Tahina Salad
Egypt's tahina dip: tahini thinned with garlic, lemon, salt and water into a pourable savoury cream. Spread on a plate, drizzled with oil, scooped with bread.
Overview
Good-quality tahini whisks with crushed garlic, fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt. The mix tightens dramatically at first (chemistry of acid + tahini), then loosens with cold water added slowly until pourable. Pinch of cumin folds in. Spread on a wide plate; pool of olive oil on top; pinch of sumac and parsley.
Ingredients
- 200 g good-quality tahini (Lebanese, Syrian or Palestinian brand - light and runny)
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed to a paste with ½ tsp salt)
- 1 ½ lemons (juice)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 100-150 ml cold water (added gradually)
To finish
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sumac (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
- Egyptian flatbread (or pita to scoop)
Method
Stage 1 - Whisk
- In a wide bowl, whisk the tahini, garlic-salt paste, lemon juice and cumin.
- The mixture tightens at first into a stiff paste - that's expected.
Stage 2 - Loosen
- Whisk in cold water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- After 5-6 tablespoons it loosens to a pourable cream the texture of double cream.
- Continue adding water in small amounts until it just falls from the whisk in a smooth ribbon.
Stage 3 - Season
- Taste; adjust salt and lemon. The dish should be sharp, savoury, slightly nutty.
Stage 4 - Plate
- Spread on a wide shallow plate, making ridges with the back of a spoon.
- Drizzle olive oil; sprinkle sumac and parsley.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Eat with warm pita or alongside ful, kofta, mezze.
Notes
- Tahini quality: A good Lebanese / Syrian tahini is light, pours easily and tastes slightly nutty. Cheap supermarket tahini is bitter and grainy. Buy the good stuff.
- Cold water for emulsification: Hot water curdles tahini; cold water emulsifies smoothly. This trick is universal across Levantine cooking.
- Adjust thickness to use: Looser for a dip; thicker as a sauce drizzled over meats.
Storage
- Refrigerate 5 days; the colour deepens but flavour holds.
- Loosen with a splash of water before serving from cold.
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