Tahini used as a cooking sauce for meat and always served as a side with fish. It is also a main ingredient in a seafood dish called Siyadiyeh. Tahini is in sweet desserts like halva and halva with pistachios. In East Asia, sesame paste () is a major condiment used in dry noodles (hot or cold). Sesame paste can also be eaten as a dessert, known as black sesame soup. Tahini is a source of calcium, manganese, the amino acid methionine, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Tahini made from raw sesame seeds is lower in fat than tahini made from
Yellow soybean paste or in tins. In recent years, a new form of yellow soybean paste, called "dry yellow soybean paste" (干黄酱, pinyin: "gān huángjiàng"; or 干酱, pinyin: "gān jiàng"), has been developed, and is widely available in plastic packages. Its texture is drier than that of regular yellow soybean paste (due to its lower water content), allowing for easier transportation and keeping. Dry yellow soybean paste is used in a similar manner as regular yellow soybean paste, but, when using the dry form, water is first added to dilute it, and then it is added to the dish; if it is added