I am a massive fan of hummus. I recommend it as a great snack for my clients especially served with sourdough bread/crisp bread; or raw vegetable crudités. Unfortunately though most hummus you buy from the supermarket is full of additives, emulsifiers and refined vegetables oils (canola, sunflower or soybean oil) – all things you want to avoid. This is why it’s best to make your own. However, I don’t know about you, but for whatever reason batches I’ve made at home have never quite had the same consistency or flavour of my favourite store-bought ones. But as I am now trying to cut down on plastic packaged foods and always advocating cooking from scratch with my clients – I was determined to find a hummus recipe that was good enough to share. And I have! I stumbled across Cookie and Kate whom it seems was on the same quest as me – to find the tips and tricks that go into making a creamy, yummy hummus. Luckily for me, she has done all the hard work! Her recipe below is absolutely delicious.
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained*
½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 ½ to 2 lemons), more to taste
1 medium-to-large clove garlic, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
½ cup tahini (good quality, organic if possible)
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, more as needed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Any of the following garnishes: drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of ground sumac or paprika, chopped fresh parsley
*Apparently canned chickpeas do vary in taste and quality – I’ve been told Sainbury’s canned chickpeas are the worst so avoid!! Opt for organic chickpeas where possible. I have used Waitrose’s own brand in this recipe.
Method:
1. Place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan and add the Bicarbonate of Soda. Cover the chickpeas by several inches of water, then bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling, reducing heat if necessary to prevent overflow, for about 20 minutes, or until the chickpeas look bloated, their skins are falling off, and they’re quite soft. In a fine-mesh strainer, drain the chickpeas and run cool water over them for about 30 seconds. Set aside (no need to peel the chickpeas for this recipe!).
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process until the garlic is very finely chopped, then let the mixture rest so the garlic flavour can mellow, ideally 10 minutes or longer.
3. Add the tahini to the food processor and blend until the mixture is thick and creamy, stopping to scrape down any tahini stuck to the sides and bottom of the processor as necessary. While running the food processor, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water. Scrape down the food processor, and blend until the mixture is ultra smooth, pale and creamy. (If your tahini was extra-thick to begin with, you might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water.)
4. Add the cumin and the drained, over-cooked chickpeas to the food processor. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until the mixture is super smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary, about 2 minutes. Add more ice water by the tablespoon if necessary to achieve a super creamy texture.
5. Taste, and adjust as necessary. You may want to add another ¼ teaspoon salt or lemon juice for extra zing.
6. Scrape the hummus into a serving bowl or platter, and use a spoon to create nice swooshes on top. Top with garnishes of your choice, and serve. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week.
To make a healthy green hummus – add 1/2 cup (15g) of fresh parsley.
Enjoy and don’t forget to let me know how you get on!
Nikki x
