Tahini is a paste made out of crushed sesame seeds and is chock full of vitamin E. It is used as an ingredient to make both Hummus and Baba Ganoush, adding a nuance of nuttiness to these two dips.
It is a very compact, oily paste and you’ll have a hard time removing a spoonful from its jar. Its consistency is so gungy and thick that it’s a good idea to smooth it up before adding it to either the hummus or baba ganoush.
See how ‘oily’ the tahini is (it’s made from seeds remember)! There in a glass bowl is about one tablespoon of tahini paste.
Add a little bit of water, then a little bit of lemon juice (more water, proportionally, than lemon … otherwise it will get too tart) and stir with a spoon. Keep adding until you reach the right consistency (see photo below).
The final tahini will be as runny as a yogurt, say.
By the way, tahini can be eaten in its own right as a dip …. add some garlic to it, and a little salt and pepper.