Tahini

Tahini (tahina in Arabic, tahin in Turkish) is sesame seeds ground into a loose, oily paste with nothing else added. Hulled tahini, the Middle Eastern standard, is pale, smooth and mildly nutty; unhulled or whole-seed tahini is darker, thicker and noticeably more bitter but higher in calcium. It is not the same as Chinese sesame paste (zhi ma jiang), which is made from deeply roasted seeds and tastes stronger and darker. Tahini goes into hummus, baba ghanoush and the tahini sauce served with falafel, and into halva and cookies.

How to buy

Every US and UK supermarket now carries tahini, usually near the peanut butter or in the international aisle. Middle Eastern brands made from Ethiopian Humera seeds (Al Arz, Al Wadi, Soom, Seed + Mill, Belazu) are the smoothest and least bitter; Cypressa and Meridian are good UK options. Look for a jar with a thin layer of oil on top and a paste that pours when stirred, not a stiff, dry block, which means it is old. The label should say sesame only; avoid added sugar or vegetable oil.

How to store

Unopened tahini keeps for a year or more in the pantry. Once opened, stir the oil back in and store it either in a cool cupboard for about three months or in the fridge for six months or longer; refrigerated tahini turns very thick, so let it warm up or stir in a spoonful of hot water before use. Oil separation is normal. If it smells like old paint or tastes acrid rather than pleasantly bitter, it has gone rancid.

Substitutes

• Homemade: blend 1 cup lightly toasted sesame seeds with 2 to 3 tablespoons neutral oil until smooth. Slightly grainier but otherwise identical.
• Chinese sesame paste, 3/4 the quantity thinned with a little water or neutral oil. Darker and more roasted; fine in dressings, too strong for hummus.
• Unsweetened cashew or almond butter, 1:1. Similar creaminess, sweeter and less bitter, which suits dressings and baking but changes hummus noticeably.

How to use

Always stir the jar thoroughly before measuring. To make tahini sauce, whisk 1/2 cup tahini with 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, a crushed garlic clove and salt; it will seize into a paste, then loosen to a creamy sauce as you whisk in 1/4 cup ice-cold water. Do not add tahini to a hot pan on its own; it burns and turns bitter. For hummus, use about 1/3 cup per 400 g can of chickpeas, and blend the tahini with lemon juice first for the fluffiest texture.