Lemon-Garlic Tahini Sauce
By Joe
Source: NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
A punchy tahini sauce with three cloves of garlic mellowed in plenty of lemon juice, whisked smooth with ice water and a pinch of cumin.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Mellow the garlic. Grate the garlic straight into the lemon juice in the bowl, stir and let it sit for 10 min. The acid calms the harsh bite of raw garlic while keeping its flavour.
- 2
Add the tahini. Whisk in the tahini, cumin and salt. Do not panic when it seizes into a thick, grainy paste; that is the sesame proteins reacting to the acid and it will smooth out.
- 3
Loosen with ice water. Whisk in the ice water 2 tbsp at a time until the sauce turns pale, silky and pourable, about the thickness of double cream. Cold water helps it emulsify into a light, creamy sauce.
- 4
Season and serve. Taste and add a squeeze more lemon or a pinch of salt if needed. Spoon into a bowl, scatter over the lemon zest and serve with roast cauliflower, falafel or grilled vegetables.
Storage
Keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 days and whisk in a little water before serving. Not suitable for freezing. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Low sugars: 1.2 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
- Source of fibre: 1.6 g fibre per 100 kcal (needs ≥ 1.5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 42 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0.3 g per serving
0.6 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 1.2 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- fine grater
- mixing bowl
- whisk
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 184 kcal |
| Protein | 5.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 7.7 g |
| of which sugars | 0.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.3 g |
| Fat | 16.2 g |
| of which saturates | 2.3 g |
| Fibre | 2.9 g |
| Salt | 0.63 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.8 g High protein needs ≥ 5 g per 100 kcal (20% of energy) and ≥ 10 g per serving
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
