4 recipes with tahini (beyond hummus)

Tahini, also known as tahina or tahini, is becoming increasingly popular. This delicious-tasting beige sesame paste, which until recently was only sold in herbalists and organic food stores, is not only one of the ingredients of the famous hummus, but also has many other possible uses.

What is tahini and why is it so healthy?

the tahini It is prepared by grinding raw or roasted sesame seeds. and it comes from the Middle East, where it was consumed centuries ago. Tahini is, therefore, pure sesame, with all its nutrients and benefits.

Is rich in minerals such as calcium, zinc, phosphorus and iron, B vitamins essential for the nervous system, fiber, healthy fats and antioxidant phytonutrients. Besides promotes heart healthimproves intestinal transit, has antibacterial properties and protects the liver and kidneys.

different types of tahini

In the market we find different types of tahini. The biggest difference is between dark tahini and white tahini:

dark tahini: It comes from whole sesame seeds with the skin on and has a more intense flavor.white tahini: It comes from peeled seeds, it usually has a creamier and more liquid texture and is mild in flavor. Being peeled, it contains a slightly lower amount of minerals.

We can also find pasta in variety with salt and without salt. There is, furthermore, the black tahiniprepared with the variety of sesame of this color.

How to use tahini in recipes

In the kitchen, tahini can be used in many preparations. Let’s start with the salty kitchen:

Apart from prepare spreads and vegetable spreads like the famous hummus or baba ganoush, it can be used to make a rich chocolate cream.It also can spread directly on bread instead of oil or butter, both alone and with other ingredients, for example honey or maple syrup. Due to its creamy texture, tahini has an important place when preparing vegetable sauces and vinaigrettesAlso, due to its texture, we can use tahini in vegetable cooking to bind masses of hamburgers or meatballs.

The tahini vinaigrette It is a very useful sauce, which is delicious to accompany salads, cereals, baked or steamed vegetables, buddha bowls, vegetable burgers, tofu or other proteins of vegetable origin.

the basic version It is made by mixing the tahini with water, lemon juice and a little salt until obtaining a smooth sauce.Other ingredients can be added such as soy sauce, garlic, aromatic herbs, miso, mustard, nutritional yeast, curry, chili…

in the sweet kitchenit can also give us a lot of play:

we can add it to breakfast cereal or porridge along with fruit or jams. We can use it to prepare all kinds of bars, nougat or raw balls.We can add it to flan-like desserts, ice creams or creamsIt is also delicious in traditional confectionery, added to cupcakes, cookies, brownies or muffinsreplaced a part of oil by tahini.