" Tahini or sesame paste is a major component of sesame Pasta hummus bi tahini and other Middle Eastern foods. Hummus is a chick pea based spread, using chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Hummus goes very well with flat breads such as pitta bread.
" Tahini paste is used in a variety of dishes. Tahini-based sauces are common in Arab and Israeli restaurants as a side dish or as a garnish, usually including lemon juice, salt and garlic, and thinned with water
" Another middle east dish that uses sesame paste is Baba ghanoush. This dish uses roasted Aubergine (egg plant), garlic, ground cumin, lemon juice and salt
" Sesame paste is a popular condiment for meat and vegetables in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is also a main ingredient in soups. As a spread, tahini can replace peanut butter on bread, though the flavor and texture are quite different.
" In Iraq and some gulf countries, tahini is mixed with date syrup (rub) to make a sweet dessert usually eaten with bread.
" Sesame paste is becoming more common in European cuisine and can be found as an ingredient in some pre-packaged sandwiches.
How to store sesame paste, til ki paste
Sesame paste should keep in a sealed jar in the refrigerator till expiry date
Health benefits of sesame paste, til ki paste
" Hulled sesame seeds does not grind the whole sesame seed and because of this it does not contain as much calcium, protein and vitamins as unhulled. Unhulled tahini is made from the whole sesame seed and it the most nutritionally packed type of sesame paste.
" Sesame paste is a good source of essential fatty acids (EFA), these EFA's are used in helping to maintain healthy skin
" Because one of the ingredients in sesame paste is sesame oil it has quite a high calorie content. Because of this tahini should be used in moderation. The good news is the majority of fats in tahini are unsaturated rather than saturated
" Tahini is a source of vitamin E which helps to reduce the rate of ageing in body cells.
" Sesame seeds are also a good source of the amino acid Methionine