How to Make Hummus, Everyone’s Favourite Snack

How to make Hummus. It’s easy to make this classic middle eastern snack, better and fresher than the bought version. Its smooth healthy, and full of flavour. And once you have mastered the process there is a wealth of other flavours you can add to the basic mix.

Dried v Tinned Chickpeas.

I have chosen to use tinned chickpeas (also known as Garbanzo beans) for this as its less work. If you want to cook your own, make sure to buy decent quality chickpeas not the cheapest version. Open the packet and check for any small stones or debris present. Cover the chickpeas with cold water and leave overnight.

The following morning drain the chickpeas and put them into a large pan. Cover them with at least twice the amount of water as there is chickpeas and add 1tsp bicarbonate of soda.

Mix well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Check to make sure they are cooked through, and if ready drain the contents of the pan and run cold water over the chickpeas. If you find you have cooked to many, then can be kept in the freezer for a couple of months.

How to Make Hummus.

You will need.

• Saucepan
• Colander
• Large bowl
• Spatula
• Slotted spoon or spider
• Food processor
• Chopping board and knife

Hummus.

• 2 x 400g tins             chickpeas
• 1tsp                             bicarbonate of soda
• 80g                             tahini
• 1-1 ½                          cloves of garlic
•                                     Juice of 1 fat lemon
• ¾ tsp                          ground cumin
•                                     Sea salt
• 100ml                         water
• 4tbps                          olive oil

How to Make Hummus, cooking the Chickpeas.

While the tinned chickpeas are already cooked, to give us a nice smooth texture its best to cook them a little longer.

Tip the chickpeas with the juices into a saucepan and top up with some more water. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the pan and bring to the simmer. Reduce the heat so the pan is sitting at a steady simmer, pop on the lid and cook for 20 minutes.

Once the time is up, drain the chickpeas into a colander and rinse with cold water.

Removing the skins.

To make a really refined smooth hummus its best to remove the skin of the chickpeas. Now this is not traditional. The original hummus was a more rustic affair with everything just pounded together. You can if you wish sit there removing the skin from each chickpea one by one. But there is an easier way.

Tip the chickpeas into a large bowl and run cold water over them to two thirds fill the bowl with water. Get your hand in and agitate the chickpeas vigorously. This will remove the skins and they will start to flat to the surface. They can know be lifted from the water using a spider or slotted spoon. I like to do this two or three times, but don’t worry if you haven’t removed every last one.

Dealing with the garlic.

As you probably know I like garlic, but we don’t want the garlic to be the dominate flavour in our hummus. We can use the lemon juice to ‘pickle’ the garlic and reduce is potency.

Peel the garlic and cut into thin slices. Put these into a small glass dish and squeeze the lemon juice over the top. Put the dish to one side to sit for at least 10 minutes before use.

How to Make Hummus, the mixing.

Make sure the chickpeas are well drained, then remove a few to garnish the finished Hummus.

Tip the chickpeas into the food processor and add the cumin, salt, garlic, and lemon juice, with a dash of water. Run the processor for a few seconds to break up the chickpeas.

Using Olive Oil.

Add the tahini and blend again, then add the olive oil. I like to use some olive oil in the recipe. Not all recipes for Hummus use it as the tahini is quite oily, but I prefer the texture and taste the oils adds.

You will need to use water to soften the texture as you blend the chickpeas. Don’t put too much in a one as you can’t remove it. Once you have a pleasing texture stop processing and have a taste.

If the Hummus tastes flat, try some more lemon juice and possible a pinch of salt. The right amount of lemon juice is crucial in getting the flavour balance right.

If you can, leave the Hummus for a couple of hours in the fridge for the flavours to develop.

How to Make Hummus, Serving.

I think Hummus is best served on a deep plate rather than a bowl. This makes it much easier to pick up the Hummus with flatbreads of vegetable sticks. Spread the Hummus around the plate using the back of a spoon. