Silky Tahini Lemon Sauce 🧄🇱🇧

Description

A silky Middle Eastern tahini lemon sauce with garlic, perfect for drizzling over bowls, salads, roasted veggies or grilled meats 🥄

Hook

Creamy, bright and garlicky – this tahini sauce turns simple leftovers into a fresh Middle Eastern feast in seconds ✨

Ingredients

• Base sauce
• 🥄 120 ml tahini, well stirred (½ cup / 4 fl oz)
• 💧 90–120 ml cold water, as needed (⅜–½ cup / 3–4 fl oz)
• 🍋 45 ml fresh lemon juice (3 tbsp / 1½ fl oz)
• 🧄 6–8 g fresh garlic, finely grated (2 small cloves / 0.2–0.28 oz)
• 🧂 3 g fine sea salt, or to taste (½ tsp / 0.11 oz)
• Flavor boosters (optional but recommended)
• 🌿 5 g fresh parsley, finely chopped (2 tbsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🌶️ 1–2 g ground cumin (¼–½ tsp / 0.04–0.07 oz)
• 🍯 5 ml maple syrup or honey (1 tsp / 0.17 fl oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Prepare the tahini base
2. Add tahini to a medium bowl and stir it well so the natural oils are fully combined and smooth before adding any liquids.
3. 2️⃣ Add lemon and garlic
4. Whisk in the fresh lemon juice and grated garlic until the mixture thickens and becomes slightly lighter in color. It may look very stiff at this stage – that is normal.
5. 3️⃣ Season with salt and spices
6. Add the salt, cumin and maple syrup or honey if using. Whisk again until everything is evenly distributed. Taste and adjust salt or lemon to your liking.
7. 4️⃣ Thin with cold water
8. Slowly drizzle in the cold water, 1–2 tbsp at a time, whisking continuously. The sauce will first seize and become very thick, then gradually loosen into a smooth, pourable cream. Stop adding water when you reach the consistency you like (thick for dipping, thinner for drizzling).
9. 5️⃣ Fold in fresh herbs
10. Stir in the finely chopped parsley. Let the sauce rest for 5 minutes so the flavors meld and the garlic softens.
11. 6️⃣ Final check and serve
12. Taste once more before serving. If it tastes too sharp, add a tiny splash of water or a touch more sweetener; if it feels flat, add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon. Serve in a small bowl or drizzle directly over your dish.

Total Time

⏱️ Prep: 10 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 0 min
🛋️ Rest: 5 min
⏰ Total: 15 min

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