This is my current favorite. Note that you HAVE to use good tahini. Not that you would use crap tahini, but there’s a lot of it in this recipe, so it’s important. Also note that I prefer less salt and more cumin and lemon juice, but I’m not you, so you do what you think is best.
1 cup dried chickpeas
2 teaspoons baking soda, divided
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/3 cup (or more) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
2/3 cup tahini
1/4 teaspoon (or more) ground cumin
Olive oil (for serving)
Place chickpeas and 1 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl
and add cold water to cover by 2". Cover and let sit at room temperature
until chickpeas have doubled in size, 8–12 hours. Drain and rinse.
Combine soaked chickpeas and remaining 1 teaspoon baking
soda in a large saucepan and add cold water to cover by at least 2". Bring
to a boil, skimming surface as needed. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially
cover, and simmer until chickpeas are tender and really falling apart, 45–60
minutes. Drain; set aside.
Meanwhile, process garlic, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt
in a food processor until coarsely pureed; let sit 10 minutes to allow garlic
to mellow. Strain garlic mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl,
pressing on solids to release as much liquid as possible. Return liquid to food
processor; discard solids. Add tahini and pulse to combine. With motor running,
add 1/4 cup ice water by the tablespoonful and process (it may seize up at
first) until mixture is very smooth, pale, and thick.
Add chickpeas and cumin and process, occasionally scraping
down sides, until mixture is extremely smooth, about 4 minutes. Thin with more
water if you prefer a looser consistency; taste and season with salt, more
lemon juice, and more cumin as desired.
Spoon hummus into a shallow bowl, making a well in the
center, and drizzle liberally with oil. Top as desired.
