How to Make Tahini Sauce with Too Much Garlic

This was supposed to be a simple tahini sauce video for teasing our upcoming falafel episode, but it turned into a demonstration on how not to adjust a recipe. Usually this delicious Middle Eastern condiment has just a touch of garlic, if any, for whatever reason I was in a garlicky mood, and decided to put in some extra… all at once.

This is a classic rookie move, and usually a recipe for disaster, pun intended. If you’re going to significantly increase the amount of an ingredient, you can’t just dump it all in and cross your fingers. You have to add it little by little, tasting as you go, otherwise you’ll end up like me; the proud owner of a perfectly fine garlic sauce.

There’s nothing wrong with garlic sauce, unless you really wanted tahini sauce.  The good news is, my mistake shouldn’t affect you in the least. The technique is very simple, and every ingredient is “to taste.” So, please use the ingredient amounts below as a guide, and then add more of whatever until you have it exactly how you want it.

Once you get the formula down, you’ll be enjoying one of the world’s great cold sauces. Perfect with everything from steamed vegetables to grilled meats, and of course, homemade falafel. So, stay tuned for that, and in the meantime, I hope you get this delicious tahini sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 cup of tahini sauce:

1/2 cup tahini (pure sesame seed paste)

1 clove finely crushed garlic (I used 4 cloves in the video,  but you probably shouldn’t)

pinch of salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil, optional (most classic recipes do not include)

enough warm water to achieve the desired consistency (this sauce is usually very thin)