Making Sesame Tahini

[Shel_B]

I've made my own tahini by lightly pan toasting some sesame seeds and then puréeing in the blender or food processor. The texture has been a little "rougher" than prepared tahini, but the price was SUBSTANTIALLY lower and, I liked the additional texture, especially in hummus.

I was wondering if anyone else has made their own tahini and what tips or techniques they can offer.

Kind regards,

Shel

[melkor]

Use more oil and the texture will improve.

[gfron1]

I've never made my own, so are you suggesting adding sesame oil? Or some other kind of oil?

[melkor]

All you need is a bunch of sesame seeds, some olive oil, and a little salt. Toast the sesame seeds, throw the whole mess in the blender and let it run until you've got a smooth paste. If it ends up chunky you didn't put in enough oil.

[infernooo]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Tahini should be made with untoasted sesame seeds.

[cmsoulbrother]

I find I get a smoother texture by using the spice grinding attachment to a blender, and filling it completely. When it's really full, it seems to grind the seeds more completely, with less fiddling.

[deltadoc]

Tahini can come made with untoasted sesame seeds and is sometimes referred to as "Raw Tahini". I've had it from the local Natural Foods Market.

But I prefer the Tahini made with slightly roasted sesame seeds, and I'm told that this is the more popular and more prevalent form of Tahini to be found in markets.

When I've made it from sesame seeds, I found there was a tendency to brown the sesame seeds "too much" and the taste was way too strong after processing.

Never ever, have I seen Tahini made with anything but sesame seeds, and especially not made with olive oil.

On the other hand, just as "hummous" as found in the restaurant may be really "hummous bi tahini", someone once said that "hummous" is the Arabic word for garbanzo bean, so "hummous" sometimes refers to ground garbanzo beans without tahini and sometimes with. In that same manner, perhaps someone is referring to "tahini sauce" as "tahini" and "tahini sauce" would usually be a mixture of tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, S&P, garlic, and maybe a bit of water.

doc