So many ways to make hummus! Beets, carrots, edamame, chickpea, chocolate, red pepper…just to name a few my eye has spotted at the market.
I have never given homemade a try. I have plenty of questions before wasting good ingredients.
Is tahini crucial? Should I roast the garlic or use raw? Do you use the cooking liquid? Are there tips for achieving a super smooth texture? Anything I should avoid?
Thanks, Rooster.
This is the best recipe I’ve ever come across. Anything made without chickpeas and tahini is not hummus, as far as I’m concerned. I add parsley and occasionally roasted red peppers.
My wife clipped this recipe. As much for the backstory on using the garlic peel and all and infusing the lemon, discarding the nasty bits, and proceeding from there as the recipe source.
Does soaking the chickpeas vs canned ready to roll offer a big bonus beyond nutrish? Do you have success adding baking soda?
Thanks, I didnt know about the inclusion of cumin. I have tons of that spice. Do you make this the day before? Do chickpeas require long soaking time?
I have read about adding baking soda several times and getting the peas to the mush stage for creamy results.
Do you use drained roasted red peppers from the jar? As a topping or included in the hummus. I have seen both.
Yes. Texture & flavor are much better.
Yep. I used to peel the chickpeas after boiling, because I wanted a super-smooth result (and because I am crazy). Baking soda makes the skins blend right in, saving me time and making me feel less crazy.
It’s the same recipe, plus a lot of text and some parsley and paprika.
I have found four hours to be sufficient. The shorter the soak, the longer the boil (and vice versa).
No, I roast them myself and blend them in.
Hummus is traditionally cooked, previously soaked, chickpeas. But I recently saw a recipe calling for roast zucchini, that I’ll have to try. Tahini (or tahina) is crucial, but there are some versions that omit it. Use raw garlic, but do remove the sprout. You will want some of the cooking liquid to thin it out. Use a lot of lemon juice.
Achieving a super smooth texture is the most difficult part. One way to help is to add some baking soda either to the soaking water, to the cooking water, or both. But be careful, because too much of it affects the taste. I have had fairly good results in the food processor, but I had to process for a LONG time. The Vitamix does a great job of processing things, but you almost need too much liquid for proper hummus. If you use a Vitamix or similar, do small quantities at a time to keep the mass from clogging up on the blades.
Good luck!
Yes.
I use a recipe from Pat Chapman’s recipe for houmous from his “Favourite Middle Eastern Recipes” book
1 400g tin of chickpeas (drained, liquid reserved)
3 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
Everything gets whizzed in the processor, adding some of the reserved liquid to get the right texture. It may need a bit more lemon (but then I like my Middle Eastern dishes to be quite lemony)
Appreciate the guidance. I would add fresh chopped parsley after its made correct…if I use it at all.
We do have a great blender so I will use it vs. the food proc. I was concerned raw garlic might linger and over power the dip. No issue?
So straight forward. I’m on board with lots of fresh lemon juice. Thanks.
Raw garlic is standard. But do remove the sprouts. If you don’t, the garlic will overpower the hummus and make it unattractive. I am speaking from experience.
Ok, thxs for clarifying.
Anyone care to recommend a solid tahini by brand? Anything specific I should look for on the ingred list? Does tahini need to be frig’d once opened?
Yes.
I had tried several hummus recipes-all using canned beans- and finally made the Zahav hummus probably two years ago for the first time.
It was one of the rare game changer recipes for me! It is a bit fussy and absolutely worth the time and energy. This hummus is easily the entree of a meal, it’s fairly rich so i like to scoop it up with raw veggies. At the dizengoff location here in nyc they have sides of a beet salad and moroccan carrots as well as israeli salad, all make great sides to a hummus centered meal.
Soom tahini is great if you can find it, or of course can be ordered online. I did buy it and it’s absolutely wonderful- however, was also expensive enough I haven’t repurchased. I buy the tahini from trader joe’s now and it’s my favorite of the various others i have tried from grocery store brands.
https://www.soomfoods.com
Ingredients should be basically all sesame seed, some have a tiny bit of salt. Definitely nothing with another oil in it
Yes, and if you want to do it “right,” stir in the parsley right before serving, so its flavor really stands out.
Letting the garlic sit in salt and lemon juice calms it down a lot. That, and the baking soda thing, are the most important aspects of the Solomonov recipe.
I’ve been quite satisfied with Achva (ingredients: crushed sesame seeds). It’s inexpensive and easy to find.
No. Mine always lives in the cupboard with absolutely no ill effects.
FWIW, I’m not loyal to a particular brand and get whichever is best priced at the nearby Middle Eastern shop. The current jar is the Al Taj brand which I believe is Lebanese in origin but produced in Saudi Arabia. You’d want to check the ingredient list is 100% sesame seeds.
Armed with your advice I am going shopping for ingredients today. Thanks for walking me thru the important steps!
