Tahini, aka sesame paste, is both versatile and nutritious. It’s also packed full of calcium and beneficial oils.

This simple dressing, widely used in Middle Eastern dishes, can be mixed together in minutes and stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Simple tahini dressing

4 tablespoons tahini
1 clove of garlic, crushed (size depends on how much garlic you like)
1.5 tablespoons lemon (lime, yuzu or even orange) juice
a pinch of sea salt
3 – 4 tablespoons of iced water

Combine tahini, citrus juice, garlic and a small pinch of salt in a bowl. Start pouring in the iced water a tablespoon at a time and whisk together. Don’t worry if it starts clumping, just add a little more water and keep stirring until smooth and a pourable consistency. Taste and add more salt or lemon if needed.

Serve at room temperature. Leftovers can be stored in a screw top jar and refrigerated. If it thickens up, just whisk in a little more iced water.

Tips

The natural oils in tahini are prone to separate. Standing the jar upside down over night before using is an easy way to remedy this.

Warming the tablespoon in hot water makes the tahini slide off easier.

Uses

I love drizzling tahini dressing  over a tagine or steamed vegetables. It’s great as a salad dressing or dip for raw vegetables. You can use it as a sauce on fish, kebabs or felafels.

To use as a dip, make it a little thicker by only add 1 – 2 tablespoons of water.

Variations

Blitz with a handful of fresh green herbs (parsley, mint, dill for example), avocado or miso.

This recipe is vegan, dairy and gluten free. Sign up for the free newsletter if you’d like healthy inspiration in your inbox each month. Explore the archive for more recipes like this.

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