What is that sauce you get served with Pita sandwiches of all sorts, specifically with Chicken Shawarma? No, not the white one, we all know the cucumber yogurt sauce, Cacik or Tzatziki Sauce, right? The other one? It’s Tahini Sauce & for the Home Style Chicken Shawarma I made the other day, a Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce.

Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce

I love this vibrant Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce. I swear I could just about drink it. I use it with my Home Style Chicken Shawarma, but it can be used in many other ways, too.

About Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce:

Use your Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce in pitas and/or wraps. Use it as a dip for your leftover pita or flatbread. Use it as a dip for veggies, raw, or drizzle it over any oven-roasted vegetables. Can I tell you how good this is drizzled over oven-roasted vegetables?

Add a touch of vinegar (and a little olive oil if you didn’t make yours with olive oil) and this makes a great dressing for a salad or greens, cooked or raw. It is primarily made from sesame, so think about adding a little soy sauce and vinegar, a touch of a chile paste, and tossing with noodles for a kind of easy-peasy Sesame Noodles.

I even stirred in a bit of my Zhoug which is a hot hot hot spicy green sauce, into my Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce. That was an amazing shot of flavor.

If you’re not one for raw garlicky flavor, I get it, so if that’s the case sub in a little garlic powder. Or go a little sideways and try some roasted garlic. And if you’re not a cilantro fan, try a few coriander seeds and some parsley.

Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce

Making Your Sauce:

To make your sauce, toss everything in the food processor except for the water. Use the water to thin to the desired consistency. You’ll need to scrape down several times. You don’t want to go overboard with the thinning – Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce should flow slowly, like honey.

Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce is another recipe adapted from Chef Yotam Ottolenghi to go with the fantabulous Home Style Chicken Shawarma I made the other day. I just upped the volume on the flavor a bit.

This recipe is so quick that you’ll have it done in minutes. I think it took me longer to put on my shoes and go cut my parsley than it did to make it. I like using my food processor because I can see the consistency a little better, but any blender will work fine, too.

Home Style Chicken Shawarma

Saving Money on Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce:

I always like to leave you with a few (or more) good hints for shopping for your ingredients, especially if they include a couple of potentially pricey ones. If you make hummus, keep this recipe in mind for using any extra tahini.

tahini:

Tahini is a specialty item in most American supermarkets and the pricing reflects that! While there are many items whose quality doesn’t seem to have any relation to a “best buy” date, tahini is one item you shouldn’t let languish. I’m not saying it’s good one day and not the next but it would be a shame to open a jar and upon giving it the sniff test (you can tell if your tahini is no longer good because it will smell rancid) realize it is past it’s prime.

• Look for Tahini in any Greek, Turkish, or Mediterranean market or the “ethnic” sections of the grocery store. Look for it, too, in any sale bins or carts at your grocery. Specialty items are often found there for a great price.
• My jar ran around $8.00 bucks, so this sauce isn’t dirt cheap to make. I used about a third of it. Don’t let an open jar of tahini languish too long, keep it in the fridge and be prepared to spend a bit of time stirring it back together. I store the jars upside down which keeps it fresher a bit longer.

lemons:

In season in the winter months. Be wary of bagged lemons: make sure they are all sound. If they are small, they may not be worthwhile because they’ll give so little juice.  You may not always have much choice in pricing (although if you use them often pick up extra when they’re on sale) but you do have the choice of making the most of what you have.

• Microwave your lemon for a bit if it’s hard and/or roll it on the counter before you juice it and it will break down easier and give more juice. If you just need a small amount, pierce your lemon with a fork and squeeze it, then remember to use the rest of the lemon – later. I bag it and put it in the door of the fridge where I’ll see it and remember it.
• The rind holds as much or more flavor than the juice, so I often grate it off before using it and store it in a Ziploc in my freezer – the little bit dries up but still holds more flavor than the store-bought. If I’m in a pinch and don’t have a lemon, I’ll use it instead.
• Toss the rinds into a jug of water and put them in the fridge for your own lemony “Spa Water” or toss them in your morning Green Smoothie. They won’t improve the taste of that smoothie any but you can’t beat the vitamins and fiber!

herbs:

• Grow a few fresh herbs in a pot (or in your yard). Most plants don’t cost more than a bunch of herbs at the store (and many far less) so there’s little risk, even if you kill them off. Then you just have dried herbs. Bring in during the winter and put out in the spring.

Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce

Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce

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• Author: mollie kirby adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1/2 cup 1x
• Category: Sauce

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2½ tablespoons lemon juice plus the zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 4 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped, plus extra (or parsley) to garnish
• pinch salt
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• about 1/3 cup of water, maybe a little more
• a few extra herbs for garnish

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Instructions

Using a food processor, mix all ingredients together except for the water. While the food processor is running, add water and process until mixture is the consistency of honey. Stop to scrape down as needed. Garnish with a few more herbs. Store in a tightly covered jar, upside down. Mixture will separate. Stir back together if needed.

Notes:

The original recipe called for fresh dill, several tablespoons. Many similar recipes call for parsley or cilantro. Add if you wish.

I found about a tablespoon of Zough spiced this up just a bit. A bit of Za’atar would be excellent in this

Don’t discount what the pinch of salt does for this recipe! It really brightens it up.

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I’m sharing Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce at Fiesta Friday #240. The co-hosts this week are Deb @ The Pantry Portfolio and Laurena @ Life Diet Health. 

I’m sharing, also, at The Lazy Gastronome on her weekly Link Up, What’s for Dinner?