Can you make tahini at home?
Posted by kathryn in Q & A Thursday
The first question in this week’s Q & A Thursday is from Em:
Can tahini be made at home, or do you have to buy it commercially?
In all the recent posts I’ve written on tahini I’ve never thought about making your own. However, it is certainly possible, given the right blender, to make a tahini paste at home.
In commercially produced tahini the seeds are often crushed, soaked and then brined, prior to milling. This removes the outer husk of the seed and produces the lighter coloured, hulled tahini that is most commonly available.
At home the biggest impediment to making tahini is the type of blender you have. Sesame seeds are too small for most blenders to grind up. Although it should work in a spice or coffee grinder instead.
To make your own tahini I’d recommend lightly toasting the sesame seeds first, either in the oven or on the stovetop. Then place them in a coffee grinder with a small amount of sesame oil and blend together. There are some good instructions here.
Have any of you tried making your own tahini?
What is Q & A Thursday?
This post is part of Q & A Thursday – a monthly burst of blogging, where you get to dictate the subject matter. Q & A Thursday is all about simple, practical answers to food and diet dilemmas sent in by readers.
If you have a question you’d like answered send me an email. For more information you can take a look at the Q & A Thursday archives.
05 June, 2008
Comments
No. But maybe I will, now!
hi Kathryn. we are big hummus fiends at my place so my husband has taken to making tahini to support our habit. as far as i know, he doesn’t toast it, so that’s something which we could try.
having said that, i just bought my first jar or organic Melissa tahini and it’s very good (and much quicker than making it ourselves!).
Hi there Lindsey – at last someone who has made their own tahini. Now tell me – what’s it like? Is your home-made stuff like the shop bought product? And are there any tips you could add?
We’ve taken to buying our tahini from Alfalfa House. The jars you buy from the supermarket just don’t last long enough in our house. We’re buying tahini a kilo at a time!
Hi Kathryn,
I tried making it myself once using a blender but it just didn’t work. Honestly, I’m more than happy with the organic unhulled tahini I buy from the local health food shop.
And ever since I’ve discovered how great it tastes in combination with honey as a bread spread, I’ve been consuming something like one jar (250g) per week. :)
Thanks for the feedback Maja – I think having the right means of blending the tahini is the trickiest part. Most blenders just aren’t fine enough. Tahini and honey is a fine, fine combination.
Not technically tahini, but in a tahini-less pinch one day, I did simply grind up sesame seeds in the food processor before adding the rest of the ingredients for hummus and it worked pretty well. The hummus was a little rougher in texture than I usually make, but the flavor was good!
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