Taratour, Lemon Tahini Sauce: a passe-partout Lebanese and Middle Eastern condiment, packed with tahini flavor and has a slight lemony undertone, easy and can be whipped in merely no time. Just whisk together tahini, water, lemon juice, crushed garlic and salt. Drizzle it over shawarma, falafel, fish recipes, fried or broiled cauliflower, eggplants, pumpkins, sandwiches, wraps and zillion different ways. It is vegan and gluten-free by nature and would take any dish to different directions and levels.

Taratour, Lemon Tahini Sauce

A crucial sauce every Lebanese and Middle Eastern household should have in her cooking repertoire, works in a wide variety of preparations and styles. Treat it as a base and spin out a multitude of dishes and flavors from this versatile tahini sauce that we call Taratour.

Here are some great dishes that go so well with Taratour, Lemon Tahini Sauce:

• Meat Shawarma
• Grilled Kafta kebabs
• Falafel
• Roasted veggies
• Grilled or fried fish or sardines
• Fried or broiled cauliflower
• Fried or broiled pumpkin wedges
• Roasted sweet potatoes
• Roasted Carrots
• Add it to dressings to spoon over salads

What is tahini?

Tahini is a rich condiment made from ground toasted sesame seeds and has for centuries been used throughout the Middle East, though now a days its popularity made its way to the world! Tahini is rich in vitamins B such as thiamine and minerals like copper, magnesium, phosphorus manganese, iron, manganese, and zinc. Add it to your diet to get your daily dose of copper to ensure bone, and metabolic health.

A good tahini should be consistent, creamy, thick but pourable, it is crucial to stir the tahini jar well before using, since the solids are settled in the bottom of the jar.

Ingredients needed to make taratour (lemon tahini sauce)

• Tahini, a paste- like sesame seeds condiment with a nutty flavor, very popular in Lebanon and the Middle East,
• Garlic
• Lemon, use freshly squeezed lemon juice and avoid the muted ready bottled stuff
• Water
• Salt

Add the tahini in a bowl and whisk together the crushed garlic, lemon juice and water

You will notice first that  the mix will seize up a bit when mixed with other liquids.

Just keep whisking and it will quickly smooth out and  homogenize with the other ingredients. If it is too thick add just a bit of water, it should have a thick cream consisitency.

Where you can find tahini?

You can find it in Middle Eastern stores or the nut section in most grocery stores, use the best tahini brand you can find. Lebanese tahini brands are the best, no bias here, just from personal experience.

You can even add body and depth by adding one of the following ingredients:

• Parsley: it is common practice to add a handful of finely chopped parsley for a herby flavor. I usually add parsley when I accompany tartatour with fried or grilled fish.
• Red Pepper Paste: add a couple of tablespoons of homemade or ready red pepper paste for a more dramatic taratour.
• Cumin powder: add cumin powder for a more smoky flavor.
• Chili Powder: will add some heat to your taratour.
• Yogurt: add  spoonfuls of yogurt to lighten up the rich sauce for dressings in salads.

How to store taratour (Tahini Sauce)

Store it in an glass jar in the refrigerator, and it will keep for about 10 days, which makes it a perfect make ahead sauce. The oils and solids in the sauce may separate the longer the sauce sits, so be sure to stir each time before you use it.

Try tahini in these great recipes: 

• Turkish Tahini Sweet Rolls
• Banana and Date Bread with Tahini and Carob Molasses
• Fried Cauliflower with tahini sauce
• Moufataka, Lebanese Turmeric Rice Pudding

• Author:Hadia Zebib Khanafer, 
• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Cooking time: No cooking involved
• Serving: Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

• ½ cup tahini
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Crush the garlic with a pinch of salt to a smooth paste
2. It is crucial to stir the tahini jar well before using, since the solids are settled in the bottom of the jar. Add the mentioned amount in a bowl and whisk together the crushed garlic, lemon juice and water.You will notice first that  the mix will seize up a bit when mixed with other liquids, just keep whisking and it will quickly smooth out and  homogenize with the other ingredients.; you should end up end up with a sauce that has a thick cream consistency. If it is too thick add just a bit of water. Adjust salt to taste preference, we don’t want a bland flavor.

NB: You can easily double or tripple the recipe if you are feeding a large number of people.

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