Serve as an appetizer with pita bread, or as a sauce to accompany various dishes such as fried fish, boiled vegetables, and falafel.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　2/3 cup lemon juice or the juice of 2 1/2 lemons, or more to taste

　　2/3 cup tahina paste

　　1–3 cloves garlic, or to taste, crushed

　　Salt

　　2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish

　　

Step 1

Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender, adding enough cold water to achieve a smooth, light cream. Taste and add more lemon juice, garlic, or salt until the flavor is fairly strong and sharp.

　　

Step 2

Serve in a shallow bowl sprinkled with chopped parsley and provide Arab or other bread to dip in it. Or use as a sauce to accompany falafel (page 61) or grilled meats and salads.

　　

Variations

Step 3

An Egyptian way is to flavor this with 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and to garnish with a sprinkling of olive oil and a dusting of cumin and chili pepper.

　　

Step 4

For a parsley-and-tahina cream, ba’dounes bi tahina, stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley.

　　

Step 5

For a wonderful version rich with pine nuts, tahina bi senobar, fry 1–1 1/2 cups pine nuts in a drop of oil over low heat, shaking the pan, until lightly golden, and stir them in. This is particularly good as a sauce for fried or grilled fish.

　　The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Copyright © 2000Knopf