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Sesame seeds for tahini & hummus

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TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
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    Posted: 11 September 2012 at 14:08
Amazingly, it looks like the beautiful Mrs. Tas, who normally isn't that adventurous when it comes to food, has taken a liking to hummus. We've been buying it at the store, trying several different varieties from the Marketside line from Walmart, including traditional, spinach-artichoke, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper and 3-olive varieities. So far, I've liked them all (with the garlic, red pepper and olive varieties tied for favourite), but of course, in the back of my mind, I know I can make my own for less, and it will most likely taste better, to boot.
 
Due to quite a few discussions we've had here, I've got the basic idea down - after all, it isn't that difficult - and also have a recipe I want to try. My stumbling block has been in getting the tahini necessary to make hummus. I could make my own, but you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to get just sesame seeds around here - even if you can find them, they are extremely expensive, it seems. There are "good earth," "specialty" and "organic" markets in Great Falls, Helena, Missoula. Billings and other "cities" where I could buy sesame seeds in bulk, but I don't see myself in any of those cultural centers in the near future. Which leaves a resource that I've been using a lot lately: Amazon.com.
 
Looking on that site, I can buy my own tahini, or I can buy the sesame seeds. Being the "do it from scratch" person I try to be, I decided to go ahead and get the seeds, in order to make the tahini, to make the hummus. Naturally, these can be very expensive, if I allow them to be, but it looks like the Bob's Red Mill line, which has always been reliable for me in the past, can provide some at a reasonable price. There are two varieties that I am focusing on:
 
White sesame seeds (1 pound):
 
 
And brown sesame seeds (1 pound):
 
 
The brown ones are nearly twice the price of the white ones; however, I don't know what this really means. In America, we're conditioned these days to gravitate toward the "brown" foods in the name of wholesomeness and health, but that isn't always the case - the white ones could be just as good, simply a different colour; but then there's the premium price for the brown ones.....
 
My questions are:
  • Is there any appreciable difference between the two?
  • Are the brown ones more wholesome or do they taste better?
  • Would I be just as well off going with the white ones, or should I spend the extra money and get the brown ones with a better end product in mind?
  • Should I just get the damned pre-made tahini?
  • For that matter, is Walmart producing such good hummus with their Marketplace line that I should just stick with that?

Obviously, a couple of those questions are tongue-in-cheek, but I am looking forward to some good discussion on this. If I don't hear any pros/cons by the end of the day, I'll probably just order the brown, since this is another one of those projects that I'll probably only get to do once, and I might as well go with the perceived (or real?) advantages of the brown ones. Any surplus seeds after this project should also come in handy for a variety of future projects, so it's money well spent, either way.

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pitrow View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 September 2012 at 14:27
Can't really comment too much on any of the sesame seed stuff as I have no idea, but I do want to comment on Bob's Red Mill. Their Mill and Store is about 15 minutes away from me as I sit here and type this, which reminds me I need to make a pilgrimage over there again. Great stuff. Anyway, I just wanted to say you might check their online store before ordering from Amazon. Looks like the sesame seeds are slightly cheaper when ordered direct from Bob's, and shipping should be similar, assuming your Amazon shipments come out of Seattle, like mine do.  $4.69 for both the white and the brown.

According to the website the only difference in the white and brown is the white has the hull partially buffed off to make it uniformly white.

Quote White Hulled Sesame Seeds are used the same as our Natural Brown Sesame Seeds. The outside coating has been removed to give them a uniform, creamy look. They're a little "dressier" looking than the brown. They're often used in Chinese cooking, desserts, casserole toppings, etc. When toasted, their flavor intensifies, and they are extremely flavorful sprinkled on salads or to garnish soup.
Mike
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 September 2012 at 14:37
Hey, Mike - Thanks for the excellent information ~ if they are the same price ordering direct from Bob's Red Mill, then that might be the best solution all-around.
 
Based on the description provided by Bob's, there isn't much difference, other than cosmetic; I always find it interesting that some products, even though they are closer to theri "natural" state, cost more than products that have been subjected to processing, as is the case with Amazon's price difference.....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 September 2012 at 14:46
UPDATE - After digging around a bit at Amazon, I found exactly the same 1-pound bag of brown sesame seeds from a different supplier for basically the same price. In total, price plus shipping, they were about 60¢ less expensive direct from Bob's, but I can live with that - since we're already wired into Amazon with an account etc., I went ahead and ordered from there.
 
So, with the natural, brown sesame seeds on their way, it looks like my questions above are moot - but they might be fodder for some good discussion. Look for a future project, before too long, focusing on tahini and hummus!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 September 2012 at 14:56
It's funny, I was looking closer at the label for the both the seeds from Bob's and they both say "use this entire bag to make tahini (recipe on back)". So I guess you could use either one.

There's a recipe for both tahini and hummus on the back of both. I guess someone could get both and do a side by side comparison to see how it differs. Hmmm. maybe I'll have to make a run over there and pick up a little bit of each and see.

