I always thought that Hummus was an extremely difficult thing to make. But a simple chat with my Bua (aunt) changed my mind, and in a way, my life! It’s one of my favourite dips – I can have it on crackers, on toast, in chicken wraps and obviously with pita bread!
Here’s what I used (for about 1.5 cups):
½ cup chickpeas/ white (safed) chanas
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp Tahini (sesame paste used for Middle Eastern cooking – store bought is pretty expensive in India so I just make my own. You could skip it, in a pinch, but it does add a wonderful nutty flavour. It’s almost “to-die-for”)
For the garnish:
Olive oil, to drizzle
Greens of a spring onion, chopped, to garnish (traditionally, it should be parsley but I didn’t have any)
Paprika or deggi mirch (traditionally should be sumac)
An olive or two
Here’s how I made it:
I rinsed the chickpeas & placed them in a bowl. Covered them with water, put a lid over the bowl and let them soak overnight.
By morning, they were doubled in size. I then placed them in a pressure cooker (with the same water) and ½ tsp salt. I cooked them for 3 whistles. Allowed the cooker to cool before opening the lid.
Once the chickpeas were cool, I drained the water out (reserving a little of the liquid) and placed them in the mixie/ food processor along with the garlic and the remaining salt. Pulsed till ground and mixed coarsely.
I then added the lemon juice, tahini and ¼ cup of reserved water. You can add more of the reserved liquid, if required, to aid the process.
I pulsed some more until well mixed and ALMOST smooth. I like hummus with a little texture, so I usually stop processing JUST before it becomes a smooth paste!
To serve, I placed it in a dish, drizzled on some olive oil, sprinkled a little paprika and the chopped greens.
I served it with pita bread wedges and savoury (salted) crackers…