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Hummus will have you under a spell!


I love making (NOT cooking) dishes that are new and unknown to me, so hummus this time is my new exploration and experiment. In case you wonder where hummus comes from, according to the Internet and some people I talked with, hummus is Middle Eastern cuisine. An Israeli friend of mine claimed his country “the land of hummus” due to its presence in everyday meal and being regarded as a national food. Hummus is a creamy, savoury, healthy and easy-to-prepare dip or spread made from cooked mashed chickpeas that are well-blended with tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, salt, etc. Why was I attracted to hummus at first? I was looking for healthier ways to gorge myself on food, so my keyword was “healthy and easy-to-make” and hummus just popped up on my search. Hummus is low in fat and calories, but high in protein and contain no sugar, not to mention other health benefits (there are tons to read if you google its nutrition facts). Huge plus, snacking hummus doesn’t make me feel guilty with my health consciousness.


Truth be told: I actually have never tried the original or authentic hummus before, this is my first time of making hummus and also eating hummus. I love my homemade hummus anyway, it was my saviour during the tiring days spending in the library writing up my thesis. I literally went wild on ways to eat hummus: spread hummus on my bread, dip chips in hummus, nibble hummus alone, use hummus for salad dressing, blanket my steak with hummus, etc.

My cooking tools:

A blender (for mashing chickpeas and blending everything together, a food processor is the right tool tho, I was improvising with whatever near at hand)

A rice cooker (for cooking chickpeas, using a rice cooker is faster and less work than boiling in a pot)

A set of measuring spoons (as you can see in the photo below)

Bowls, jars (for containing and storing)

-1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1/4teaspoon (from left to right)-


Ingredients:

500gram chickpeas

8 tablespoons tahini* (sesame paste)

8 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 big clove minced garlic

¼ teaspoon minced lemongrass (it was on hand, so why not?)

Water more to smoothen


*Tahini can be made at home by blending sesame seeds with olive oil.

According to some other recipes from the Internet, 1 teaspoon of onion powder and 1 teaspoon of ground coriander can be added if you find it in your closest grocery. Don’t oblige yourself to a specific recipe.


Roll up your sleeves:

Soak 500gram chickpeas in fresh water for at least 15 hours, change the water when needed (like when you see it changing colour or white foam covering the surface).


Drain chickpeas and transfer to a rice cooker, add fresh water to cover the beans at least 3cm. Let it cook for 2 and 1/2 hours in the rice cooker, once in a while you need to check to remove the white foam and add more water. When this is done, leave the pot to room temperature (another hour of nail-biting wait I know), then skin the chickpeas by hand (or using baking soda) – it’s not compulsory tho, I did it for smoother hummus. Then refrigerate the beans for 8 hours or more.


Once chickpeas are ready, put everything on the ingredient list in a food processor (I used a blender, so I had to divide chickpeas and other spices in batches to blend). Process the mixture for a minute or more, then check its consistency, add water in small doses until the hummus reaches its dip-able, spreadable texture. It is done when it turns into a smooth mixture and you are satisfied with its thickness and flavor , otherwise add more water and spices to taste.


Refrigerate your hummus for a couple of hours to spice up its flavor.


Homemade hummus is all yours to gorge on now.

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