How do I make tahini?

 According to Alan Davidson, author of The Oxford Companion to Food (Canada, UK), this is how tahini is made: Sesame seeds are soaked in water for 25 hours. They are then crushed to loosen the bran from the kernels. To separate the bran from the kernels, the seeds are soaked again is very salty water, where the bran sinks. The floating kernels are skimmed off the water and then grilled. At that point, it is ground in a mill, which produces the thick, oily paste known as tahini.

Since that's not very practical for making in most homes, we're thinking perhaps you're asking how to make a tahini dip*? If so, here's one option from the now out-of-print Middle Eastern Cooking, by Christine Osborne. She says you can use a blender to make this recipe, although the result will be smoother and creamier if made by hand.

Tahini

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic
Juice of 2 large lemons
6 Tbsp tahini
Pinch of ground cumin
1 tsp freshly chopped parsley

Instructions:

Crush the garlic and salt together. Mix with a little lemon juice and blend with the tahini. Add the cumin and remaining lemon juice to form a smooth paste, like peanut butter.

Use additional garlic if you want the tahini to taste stronger. If it is too thick, loosen it with a little water.

*Yes, there are tahini recipes out there (here at Ochef, too), but no one really makes it in the lands where tahini is native, so making it at home will be a little exercise in creative anachronisms.

Submit your question
to Ochef