Tahini (also known as “tahina”) – is a thick paste made from roasted sesame seeds. Yes, it’s that simple ;) Tahini paste is a versatile ingredient in Eastern cuisine, used in a variety of dishes, both hot and cold, savory and sweet. Without tahini, it is impossible to prepare Middle Eastern dishes such as hummus, baba ghanoush, and falafel. It is added to salads, used as a sauce for shawarma, meat, and fish, or simply spread on pita or bread.
Health Benefits of Tahini
Sesame paste has numerous health benefits for the body:
due to its high calcium content, it helps strengthen bones and joints, improves the condition of nails;
is a rich source of plant protein – the building material for muscle fibers;
improves digestive system function and helps regulate metabolism;
contains antioxidants that prevent premature skin aging;
helps lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure: magnesium found in sesame dilates blood vessels, while potassium reduces the risk of heart disease.
How to Make Tahini at Home: Step-by-Step Recipe
Tahini paste can not only be purchased as a ready-made product. It is not that difficult to make it yourself. All you need for this is fresh sesame, a frying pan, and a blender.
The entire preparation process consists of just three simple steps:
Roasting
In a dry, heated non-stick frying pan, roast the seeds until golden brown. Let them cool slightly.
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та не забуваємо перемішувати, щоби зернята не пригоріли
GrindingTransfer the roasted sesame to the blender bowl and grind at maximum speed until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender (as we did). But from personal experience – don’t do this in a low bowl, as shown in the photo. In this case, there is a risk of a large “splash” of seeds all over the work surface.
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The indication of a successful grinding process is the appearance of oil droplets on the walls of the bowl.
MixingIf the paste seems thick – add one tablespoon of olive oil. Since household blenders may not always grind sesame with the same quality as industrial ones, adding olive oil to the paste at home is acceptable, which will further enhance the flavor of tahini.
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ось така паста тахіні вийшла у нас
We used our tahini as an ingredient in another classic Eastern dish – baba ghanoush. You can find the step-by-step recipe for its preparation here.
From our own mistakes: we recommend using fresh sesame. If it has been sitting for a long time, the finished paste may taste slightly bitter, which unfortunately happened to us(
