Delicious Homemade Hummus
Delicious home-made hummus in no time
If you have a food processor or a blender at hand you can make delicious home-made hummus in no time, and season it just right for your personal taste.
I use dried chickpeas in this recipe – those need an overnight soak and some time in a boiling pot – but if you want to save time you can replace those with canned chickpeas that come already cooked.
Ingredients:
1½ cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (or 2 cans of cooked chickpeas, drained)
1 teaspoon baking soda (for cooking dried chickpeas)
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
½ cup tahini paste
½ teaspoon salt
Lemon juice from 1 lemon or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
A pinch of pepper flakes
Freshly ground pepper and more salt to taste
A few tablespoons of water
Olive oil, sumac or za'atar for garnish (optional)
Preparation:
The night before, soak chickpeas in a large bowl of cold water.
The next day, drain the chickpeas, place in a large saucepan over high heat with the baking soda, add enough water to cover chickpeas by 4 inches, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook until the chickpeas are tender (20-40 minutes).
Drain the chickpeas while keeping some of the cooking water. Place drained chickpeas in the food processor with the garlic, tahini, salt, lemon, olive oil (if using) and spices, and start with 4 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water or tap water, and process until you have a smooth paste. Continue adding water gradually until the hummus reaches the creamy, soft consistency you prefer.
Correct seasoning adding more pepper, salt or lemon juice.
Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sumac or za'atar (if desired) and serve with pita bread. If not serving immediately keep refrigerated.
Hummus tastes best at room temperature, so if you put it in the fridge let it sit outside for at least 30 minutes.
Enjoy, Dr. Ayala