Project Description

With its smooth and creamy texture this hummus is a guaranteed hit. The tahini, chickpeas and light touch of garlic create a completely delightful taste that beautifully accompanies pita, naan, meats and vegetables. Warning: Once you’ve had this it’s hard to go back to store bought hummus!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 rounded cup dried chickpeas, soaked in 4 cups of water for 12 H or more
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or the juice of 1 lemon)
• 1 medium to large sized clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 or more tbsp. of reserved liquid from cooking the chickpeas

Tips for Great Hummus

  1.  Use dried chickpeas not canned chickpeas.  The flavour, texture, and colour is fundamentally better.
  2. Remove the skins from the chickpeas. The skins, if left in the mix, are what makes a hummus dry and pasty.
  3. Go easy on the garlic. You need to exercise some restraint to allow the subtle flavours of the chickpeas and tahini to come through.

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Lead Time: 10-12 H

Freezer Friendly: No

Leftover Alert: N/A

  1. Place the chickpeas in a large measuring cup or bowl and cover with roughly 3-4 cups of water. Let this sit overnight or for roughly 10-12 hours. The chick peas will immediately start to expand and should more than double their size.
  2. Boil a kettle of water to use for cooking.
  3. Drain the chickpeas and place in a small saucepan. Add the baking soda and cook on medium heat until the baking soda has finished bubbling up.
  4. boil the chickpeas_450 widthAdd enough water from the kettle to cover the chickpeas and boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the chickpeas sit for 15 minutes in the hot water.
  5. Don’t cook the chickpeas any longer than this.
    They will turn to mush and it impossible to separate out the skins ( i.e you have to start from the beginning again.)
  6. At the end of the 15 minutes, strain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid in a bowl large enough to hold both the liquid and the chickpeas.
  7. Next remove the skins. IMG_9493Do this across two strainers. Rinse the chickpeas in one strainer and scoop some chickpeas into one hand. Run cool water over them, spreading your fingers slightly to allow the water and skins to pass through but keeping the clean chickpeas in your hand. Place the rinsed chickpeas in the other strainer. Repeat, and this time place the cleaned chickpeas into the reserved liquid.
  8. Repeat this process until you have cleaned all the chickpeas. Cover the bowl and set aside until  you are ready to make the hummus.
  9. Just before making the hummus, strain the chickpeas again, reserving the liquid. Next add all the ingredients to the food processor, except for the reserved liquid.
  10. Puree, scrape down the sides, and puree again. Check the texture of the hummus. hummus processed in the food processor_450 widthFor a creamier texture, add some of the reserved liquid, 1 tbsp. at a time and continue to puree. Note: Once refrigerated the hummus will become thicker.
  11. Do a taste test to determine if any additional salt is needed. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

To serve, place large spoonful’s on a plate and  lightly spread. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle a few olives on top and surround with your favourite accompaniment. We like to serve this with naan.

This recipe can easily be made during the week. What you have to consider and work into your schedule is the soaking of the beans. My workday, including commute, is anywhere from 10-12 hours, so before I leave the house in the morning I start the beans soaking. When I get home or after dinner the beans are ready and the rest is easy – 30 minutes and you have a fresh batch of hummus!
This can be used as an appetizer or to accompany a meal. As an appetizer serve it with wedges of warm naan or pita bread and fresh vegetables. As an accompaniment to a meal, use it as a condiment for meats or rice or any bread that you may be serving with the meal.  Enjoy!!