If you haven’t found yourself with a small jar of tahini – an oily, runny sesame paste – in your fridge at all times, you’re probably missing out on one of the most underrated culinary secrets of all time. Similar to the consistency of a freshly made seed butter, tahini paste can be utilised in fun ways that extend beyond making a batch of hummus. Mixing and matching sweet as well as savoury ingredients can help in enhancing the potential of this wonder jar and grateful to have had some stashed up in your pantry.
Marinades
Adding a spoonful to marinades for lamb or chicken, in combination with yoghurt or Asian sauces is a shortcut way to introduce a boost of flavour to your meats. You could also drizzle some tahini as it is over grilled broccoli, bell peppers and mushrooms, for a nutty-meaty flavour. Pairing tahini with fresh ingredients like cabbage, when grilled, also makes for a great combination of smoky flavours.
Sweet Glaze
To be quite frank, who would’ve imagined using tahini paste as a glaze or syrup on everything from doughnuts to cakes. Combine with maple syrup to ladle over a deep-fried fluffy doughnut or use mixed with chocolate syrup in-between cake layers for some moist richness from the fat content of the sesame paste. Add a healthy dose of tahini to buttercream frosting for depth of flavour and use over a butterscotch cake.
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Salad Dressings
If you’re bored of eating the same lacklustre salad for lunch every single day, spruce up your salad dressing with a teaspoon of tahini paste for some rich creaminess and flavour. Experiment with a combination of sweet-spicy, cheesy as well as umami flavours for some variation as well as trying something different each day. Run out of olive oil to drizzle over your leafy greens? Use a few drops of tahini instead.
Breakfast Options
Mixing some tahini into your mashed avocado or adding some to your scrambled eggs to amp up your protein game, tahini is a versatile ingredient to enliven your regular breakfasts. Adding some tahini paste to your smoothies or milkshakes also helps to cut through the cloying sweetness while also adding body at the same time. The nuttiness of the tahini perfectly complements the sweet breakfast beverages and adds some protein to them.