Yeah, it was a warm stew.
I think that if the tahini/lemon was present, it was only a small percentage of the actual sauce. The sauce I had was a bit thinner than that and had a more velvety mouthfeel, and only a hint of the tang that was at the forefront of the tahini sauce.
Is there a decent substitution for sumac, or is it one of those things I just have to go to the Middle Eastern grocery and get?
Sorry for getting back to you so late with my reply, but sumac is pretty unique in that it adds an astringent, sour taste as an ingredient. It is most often just a beautiful red garnish with a little bit of “zing”, although in some dishes it is an integral ingredient and I’m not sure if that is the case in the Batata bi Tahini. I have been to some cheaper places that use paprika as a garnish substitute… of course it does not have any taste and just gives the traditional red color. But to answer your question, no, there really is no substitute in taste and quality/ennui for sumac. But if I were just using it as a garnish, then, no, I would not go out of my way to find some just to make the dish pretty… however if it were an integral ingredient to the dish then I’d probably break down and get some to recreate the authentic flavor. In this case, I am not sure if the sumac is an ingredient in the dish or not… although your description of the flavors/sourness leads me to believe that it might…
Ok, I’m pretty sure the following recipes will get you to the promised land. To break it down, I’m pretty sure that you basically had a version of Karnabeet Mekly with a Yogurt and Tahini sauce.
(Fried Cauliflower with yogurt tahini sauce)
This recipe from Janna Gur looks highly adaptable and exactly spot on to what you are looking for…
Just add boiled potatoes to the recipe and perhaps toss the fried cauliflower and potatoes with a tahini, garlic, and yogurt sauce in a pan over the stovetop until it is warmed through.
Here is a menu entry/item (PDF) from a lebanese restaurant called the Modca Grill that seems to be another take on the cauliflower mezza that you enjoyed, in this case with eggplant instead of potatoes.
Modca special (must try)…………6
Fried eggplant & cauliflower/yogurt & Tahini sauce
I sent the Lebanese food blogger who had it pictured upthread a message on Facebook, and he gave me his recipe: