What I do with Tahini

WHAT I DO WITH

WORDS HARRIET BOUCHER | IMAGES ASHLEE DECAIRES

There’s a good chance that if you’ve made hummus at home before, you have a jar of tahini lying around in the fridge. But have you thought of how else to use it?

Tahini is a smooth paste made from grinding hulled and lightly toasted sesame seeds. The earliest mentions of this ancient paste date back to 3500BC! It is hugely popular in the Middle Eastern food scene and is also widely used in Israeli, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and African cuisines. It would be rude not to mention the importance of tahini in hummus. Creamy, nutty and rich, hummus would be bland without tahini. Andre Da Silvera from Elizabeth Café is in love with his beetroot hummus – vibrant, sweet and smooth, thanks to tahini. Along with smoothness and depth of flavour, tahini adds a range of vitamins and minerals to the already nutritious dip. Tahini has the same effect in baba ganoush, a smoky eggplant dip. Lisa Quarrie from Hayes Common in Hamilton told me that “many people mistakenly add oil for creaminess, but it’s the tahini that will give you that and keep your dips light”.

Tahini and yoghurt are a match made in heaven. The nuttiness balances out sour yoghurt tang and it’s beautiful over the likes of pan fried fish with fresh mint and pomegranate seeds. Mix good quality Greek yoghurt, olive oil, lemon and tahini for a thick, flavoursome dip. Spread this on toast with drizzled honey and dukkah, dollop over energy bowls or spread it underneath panfried Moroccan chicken. Andre’s second favourite use of tahini is his dreamy dip. Mix together 5 tbsp of coconut cream, half a smashed avocado, 2 tsp of tahini, 1 tbsp of lime juice and a handful of chopped coriander plus salt and pepper to taste. Spread it on toast, use as a dip or a dressing – delish! You can also turn tahini into a staple dressing for your fridge by whisking it together with olive oil, lemon, maple syrup and salt. Take this base dressing and play with the flavours and consistency; you could use any winter citrus, Middle Eastern spices or zingy flavoured vinegars. Use this dressing over roasted cauliflower, crispy falafels, a winter nourish bowl or wok-fried broccoli. Tahini is not limited to Middle Eastern cuisine; sesame is an integral flavour in Chinese cooking too. It can be used in any variety of combinations with miso, soy sauce, honey, lime, fish sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil for dressings and marinades. The use of peanut butter in baking is limitless, with thousands of recipes at one’s disposal. But have you thought of swapping out the classic peanut butter for tahini? The sesame paste lends an earthy and less sickly-sweet flavour; use tahini in cookies, brownies, cakes. Whisk a few teaspoons into a buttercream to ice your next celebration cake using chocolate or banana as your base. I love putting a spoonful of tahini in my banana smoothies and, if you have them on hand, add Medjool dates in the mix too. Add it into bliss balls or muesli slice for a healthy snack or, for something a little naughty, stir into a hot chocolate. However you decide to use tahini, you’ll love the rich creaminess of this Middle Eastern staple.

QUICK WAYS WITH TAHINI (available from Vetro): · Stir into yoghurt · Make into a salad dressing · Use as a nut butter substitute · Add to brownies, cookies or banana bread · Blend into smoothies · Use in hummus and baba ganoush

At the Pacifica Complex 112 Tara Rd, Papamoa p (07) 542-0190 www.pacificapapamoa.com

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