A meal to end all productivity (for the day).
I love Hummus, there were times I would eat hummus at least once a week as a Friday lunch/brunch. Making hummus at home takes a while but is not that complicated. However, don’t plan too much to do afterward because you may feel too heavy to do anything.
The first step is to prepare the dried chickpea beans – they need to sit for the night in water, preferable replacing the water at least once during the duration. Next cooking the beans takes around three hours, and only then can you make the hummus spread.
The upside is you can prepare a big batch of chickpeas in advance and freeze them in dish sizes. That way when you spontaneously must eat hummus (for me, that is quite a common condition), you can have it ready in fifteen minutes.
You should serve hummus warm with pita bread (obviously) with olives, pickles (here is a homemade recipe), and a hot sauce on the side. Many (me included) like to eat their hummus with fresh white onion and hard-boiled egg. You can also add fried mushrooms, roasted pine nuts, cooked broad bean, tahini, or fried minced lamb meat on the hummus.
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 180 gr cooked chickpeas (7-8 tbsp) [6.3 oz]
- 2½ tbsp tahini – non whole
- 1½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- a bit of ground sweet paprika
- salt
Instructions
Preparing the Chickpeas
- Place the amount of dried chickpeas you wish to cook in a large bowl with cold or tap water, covered completely – the water surface should be at least twice the height of the chickpeas as they will expand.
- Let them sit for 12 hours, replacing the water at least once.
- Drain the chickpeas and place them in a pot with cold water.
- Bring the water to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer.
- Let the chickpeas cook for 3 hours. If white foam surfaces on the water, take it out with a spoon occasionally.
- You can now use the chickpeas for hummus, freeze them for later use or eat them as is (they are delicious with black pepper).
The Hummus Paste
- If using frozen chickpeas – place them in a bowl with boiling water to thaw. Replace the water with fresh boiling water if they cool. The beans should be hot enough so the paste made is warm.
- Ground the chickpeas in a food processor or blender to the finest powder possible.
- Add the other ingredients and mix.
- If the paste is too thick add more water, a tbsp at a time.
- You can serve the hummus in a bowl with chickpeas, onion, olive oil, and spices (cumin and paprika).
