However you say it or spell it, chances are this dip is a basic that you’d like to master. Of all those foods that are just so much better when homemade, techina is one of the easiest to make.
The flavor and proportions of ingredients are very subjective and personal. But the basic components are the same: tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, garlic, and water. Parsley is optional.
And while fresh ingredients are always best, frozen garlic, bottled lemon juice and dried parsley can stand in just fine when needed.
Homemade Techina
Ingredients
My starting amounts are:
- 1 cup tahini paste
- ⅓ cup water, (+ more)
- ⅓ cup lemon juice (+ more, optional)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves
- fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend together all ingredients and then taste.
- If the lemon flavor is on point, add an additional ⅓ cup water. If it can use a bit more tang, add a bit more lemon juice and then fill the rest of the ⅓ cup with water. The total liquid of water and lemon juice will be 1 cup. *Only when I’m fully satisfied with the flavor do I do a final test of the texture and add any water that’s still needed. (If I use the techina for falafel or shwarma pitas, I add some water to make it runny.)
- I add parsley at the end with just a couple of pulses in the food processor so the pieces are still recognizable. And even though I love parsley, I don’t feel like it adds much to techina – which might just be blasphemous!
The reason these are just starting amounts is because the intensity of the natural components can vary. Some lemons are just more lemony than others! The garlic, too, can vary. And because we like our techina creamy, I don’t want to keep adding liquid and have it end up too runny.
If you like a whiter techina, use ice cold water. I don’t know why, but it works!
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