the fridge.
- Note: if tahini paste settles below and oil rises, just stir it to distribute the all over the paste.