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Spicy Tahini Date Salad

By Nasim Alikhani and Theresa Gambacorta

4.0

(2)

Date salad with little gem red lettuce and tahini dressing.
Photo by Quentin Bacon

Because I love making salad dressings with yogurt, it was a no-brainer for me to turn to yogurt to build this dressing’s base. And then a lightbulb went off in my head! It was date season. I remembered visiting a friend in the south of Iran who had set out a platter of glorious, caramel-sweet dates, along with a bowl of tahini and another little bowl of spicy chili powder for us to dip the dates first in the tahini, then in a touch of spice. The combination of the sweetness, nuttiness, and heat was exquisite. I knew right away that I wanted these three flavors for my dressing. But what is a salad without a crunch? So, we toasted sesame seeds, of course.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Sofreh' by Nasim Alikhani with Theresa Gambacorta, one of the best cookbooks of 2023. Buy the full book on Amazon.

What you’ll need

Cooks' Note

You will have leftover chile paste and tahini dressing for later use. Store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

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