[Joyfull]

Do any of you make your own Tahini?
I was thinking I might give it a go as it seems to be rediculously over priced at my local supermarket..

But now I've now found so many different recipes in my search that its gotten a little mind boggling!

So far the recipe ingredients and directions have been either,

-toasted sesame seeds and oil.
-untoasted seeds and oil.
-soaked seeds, then toasted and oil.
-sesame seeds, oil, lemon juice.
-sesame seeds, oil, lemon and lime juice, or just lime juice.

The oils ranges from plain vegetable oil, peanut oil, evoo oil, to sesame oil..
I've also found that some recipes add salt, some do not..

So, I'm wondering if any of you have a tried and true home made version of tahini? Or, should I forget the whole thing and stick to the jars?
Thanks..

[phatch]

I'd stick to the jars. I don't imagine that it's a process that works well at home.

[deltadoc]

Originally Posted by Joyfull

Do any of you make your own Tahini?

So far the recipe ingredients and directions have been either,

-toasted sesame seeds and oil.
-untoasted seeds and oil.
-soaked seeds, then toasted and oil.
-sesame seeds, oil, lemon juice.
-sesame seeds, oil, lemon and lime juice, or just lime juice.

The oils ranges from plain vegetable oil, peanut oil, evoo oil, to sesame oil..
I've also found that some recipes add salt, some do not..

So, I'm wondering if any of you have a tried and true home made version of tahini? Or, should I forget the whole thing and stick to the jars?
Thanks..

Well let's start by getting our definitions lined up. Tahini is ground sesame seeds. It can be ground fresh sesame seeds, or it can be ground toasted sesame seeds. That's it. If you toast them, like I do, then be sure not to toast them too much, lightly browned or you get an awfully strong tahini. You end up, in either case, with very thick tahini paste. It will separate over time like old-fashioned peanut butter used to do, where the oil will rise to the top. Most commercial tahini that I've found in Middle Eastern grocery stores has to be stirred to be used, although sometimes i pour off a little bit of the sesame oil when a recipe calls for it. Anyway, back to homemade tahini. I have a nut grinder thing the wife bought to make peanut butter with, and it works ok. You can adjust the grind on it. But I've used a Vita-Mix to do my grinding usually and like the results. You could probably grind them with a mortar and pestle, but I don't know since I've never tried doing it that way.

Then there's Tahini Sauce.

I make Tahini Sauce thusly:


1/2 C Tahini
2-3 peeled raw garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lemon
S&P
touch of cumin (optional)
touch of cayenne
EVOO

Process in a food processor (actually I start by processing the garlic cloves, then add the tahini, then the rest of the ingredients).

Then I add water to get the consistency of sauce that I am looking for, not thin, not too thick. Depending on the lemons, I might add a touch more lemon juice to get the right flavor combination.

doc

[phatch]

What do you use to grind them in? They don't seem well suited to grinding in a food processor. It seems to me you'd need something on the order of a wheat grinder to get a fine enough pressing to completely dissolve the seed casing and cellulose. And a mortar and pestle would be an exercise in masochism to produce an useful amount.

But I've never made tahini, just bought it.

[cheflayne]

I have had good luck grinding them in my Vita Prep. As a matter of fact I am making Baba Ghanouj this week and making my own tahini. Cheaper, better, less left over.

[Joyfull]

Originally Posted by deltadoc

I have a nut grinder thing the wife bought to make peanut butter with, and it works ok. You can adjust the grind on it. But I've used a Vita-Mix to do my grinding usually and like the results. You could probably grind them with a mortar and pestle, but I don't know since I've never tried doing it that way.

Then there's Tahini Sauce.

I make Tahini Sauce thusly:


1/2 C Tahini
2-3 peeled raw garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lemon
S&P
touch of cumin (optional)
touch of cayenne
EVOO

Process in a food processor (actually I start by processing the garlic cloves, then add the tahini, then the rest of the ingredients).

Then I add water to get the consistency of sauce that I am looking for, not thin, not too thick. Depending on the lemons, I might add a touch more lemon juice to get the right flavor combination.

doc

Thanks deltadoc, your tahini sauce sounds lovely..
I have a vita-mix also so there's no problem with the grinding, its the tahini ingredients I'm most interested in..
When you make your version of tahini do you just use the seeds and oil or do you add other ingredients to your mixture?

[deltadoc]

Originally Posted by Joyfull

Thanks deltadoc, your tahini sauce sounds lovely..
I have a vita-mix also so there's no problem with the grinding, its the tahini ingredients I'm most interested in..
When you make your version of tahini do you just use the seeds and oil or do you add other ingredients to your mixture?

I just grind the toasted seeds. The oil is whatever comes from the seeds as they're ground. I add nothing else.

doc