The BEST Creamy Tahini Sauce Recipe | Ambitious Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Why is my tahini sauce not smooth? ›

The key to smooth and runny tahini is to give it time, so keep blending. Transfer to a container and enjoy!

If it is too bitter, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey. And if the flavor is too sharp, mellow it with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon olive oil.

The acid in the lemon juice causes a very runny tahini sauce to thicken up and become stiff and solid. (Any chemists out there who can explain this??)

Put the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, half a teaspoon of salt and 100ml water in a small saucepan. Whisk to a smooth paste, then put on a medium-low heat and whisk in the yoghurt bit by bit, until the sauce starts to steam.

Tahini is simply sesame-seed butter, made by grinding hulled sesame seeds into a paste. Much of its makeup is carbohydrates, and when a small amount of juice (or any water-containing liquid) is added to tahini, a portion of each carbohydrate molecule is drawn to the water.

Bitterness is generally part and parcel of tahini - it's how ground sesame seeds taste. What you will find, however, is that some tahini can taste more bitter than others. This is down to a few things; like how that particular tahini is processed, or the levels of something called oxalic acid in the hulls of the seeds.

#1: Baron's Organic Tahini

Naturally mild sweetness and not too bitter. Texture: 5 – About as creamy and smooth as it gets. Overall thoughts: 4.25 – We love how easy it is to stir and how creamy it is, and the flavor was pretty delicious.

Effect on Digestion

It was difficult to mix, which I imagine might mean it is slow and difficult to digest and move through the body." For some clients, the dryness and difficulty to digest made tahini constipating, with one describing "lower abdominal discomfort, gas, bloating and mild constipation" after eating.

Tahini can go bad, especially if it's exposed to moisture or direct heat. It will have a noticeable, sharp rancid smell.

Because tahini is made from ground sesame seeds, the sesame oil in it tends to separate. Even when you stir the oil back into the tahini, it might be too thick for your purposes. Fortunately, it's easy to thin the tahini using ingredients you already have on hand.

What goes well with tahini? ›

Tahini can be used as a marinade or sauce for grilled meats and vegetables, adding depth of flavor to the dish. Baked goods. Tahini can be used in baked goods like cookies, cakes, and bread, adding a rich and nutty flavor to the recipe. Smoothies and ice cream.

Tahini paste is just ground sesame seeds. Period. In comparison, tahini sauce is made by thinning the paste to a consistency similar to a thick cream, typically by adding other ingredients. My family's recipe adds lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil to our tahini sauce.

But if you're making tahini sauce, that's another matter. “Once the tahini is mixed with water, you're supposed to refrigerate it,” Zitelman says, “but it doesn't last for more than five to seven days in the fridge.”

Nut and seed butter tend to be the best replacements for tahini. They have a similar creamy consistency and add smoothness to recipes for hummus and dips. For those with nut and seed allergies, Greek yogurt may be the best choice.

Tahini seizes when mixed with liquids such as must-have fresh lemon juice. In cooking, seizing means the smooth liquid (tahini, or melted chocolate) gets stiff and clumpy. Knowing that tahini seizes, and how to fix it, is the key to how to make a great sauce! Fix the seized mixture with the addition of ice cold water.

Tahini that hides in the fridge for too long (or stored in fridges that feel more like freezers) can turn chunky and hard. So hard you'll feel like you need a cement mixer to get things moving again. That's why, if you are storing your tahini in the fridge, make sure the temperature of your fridge is not too cold.

Tahini "seizes up" when a small amount of water-based liquid is added but the emulsion has not yet inverted. It's not really a problem. As more liquid is incorporated, the emulsion will invert and things will become smooth again.