If you have ever tried to make hummus on your own, you have discovered that getting a smooth product is just not easy. Why make lumpy hummus at home, when you can simply purchase a container of it... for $5.00 a pop? Yeah. The price of hummus is just silly. All you need are a few simple hints.First, the basic ingredients of hummus: canned chick peas (also known as garbanzo beans), lemon juice, garlic, salt and tahini. Wait. What in the world is tahini?? And, where do I get it? Tahini is basically the sesame seed's equivalent of natural peanut butter. You can buy it at almost any supermarket, in their ethnic food section, or at a natural foods store. It does require some stirring, just like natural peanut butter, but it is worth it. Do NOT, and I repeat, do NOT think that hummus recipes using olive oil will give you the same taste. They won't. Blehhhh. Olive oil is for optionally drizzling on the top!
SO, what are these little tips?
First, start off with an equal amount of tahini to lemon juice: 1/4 cup each. Put them both into the food processor. The trick is to emulsify these two together first, creating a wonderful cream. Once it looks nice and creamy, it is time to add the minced garlic.
How much garlic? Oh, who knows. If you like a lot (and I like a lot!), add 4-5 teaspoons. If you aren't a huge fan of strong garlicky things, just add a little. Blend that all together. Now, you need to decide what type of hummus you are making. A basic recipe, for me, includes cumin and dried dill. Again, not measuring but probably close to a teaspoon each. At this point, you could also add olives or roasted red peppers or artichokes. Your choice. Blend, blend, blend.
Now, open up your can of chickpeas and drain them. Rinse them too, because that gets rid of the can taste. Add your chickpeas a handful at a time. Don't get impatient, or you'll end up with lumpy hummus. Blend until each handful is smooth. Do this until you have added the entire can. If your hummus starts to seem dry, add a teaspoon of water at a time.
Eventually, you will end up with a beautiful hummus. Gobble it down with pita chips, or some fresh veggies.
I love to make hummus! We add all kinds of things when the mood strikes. My husband likes it when I add cayenne powder. I like to toss in minced roasted red peppers at the end. I keep wanting to try my hand at using dried chick peas but can't seem to get the consistency right. Maybe I need to soak them longer or partially cook them?
ReplyDeleteIf you use dried chickpeas, you have to fully cook them first. :-)
ReplyDeleteI never paid much attention to the canned ones...are they cooked or just hydrated (or canned while still fresh)? Everytime I try to cook the chickpeas they end up with a funny, slightly-burned taste.
ReplyDeleteYep, canned chickpeas are already cooked. If you want to start with dried chickpeas, you need to treat them like any other legume: soak and then cook according to the directions on the bag. I'm sure that, nutritionally, it is much better for you. But, I'm all about convenience. Opening a can and voila! :-D
ReplyDeleteOh, cool! I've wanted to make a decent batch of hummus and this will help!
ReplyDeleteYum ... this looks delicious! And now I am craving some hummus ... might need to make some real soon.
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