Making hummus is easy, but there are a few things to consider. But first the recipe:
Ingredients:
Tahini (sesame paste)
Garlic
Lemon juice
Salt, pepper, cumin
Cooked chickpeas
Add into a food processor 1/2 to 3/4 cup tahini, 2-4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup water (see note below), juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper. Start the food processor and watch while it’s mixing. The mixture should turn a whitish very-thick liquid. Add more water if needed. When the tahini is ready (you can taste and add more garlic, lemon juice or salt if needed) add 2-3 cups of cooked chickpeas and run the food processor until the chickpeas are pureed and mixed well with the tahini. Voila – the hummus is ready.
Things to consider:
Chickpeas – Yes you can use canned chickpeas, but it tastes so much better with home cooked chickpeas: Soak the chickpeas with lots of water over night (some cooks like to add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water). Replace the water at least once. Cook in fresh water, with salt, (the water has to be a few inches over the beans) until the chickpeas are soft – it will take a few hours in a regular pot, much faster in a pressure cooker. I often cook 1-2 pounds of chickpeas and freeze what i don’t use right away.
Water – you can use tap water but the hummus tastes much better with the water you cooked the bean in.
These are Canadian – one marketed to the Arab market, the other to the Jewish market. I think they are identical…
Tahini – Buy imported tahini. Any tahini from Lebanon or Israel is good. There are also some Canadian brands that are good.
Lemon juice – fresh is always better. Bottled is OK, or you can use a teaspoon of citric acid.
