Talkin’ Tahini: Moving beyond hummus
Tahini is a smooth and creamy condiment made from toasted ground hulled sesame seeds, and it’s here to take your cooking out of the doldrums.
You might know it from its addition in the popular dips, chickpea hummus, and the eggplant-based baba ghanoush, but it’s good for so much more.
In dishes both sweet and savoury, this simply delicious ingredient is readily available, a snap to use and experiment with — so give it a try.
It’s used extensively in the cuisines of the Middle East, the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean, the Southern Caucasus, in Northern Africa, and, although not called tahini, sesame paste also shows up in some Chinese and Japanese dishes.
The flavour is slightly nutty, creamy and savoury with a rich, luxurious texture. It adds heft and a mild, toasty flavour in creamy salad dressings, and can be added to sauces for stir-fired noodles or vegetables.
A quick spread over some toast or warmed pita, with honey, pomegranate or date molasses — just might become your new addiction. Consider taking your next Caesar salad dressing dairy-free by using tahini with the addition of lemon juice, mashed anchovies (if you prefer), garlic and mustard.
Whisk in a light oil such as sunflower or grapeseed until you achieve the right consistency. You can add parmesan if you wish. A couple of tablespoons of the sesame paste thinned down with water can add next level flavours to grilled meats or baked meatballs — just drizzle it on before serving, with a sprinkling, let’s say, of za’atar, the Middle Eastern spice mix.
Chef Brett Turner of Joy Road Catering takes tahini and blends it with tofu for a delicious mayonnaise substitute. With the addition of rice vinegar, tamari and mirin as flavour boosters, the creamy and rich sauce held up slices of organic heirloom tomatoes on sourdough toast on the lunch menu recently.
On a previous menu, the sauce added a lavish note to a sandwich of pickled meaty oyster mushrooms. It’s a great and tasty option, whether you’re vegan or not.
There are many brands of tahini available, but lately I’ve come across the Arz brand that I love. You’ll need to give most tahinis a good stir to incorporate the oil, or do as my friends have advised, store the jar upside down in a cool location — not in the fridge, as the whole thing solidifies too much.
Just make sure the lid is on tight! Tahini is an integral part of chef Derek Ingram’s world at Elma restaurant. Once he started writing Turkish-inspired menus for the restaurant, he found himself using it to mimic mayonnaise-based sauces, in vinaigrettes, fish and meat sauces and certain vegetable purees, especially when using root vegetables.
He loves it for its earthy and nutty layers of flavour, and any bitter notes are easily balanced with an acid, such as lemon juice, or sweetener.
He also incorporates tahini into the dessert course with a luscious chocolate tart topped with a tahini and pomegranate molasses glaze.
Chef-turned-farmer Rob Holland of Cawston’s Hands & Hearts Acres is also a fan of tahini salad dressings. If time allows, he turns his hand to culinary creations at his stand at the Penticton Farmers’ Market.
I’ve had some of his killer salsas made with peaches and balsamic, and wonderful salads including one made with a tahini dressing.
He likes how it adds a dairy-free creaminess to dressings and soups. The dressing was vinaigrette-like, seasoned perfectly, and enhanced the fresh crunch of the vegetables in the salad.
Holland also suggests gently warming tahini to change its flavour profile to something more “beurre noisette-y” (brown butter), to finish, for example, a piece of halibut.
(I am committed to try this.) Holland has generously shared his salad dressing recipe, and says it works great with roasted cauliflower or shaved root vegetables — any salad really.
It’s easy to make and bright with flavour with sesame undertones, and it’s figuring prominently on my table for the next while.
With fork and pen in hand, and a passion for culinary adventure, Shelora Sheldan, local writer, cook and traveller, goes in search of the delectable. This exclusive column appears every second Wednesday. To read other columns: pentictonherald.ca