How to make Cyprus Tahini Dip (Tashi)
I used to live in Cyprus and when I moved to the UK I couldn’t find Tahini salad ‘dip’ in the shops so I made my own.
This recipe makes about 800g (28oz) of low sodium – zero salt – Tahini Dip. It is based on the suggestion on the Cypressa tahini paste label and some tips from some of my lovely friends from Cyprus. It . You can halve the ingredients to make half the amount but this method uses the jar the tahini paste comes in to measure out just the right amount of water to make the full amount. Once you’ve tried it you’ll find that 800g doesn’t last long if you eat it daily with fresh carrots and nachos like we do!
Ingredients
- One jar of tahini paste (300g)
- 140g lemon juice
- 60g extra virgin olive oil
- 300ml hot water
- Garlic granules, 1 tablespoon
- Smoked Paprika, 1 tablespoon
- Cayenne chilli powder, 1 teaspoon
- Dried parsley, 1 tablespoon
I don’t really measure out the garlic, paprika and chilli powder the above amounts are approximate.
Method
- Pour/spoon out most of the tahini paste into a mixing jug
- Fill the jar with hot or boiling water (it’s just the right amount of water to add to the paste to make the dip!)
- Mix up the water in the jar and empty into the mixing jug (be careful if the water was boiling, use gloves)
- Add the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic granules and cayenne pepper powder
- Whisk it all up until smooth and at the end stir in dried parsley
- Pour into a sealable container, allow to cool for a few minutes then refrigerate for at least half an hour before serving.
Store in the fridge for up to a week. It may well last longer but I wouldn’t know as we’ve always finished it in less than a week! After a day or so you may notice some paprika coloured oil coming to the surface – it’s perfectly ok but you can just mix it back in if you want. You can sometimes avoid this happening by mixing for a bit longer on a high speed.
If you make it regularly it becomes a breeze and can be made in as little as 5 minutes and then ready to eat an hour or so later after it’s chilled. It helps if you can get a small food mixer or whisk, especially the blade will fit inside the jar of tahini paste like this one (affiliate link*) I got from Amazon for about £15.
I start by putting the mixing jug onto my digital scales and just add the paste, water, olive oil and lemon juice one by one. I reset the weight on the scales to zero after each one – makes it super easy.
Everything in this recipe is available with a long shelf life from the supermarket so you can always have all the ingredients in your cupboard ready to go!
Mini Mixer or Blender?
You don’t have to use a mixer or blender, you could just use a fork or hand whisk. If you don’t use a one it will take a long time to properly blend the oil, tahini paste and water together. This is the cheap mini cordless whisk (affiliate link*) I bought from amazon which has the added advantage of being able to fit into the tahini paste jar.
Because the mini whisk (affiliate link*) blade fits into the tahini jar step 3 is super easy. It’s done in a flash on the lowest speed setting with no tahini paste wasted. It then goes on to perfectly blend the dip on the highest speed setting in less than a minute. Finally dropping down to the lowest speed to mix in the parsley at the end for another 10-15 seconds. If you use a hand blender or other very high speed mixer it’s best to stir the parsley in by hand with a fork or teaspoon.
I do have a mains powered hand blender which I use for frappes etc. and a Nutribullet (affiliate link*) for smoothies. They are a bit big and bulky and to be honest just way too fast for mixing something like a tahini dip as they pulverise rather than just mix. A little mini cordless mixer like this (affiliate link*) is all you need and it’s so convenient.
I hope you enjoy my zero salt Cypriot Tahini Dip. Try experimenting with different ingredients and quantities to really make it your own. If you like it runnier, just add more water!
