Recipe Homemade Tahini

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

With experimentation, I have established that if you are after a really smooth tahini, you need to be using white sesame seeds. Unhulled, brown sesame seeds will give you a slightly grainer, more bitter tahini as will black sesame seeds (obviously these will give you a black tahini). So bare this in mind when you are making it and what you are making it for. Also it affects the taste. Personally I prefer brown sesame seeds (unhulled) when making tahini because I'm after taste, and can usually hide/mask the slightly grainier tahini in the dish I am making.

Ingredients
150g white (or hulled) sesame seeds
1-2 tbsp bland oil (canola or vegetable oil is ideal, better yet unroasted sesame seed oil)
sea salt (to taste, optional)

Method

1. Lightly roast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan. Take extra special care not to burn any. You only need them lightly toasted.
2. In a food processor or spice grinder, add the sesame seeds and process until they are a fine crumble. Now add 1 tbsp of oil and continue to process until smooth. Add more oil if needed. The oil acts a a lubricant, you can omit it if you prefer but it will take much longer to process.
3. Once you have a very smooth paste, add a touch of salt (optional) to taste.

This will make enough tahini for 2 small jars, which in turn would make a portion of baba ganoush and a portion of hummus.

(pictures will follow.)

 

[Herbie]

With experimentation, I have established that if you are after a really smooth tahini, you need to be using white sesame seeds. Unhulled, brown sesame seeds will give you a slightly grainer, more bitter tahini as will black sesame...

My attempt at black tahini was not successful.

 

[Morning Glory]

My attempt at black tahini was not successful.

Did you toast the seeds?

 

[Herbie]

Did you toast the seeds?

Yes, maybe not enough. I think I will try again and add just a few white seeds so I can see when they are toasted. I was worried I would burn the black seeds.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

@Herbie: My absolute first thought when I saw this post was to try it with black sesame seeds.

@SatNavSaysStraightOn: thanks for posting this!!

 

[Morning Glory]

Yes, maybe not enough. I think I will try again and add just a few white seeds so I can see when they are toasted. I was worried I would burn the black seeds.

You have to go by aroma...

 

[Herbie]

You have to go by aroma...

Ah! I'll try again.

 

[Morning Glory]

Ah! I'll try again.

Not that I'm an expert!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

My attempt at black tahini was not successful.

Surprisingly not only is tahini and unhulled tahini really available in Australia but it doesn't take much looking to obtain black tahini. It's just a real shame I can't get hold of grape or better still date molasses.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Some pictures..




This final image shows 75g of sesame seeds and the quantity of tahini (3tbsp) they make up when using just 1tsp of oil.