Ingredients

　　1/2 cup water

　　Juice of 2 lemons

　　2 Tbsp olive oil

　　4 cloves garlic, minced

　　1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

　　4 hot red chilies, seeded and chopped

　　Sea salt

　　1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

　　In a small bowl mix the tahini, water and lemon juice until creamy (it should look like smooth cake batter) and set aside. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic for 1 minute, then add the cilantro and hot chilies and stir for another minute. Pour in the tahini mixture and whisk to combine. Season with salt to taste. It should be a creamy pourable consistency—add a small amount of water if needed. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavors mingle. Remove from heat and stir in the toasted pine nuts. Serve hot.

　　Excerpted from Modern Flavors of Arabia: Recipes and Memories from My Middle Eastern Kitchen by Suzanne Husseini. Copyright © 2012 Suzanne Husseini. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved. Photography by Petrina Tinsaly. Buy the full book from Amazon or Penguin Random House.