I hear what you're saying on the natural stuff being more expensive. It happens to a lot of things. For example, why is diesel more expensive than gas? Diesel requires less refinement, so it should cost less right? Nope. Must be a supply and demand thing.  As to food, I can see where "organic" stuff should cost more, as it often takes more effort to grow things without the extra chemicals and such. I think a lot of "health" food are trying to leverage that thinking into "hey, we're healthy so it cost us more to make it".
Mike
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 September 2012 at 15:00
good points there - and i am sure that they are valid considering the supply/demand and the "organic"  issues.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Daikon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 September 2012 at 00:15
Good luck, but you won't need much.  The only thing tricky about making tahini paste is toasting the sesame seeds without burning them -- they can go from toasty to burnt very quickly.  If you've got a strong wrist, you can toast them in a big, dry fry pan.  By keeping them tossing in the pan, they're right in front of your face, so it is hard to burn them without noticing.  Else watch them carefully while toasting them on a sheet pan in the oven.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 September 2012 at 11:23

Thanks for the advice, Daikon, I'll probably give it a go soon. My seeds arrived over the weekend, and I'll put half of them to work for this. Not having a mortar and pestle, I'm thinking that a food processor will probably be the way to go.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Daikon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 September 2012 at 13:26
Yup, works fine.  Some basic process as making peanut butter or other nut butters, but you typically thin down tahini paste with a greater amount of added oil.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 September 2012 at 18:18
okay, i'll be giving this a go tonight or tomorrow. as i understand it, tahini is sesame seeds (i'll toast them) and olive oil, only. no need to add salt or anything else. i'll be going for a consistency that is thick and creamy yet still just pourable.
 
if someone sees this and i am off-base, let me know. my plan is a three-stage project starting with tahini, then moving to taratoor, then finally hummus; baba ghannooj is another planned project as well.
 
thanks -
 
ron
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rod Franklin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 September 2012 at 19:15
I think I would use a more neutral oil and be very careful to just barely color the sesame seeds when you toast them. I got this opinion from looking into and tasting from the jar of tahini I have here at home and not from any experience of making the stuff.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 September 2012 at 03:07
 
Tas,
 
 
Thought this might be of some additional assistance: 
 
www.moroccanfood.com ( For How To Toast The Sesame Seeds and Moroccan Recipes )
 
I have also noted, there is a shop in Ottawa, Canada specialising in Mid Eastern Foods, and baking products and they distribute, wholesale and retail + ship.
Their website is: www.mideastfoods.com
 
Furthermore:
 
www.bonappetit.com ( toasting sesame seeds )
 
The recipe on Bon Appetit Magazine Online toasts the sesame seeds in Olive Oil as well, which is how they prepare in Mediterranean.
 
As you are aware, there are numerous types of Spanish Olives, and some Olive Oils are a Mono Varietal and others are a Multi Blend; and thus, uncountable types of Olive Oil; some very thick gold ( Cordóba Designation of Origin ) and some very green & light in texture ( Girona & Tarragona D.O.s).
 
One of the lightest of green olive oils are produced from the Hojiblanca Olive, and those from Catalonia.
 
The brand I employ for my salads is BORGES from Girona, Catalonia. Borges exports to the USA.
 
Interesting, however, I believe most women do like Hummus and I am also quite a Fan of Hummus as well as Babaghanuj and Taramosalata ( grey mullet roe & potato ) and Tzatziki and there is a gorgeous Red Bell Pepper Turkish Dip I am very fond of too ...
 
Hope this all assists.
 
Have lovely Sunday,
Ciao. Marge. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 September 2012 at 20:46
okay, the tahini has been made - i toasted 2 cups of sesame seeds (learning curve, here), then ran them through the food processor, adding a little olive oil as i went until it looked smooth, thick and pourable all at the same time.
 
after probably 15 or 20 minutes of total time in the food processor, the consistency is not quite like peanut butter, but pretty close. there might be just a tad too much olive oil, leaving a bit of a film on the top...but it seems like a pretty minor flaw, if any at all.
 
the two cups of seeds ended up making just over a cup of tahini. i filled a half-pint-sized ball-brand "jelly jar" - then, with the quarter- or third-cup that was left, added some garlic, salt, lemon juice, ginger, coriander and cumin and mixed it all together, making some sort of thick concoction that tasted really good when spread on sliced cherokee purple tomatoes.
 
took pictures, pictorial to follow as part of a three-stage pictorial progressing from tahini to taratoor to hummus.....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 September 2012 at 03:12
Tas,
 
Looking forward to your 3 Stage Pictorial.
Have a lovely day.
Marge.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rod Franklin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 September 2012 at 06:10
I'm glad you didn't follow my observations, as afterwards I found it is quite proper to make tahini with olive oil. Sounds like it turned out well. Good for you.

I look forward to the tutorial. 
Hungry
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