My hummus revelation
May 15th, 2007
When I was a kid growing up in Pittsburgh, hummus made only occasional appearances at the table — mostly at restaurants like Ali Baba’s, where it came as a side to my favorite lamb burger.
Then at college, hummus suddenly became the center of my eating life. At least once a day, I spread the off-white paste on something. Part of the appeal was its incredible portability — a little container of it was one of the few things that would actually fit in our tiny fridge next to the water and the, ahem, special beverages. It was something all of my friends, no matter their odd food preferences, could agree on. Alone or with chips, bagels or vegetables, it was good as a snack, lunch or dinner — on some days, all three.
After I got a real kitchen, I upgraded to meals with more than two ingredients and those plastic tubs went by the wayside for a while. A few weeks ago, I decided to make my own hummus and now I am once again addicted.
Hummus is just so easy — chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Spice it up with cumin or paprika, and you’re good to go. My friend Paul volunteered his delicious recipe, and I took my own liberties from there. The version I’ve settled on has a little bit of a sweet taste. It has become my spread of choice for morning toast.
Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, with the liquid
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic
2 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
Instructions:
1. Combine the chickpeas, liquid from can, garlic and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chickpeas are soft, 10-15 minutes. Remove them from the heat and drain, reserving the cooking liquid for later.
2. While the chickpeas are hot, add them to a food processor with the garlic, tahini, oils and lemon juice. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and blend until smooth. Add more of the cooking liquid if you need to thin it out. (It should be thin enough to pour but not soupy.)
3. Pour the hummus into a serving bowl and cover. Put it into the refrigerator to chill at least 30 minutes. To serve, lightly drizzle the hummus with olive oil and sprinkle over the parsley and red pepper flakes.
May 15th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Sounds so yummy! I had some fabulous hummus made by a vegan friend a few weeks ago, and this post reminded me to make some at home!
Thanks!
May 15th, 2007 at 10:47 am
I love hummus and the more recipes to try the merrier!
May 15th, 2007 at 11:04 am
you should try add a spoon of greek yoghurt its amazing
i also eat it almost everyday
May 15th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Umm, yum, love hummus, one of cooking’s delights. Sometimes I fancy it up by throwing half of a roasted red pepper into the blender too, takes it over the top. I’m headed to the kitchen to look for a can of chickpeas.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Thanks for the comment josh! Actually, greek yogurt is another one of my recent obsessions - I hadn’t tried it with hummus though. A good cup of greek yogurt with honey and some cereal (I prefer SmartStart, just cause it’s crunchy enough to hold up against the yogurt) really gets me going in the morning.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Karen - thanks for the tip with the pepper! I wonder if it would work with sun dried tomatoes too, once they’ve been soaked back to life?
May 16th, 2007 at 5:59 am
Hummus is a staple in our house. A friend of ours makes a warm version with pine nuts that is heavenly!
P.S. Thanks for including a link to my blog- that is a real honor!
May 16th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Hummus is one of those things that if I go w/o for a week or two, I find myself w/ a craving I can’t quite put my finger on. My absolutely favorite way to eat it is in a wrap w/ fresh crisp veggies, and whatever vinaigrette/lemon juice/acidic condiment I’m feeling that day. I’m not kidding when I say I can eat a hummus wrap for lunch every day of the week!
I think it’s great you cook the beans w/ aromatics to soften them up! I’ll have to try that. Variations on the theme that I love: re-hydrated sundried tomatoes w/ parsley, toasted curry spices, the addition of roasted garlic and cumin (YUM), and believe it or not, a combo of garbanzos and cooked split green peas w/ a bit of blanched spinach.
Green hummus? You betcha!
I’d tell you my little trick w/ kidney beans, but then I’d have to take drastic measures to ensure the secret is safe… J/K!!! LOL.
Now that you’ve inspired me to think all things hummus I think I’ll post the kidneybean recipe on my blog, so check me out if you’re feeling reckless!
May 16th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Mmm, despite the possibilities of mortal danger as a result of knowing your kidney bean trick, it might be worth it.
As another variation - Paul, who gave me his recipe in the first place, also makes a version with basically the same ingredients, except substituting similar weight of red lentils for the chickpeas. I personally might add a bay leaf or two to the boiling water for that one - I really like bay with lentils.
May 16th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
I’d suggest two things. We’ve found that Hummus made from dried chickpeas–soaked overnight, then cooked–is so much better there really is no comparison. There’s a sweetness and liveliness in the finished hummus that the canned peas completely lack. I winced a little at the notion of using the liquid from the can. Also cumin seeds crushed in a mortar and pestle–even better, cumin seeds first toasted then crushed in a mortar and pestle. Take these two extra steps and you will have a truly memorable hummus.
May 16th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I love this hummus discussion! and I now have a total compulsion to try just about every recipe that’s been suggested. to add to the fray … my most recent hummus revelation has a slightly mexican/southwestern flare. pulse 2 or 3 coarsely-chopped green onions in your food processor before adding chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, a pinch of red pepper (or more if you like things spicy), and the juice and zest of one lime. I ate this for a week straight, rolled up in tortillas with a simple avocado salsa, on carrot sticks, and yes, even just with a spoon.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:03 am
some other great additions:
substituting a little of the olive oil with truffle oil
falafel spice in addition to cumin
shallots as well as garlic
May 17th, 2007 at 8:32 am
[…] Claire’s post on Tuesday had me pondering on and craving variations of hummus all week. With so many hummus recipes out there, what were its basic components? […]
May 17th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Jenny: I love the idea of a southwestern hummus. Maybe you could even substitute sunflower seed paste for tahini and corn oil for olive oil?
May 17th, 2007 at 10:46 am
actually, chip, funny you should mention the corn oil substitution because I barely had enough olive oil when I made the hummus and I was wondering what else in my pantry could have worked in a pinch–though, at the time, I only had olive oil pressed with grapefruit and some vegetable oil. corn oil is a great idea, though. as for the sunflower seed paste, I never would have thought of it! guess it’s time for another round of hummus …
May 21st, 2007 at 12:29 pm
[…] We’re going to be featuring carrots in this week’s root source. Because they’re so popular, we debated whether or not to mention baby carrots, those adorable little veggie nuggets that go so well with a large tub of dip (like, say, hummus). […]
May 24th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Agree…mmmm roasted red peppers. Many times I’ll just chop up a fresh red pepper simmer it with the olive oil called for - plus some and kosher salt…then blend it in at the end. I love the thought of enhancing the flavor of the olive oil before adding…
Dippers of choice are everything/mutiseed flat bread and carrots of course!
September 10th, 2007 at 8:55 am
[…] Hummus from cookthink […]
September 16th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
I had heard of using peanut butter if you were out of tahini paste. Absolutely FANTASTIC. Try it - makes it even yummier
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I am absolutely addicted to sunflower seeds - any ideas on how I could make a sunflower seed hummus dip?