I had dip made with Target store brand plain nonfat Greek yogurt, minced garlic, powdered ginger, lemongrass paste, salt, and nothing else; the dip was soft and creamy. I added some Sprouts store brand tahini, which is VERY runny, about the consistency of soy milk, with about a 2 to 1 ratio of dip to tahini. You'd assume that adding liquid to a creamy dip would make it thinner… but instead, it became dense, sort of stiff, and very sticky! Can anyone explain what happened here?
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See cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/117016/… and cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/116821/…– JuhaszCommented Apr 5, 2022 at 16:09
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Reminder to select the answer if it answered your question, thanks!– FuzzyChefCommented Apr 7, 2022 at 1:12
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1 Answer
Adding a small amount of water to tahini causes it to thicken into a paste because of carbohydrate binding. Clearly, the yogurt had just that amount of water. The solution to getting it to thin out again is to continue adding water or other liquid until it "unbinds", just as you do for tahini sauce.
answered Apr 4, 2022 at 22:58
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2That's SO COOL!! Do you know how much liquid to add to get maximum thickness, or how to figure it out without just adding more until it gets thin again, and then starting over? I'm thinking truffle filling here! Cinnamon and other sweet spices, cocoa powder...? Commented Apr 4, 2022 at 23:41
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2I don't actually know, and I've a feeling that it's dependant on the exact tahini. When I make tahini sauce, I just add cold water until it binds, and then add more until it gets smooth again. I've never measured. For your sauce, add more yogurt or even just water. Commented Apr 5, 2022 at 5:00
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3@VeryAmateur Speaking from experience, it is, indeed, dependent on the exact tahini. When I make dips or sauces that include tahini, I typically add small increments of liquid (what liquid depends on the exact recipe and the desired consistency and flavor), usually about 20-50ml at a time, until I get the exact consistency I’m looking for, and then add just a little bit more to account for evaporation (so it doesn’t bind again if it sits out for a while). Doing it like this helps give consistent control over the end result without having to worry much about the exact tahini you’re using. Commented Apr 5, 2022 at 17:06
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@AustinHemmelgarn looking at what you said from another angle, I can keep adding liquid until it starts softening again, leave it out for a while, and then it will bind back up to maximum thickness? Will thicker or thinner tahini lead to a denser final product? Commented Apr 5, 2022 at 20:48
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@VeryAmateur Theoretically yes, but it may take a long time for it to dehydrate enough to thicken back up again. I don’t make stuff with tahini very frequently (I unfortunately can’t get good tahini around here, and it’s a serious pain in the arse to make by hand), so I’ve not been able to experiment too much beyond figuring out that what I mentioned above seems to work well. Commented Apr 6, 2022 at 1:42