# What can you do with tahini? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719 "2009-01-30T15:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Surok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surok)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/1 "2009-01-30T15:28:22Z")
There’s a great looking [recipe](http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/warm-butternut-squash-and-chickpea-salad/#more-1870)for warm butternut squash and chickpea salad over at smittenkitchen. (And incidentally, the smashed chickpea salad, just a couple of blog entries down on the same site, is awesome. But I digress…) The recipe contains tahini. 3 tablespoons of it. This is not something I have in my cupboard. If I go get (make?) some tahini so I can make this recipe, what can I do with the rest of the tahini? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/2 "2009-01-30T15:30:56Z")
Hummus bi tahini never gets old. Chick peas, tahini, plus a few other ingredients like olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, parsley, served as a dip with flat bread. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/3 "2009-01-30T15:40:38Z")
What Giles said. Also, you can use it as a spread in sandwiches, like a nut butter… which it kind of is, right? Tahini is pureed sesame seeds. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/4 "2009-01-30T15:56:52Z")
[This recipe](http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE5DD113AF932A15752C0A96F9C8B63) for 15 minute fried herb chicken is on my “to-make” list for this week. It includes tahini in the coating. ---
**Author:** ![lilflower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@lilflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilflower)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/5 "2009-01-30T15:57:35Z")
Tahini is also great over some grilled chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/6 "2009-01-30T16:52:03Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > [This recipe](http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE5DD113AF932A15752C0A96F9C8B63) > for 15 minute fried herb chicken is on my “to-make” list for this week. It includes tahini in the coating. ISTR a number of people bitching about this recipe on Bittman’s blog; IIRC the consensus was that it needed salt and garlic (and maybe there was some other problem too, I’m not sure). You might want to review the comments before trying it to see if there are any modifications you might want to make. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/7 "2009-01-30T17:01:14Z")
Wow, I had just discovered a forgotten jar of tahini in my canned goods cupboard and was wondering what to do with it. Hopefully it hasn’t turned rancid; if not, I’ll do that hummus thing as I have all the other ingredients listed. Can’t you also mix it up with roasted eggplant puree and it’s called baba ganoush (sp?)? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/8 "2009-01-30T17:51:34Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Can’t you also mix it up with roasted eggplant puree and it’s called baba ganoush (sp?)? Yeah, that’s basically the same as hummus but with roasted eggplant instead of chickpeas. A little heavier on the lemon juice, and don’t forget the garlic. ---
**Author:** ![vifslan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f4b2a3/32.png) [@vifslan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vifslan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/9 "2009-01-30T21:57:12Z")
Half tahini and half liquid honey (or thereabouts. Use your own preferences as a guide) makes a nice sweet spread for crackers and bread. I like to add a little cold water to the tahini first and stir well; unless you use too much water, it actually makes the tahini more creamy and firm. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/10 "2009-01-30T22:05:46Z")
It makes a nice base for a salad dressing. Mix it in the blender with toasted sesame or olive oil, cider vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and whatever else moves you. ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/11 "2009-01-30T23:26:07Z")
Heh, I had the same problem, and I found you can use up pretty much an entire (I assume normal-sized) jar making hummus and baba ghanoush. Just the minimum amount - one can of chickpeas and one eggplant. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/12 "2009-02-01T02:28:12Z")
> [@Surok](#): > > There’s a great looking [recipe](http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/warm-butternut-squash-and-chickpea-salad/#more-1870)for warm butternut squash and chickpea salad over at smittenkitchen. Thanks for the recipe. Mrs. Plant accused me of trying to murder her when she sampled the dressing. I ended up using tahini with some of the lemon sauce, and I cooked the onions a bit. Mrs. Plant suggested adding some walnuts, a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/13 "2009-02-01T02:39:36Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Hummus bi tahini never gets old. Chick peas, tahini, plus a few other ingredients like olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, parsley, served as a dip with flat bread. Damn you Giles!! :D:D:D Now I’m dying for some Hummus!! ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/14 "2009-02-01T05:51:27Z")
[ul][_]Saute the greens of your choice, spinach, kale, collard greens, a mixture, anything you like, with some garlic onions, and drizzle with tahini.[_]Use it as a spread on sandwiches and in wraps, especially with roasted or sauteed vegetables.[_]Add it to soups, sauces, gravies.[_]Google around, there are anumber of recipes for tahini cookies. Yummy.[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Carson\_O\_Genic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Carson\_O\_Genic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carson_O_Genic)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/15 "2009-02-01T12:54:09Z")
> [@vifslan](#): > > Half tahini and half liquid honey (or thereabouts. Use your own preferences as a guide) makes a nice sweet spread for crackers and bread. I like to add a little cold water to the tahini first and stir well; unless you use too much water, it actually makes the tahini more creamy and firm. That’s on the doorstep for halvah, which hasn’t been mentioned yet. Recipes abound, but I’ll post if requested. ---
**Author:** ![Surok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Surok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surok)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-do-with-tahini/483719/16 "2009-02-01T13:03:49Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Thanks for the recipe. Mrs. Plant accused me of trying to murder her when she sampled the dressing. Was it the oil she didn’t like, or the garlic? And thanks for the suggestions - I will try Mark Bitten’s recipe, but add salt and garlic. Now I have to run and make salmon and smashed chickpeas and borscht and turnip pickles 🙂