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Thick Tahini Sauce

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Rawia Bishara's Brussels Sprouts with Panko .

Tahini sauce, a smooth blend of toasted sesame paste, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, is ubiquitous in Middle Eastern kitchens. It is the condiment. There is hardly a dish that isn't enhanced by it—drizzled on Falafel sandwiches and over Brussels Sprouts with Panko; blended with pureed chickpeas for Hummus and with charred eggplant for Baba Ghanouj. My favorite Whole Fried Fish is served with this sauce mixed with parsley. At Tanoreen, I mix it into salad dressings and drizzle it into cauliflower casseroles. My daughter? She dips French fries into it! Learn to make this and you will have a simple, delicious, versatile sauce to add to your repertoire.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

1

1/2 cups tahini (sesame paste)

3 to 4

cloves garlic, crushed

Juice of 5 lemons or to taste (about 1 cup)

1

teaspoon sea salt

Chopped parsley for garnish

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and salt and process on low speed for 2 minutes or until thoroughly incorporated. Turn the speed to high and blend until the tahini mixture begins to whiten. Gradually add up to 1/2 cup water until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.

    Step 2

    Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl and garnish with the parsley. Leftover tahini sauce can be stored, tightly covered in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks.

Reprinted with permission from Olives, Lemons & Za'atar: The Best Middle Eastern Home Cooking by Rawia Bishara. Text © 2014 by Rawia Bishara; photography © 2014 Peter Cassidy. Published in 2014 by Kyle Books.