Tehina – #1 Middle Eastern Secret Sauce

I called this Middle Eastern secret sauce, but it is not really secretive… EVERYBODY (in Israel for sure) knows and eats Tehina all the time, but it is so magical! Tehina has the perfect smooth sauce consistency and with its AMAZING Middle Easterny taste it uplifts almost any dish, salad or sandwich. I think this is what the secret is all about…

I am so happy that nowadays; raw Tehina (sesame paste) on stores’ shelves is becoming a common site. As expected I like to use Israeli brands- the taste and texture is familiar and works perfectly to me, but I also used in the past Greek and Turkish brands that worked just as well.

You will need:

⅓ cup raw Tehina (Sesame Paste)

Half a Lemon freshly squeezed (about 2 tsp. lemon juice)

1 small clove of Garlic minced to paste

4 tbsp. cold Water

Salt (a pinch and a little…)

So let’s do this, it’s super simple!

For this very short prep time, your best friend will be a FORK 🙂

Juice half a lemon and do whatever you have to do to get rid of the seeds…

Using a fork, combine the Tehina with the lemon juice in stirring and folding motions.

Let’s make garlic paste:

Start by chopping the garlic and add the salt on top.

Continue mincing the garlic and use the flat side of the knife to press the salt grains into the garlic against the board. Combine the salt grains with the garlic and create a paste.

Add the garlic paste and mix it in evenly.

Time to carefully add the water:

Because we are combining water with a very oily paste, follow these two guidelines to achieve smoothness and light color: 1. Use cold water 2. Add water one tablespoon at a time.

Put your smooth moves on it… 🙂

Stirring and folding with fork…

Tehina sauce is ready and it is oh so tasty and smooth.

Of course at this point you just take out your warm pita or any other bread, tear it to pieces and dip in, but actually this Tehina goes well with so many other salads, dishes or sandwiches. The list is long so here are just a few winning combos for Tehina and: roasted cauliflower, roasted eggplant or actually any roasted vegetables; freshly chopped Israeli salad, any other salad, falafel patties, kabob, meatballs or any other patties.

I love Tehina in its simplest form, but you are allowed to upgrade your Tehina:

I already told you how much I love parsley, so you can try it and add parsley to your Tehina. Chopped parsley for additional flavor and texture or parsley leaves just for garnish. Do you like other greens? Try it… Serving the Tehina you may add just on top spices like Zaatar, Sumac or sweet paprika or a little drizzle of olive oil …

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Quick Recipe:

Tehina-

Combine Lemon juice and Tehina in stirring motions.

Create Garlic paste with Salt and Garlic.

Add Garlic paste to Tehina.

Add cold Water one tablespoon at a time.

Stir and fold carefully to reach smooth consistency.