Tahina or also know as tahini is a staple in Egypt and much of the Middle East. Tahina is a paste made traditionally from ground sesame seeds. It is used in hummas, baba ganoush, or just plain as a condiment much like ketchup or mustard.
In the United States you can find it easily in most larger grocery stores such as Woodman's in the ethnic foods or all natural/vegan section. You can also find it readily in halal markets and international foods stores.
The brand I prefer in the USA is Al Kanater Tahini which I purchase at the Istanbul Supermarket in Madison, WI for $2.83 for a 2 lb. (908g.) jar.
So, ordinarily, tahina has a consistency close to that of natural peanut butter. Sticky and a bit oily. It is great alone, but can be kind of bland.
We often order grilled chicken from a street vendor here in Port Fouad and they give us a little dixie cup size of this excellent spiced tahina. It's never enough for a whole chicken and two people. We're dippers. We dip chicken, we dip bread. It's good sauce. And relatively healthy.
So, one day in an attempt to mock the chicken vendor's tahina I came up with this recipe, which has instantly become one of Wael's favorite and he insisted I share it because he said, " I'm Egyptian, I've tasted a lot of tahina in my life, but this is better than anything I've ever tasted from any country-you have to share your recipe."
So here I am. Sharing what has become our household go to tahina recipe.
Ingredients:
In the United States you can find it easily in most larger grocery stores such as Woodman's in the ethnic foods or all natural/vegan section. You can also find it readily in halal markets and international foods stores.
The brand I prefer in the USA is Al Kanater Tahini which I purchase at the Istanbul Supermarket in Madison, WI for $2.83 for a 2 lb. (908g.) jar.
We often order grilled chicken from a street vendor here in Port Fouad and they give us a little dixie cup size of this excellent spiced tahina. It's never enough for a whole chicken and two people. We're dippers. We dip chicken, we dip bread. It's good sauce. And relatively healthy.
So, one day in an attempt to mock the chicken vendor's tahina I came up with this recipe, which has instantly become one of Wael's favorite and he insisted I share it because he said, " I'm Egyptian, I've tasted a lot of tahina in my life, but this is better than anything I've ever tasted from any country-you have to share your recipe."
So here I am. Sharing what has become our household go to tahina recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup tahina at room temperature
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 5 cloves of garlic (minced-without oil)
- 1 tbsp of fresh parsley (minced)
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions:
- In a glass jar add the first 5 ingredients. Shake vigorously for about 2 minutes until well mixed.
- Pour into serving bowl and add oil and lemon juice, stir briefly until mixed. Do not over mix or it will become lumpy.
- Chill for about 1 hour before serving.
Note: The sauce will be a little runny just after shaking and will thicken as it cools.
No comments:
Post a Comment