Tahini / Tchina / טחינה

My first blog post is dedicated to a staple of the Israeli / Middle Eastern kitchen, as well as to the vegan kitchen.

Ta Da!

Ta Da!

T-chi-na as we call it in Israel, is a sauce/dressing/paste/dip that is made out of ground sesame seeds. It can be made plain and simple and it can be upgraded with tastes and colors. I eat Tchina on salads, pasta, and rice, and in sandwiches. It can be used as a dip for almost everything, and it is essential sauce for Falafel and Sabich (coming soon!) and you cannot make Hummus without it!

Here I present three variations of Tchina: Parsley Tchina, 3 Herbs Tchina (which is basically the parsley Tchina with two more herbs!), and Creamy Tchina. 

 

IMAG0569 (Copy) 

Parsley Tahini:

Ingredients: [make a medium box – good for two people – for a week – unless you eat it all immediately, which is a possibility!]

  • 6-8 spoons of Raw Tahini – some people would die defending the best raw tahini in their opinion. It has become a topic of culinary wars but me, as a well-known pacifist, refuse to take part in these wars…The trick for good raw tahini is to taste it a bit in its raw form – if it is smooth and full with sesame flavor it is probably good tahini! 
  • 2-3 garlic cloves – crushed 
  • Juice from one lemon 
  • Handful of parsley leaves – washed, dried and separated from stems
  • Freshly ground salt & pepper
  • Half a glass of water

IMG_20130811_144647

Directions:

  • Wash parsley well, pick the leaves, chop them small (I have herbs scissors) and put them a large bowl
  • Press garlic cloves into the bowl
  • Add some salt & pepper, lemon juice and 6-8 spoons of tahini
  • Add a 1/4 of a glass of water and start mixing with a fork  – add a bit more water while mixing.

The paste should not be too watery but should drip from the fork – so add water carefully – if too watery add a spoon of raw tahini – the tahini will become thicker when storage in the fridge so no panic! 

  • 3 Herbs Tahini:

Same but with a handful of cilantro (yum!) and Moroccan mint (aka Nana – sweet and aromatic)

IMAG8679

  •  Creamy Tahini:

Same, but instead of mixing with a fork, using a hand mixer or a blender to create a smooth creamy paste.

Yesterday’s veggie pasta upgraded with 2 spoons of tahini and a cat

Yesterday’s veggie pasta upgraded with 2 spoons of tahini and a cat

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

10 Comments

  1. Hello, I think your website might be having browser compatibility
    issues. When I look at your blog site in Opera,
    itt looks fine but whn opening in Internet Explorer, it
    has some overlapping. I just wnted to give you a quickk heads up!

    Other thdn that, fantastic blog!

    • Hello and thanks! Mine works well in IE, Opera I have never used. Will make sure to check it soon though.
      Thank you! 🙂

Leave a Reply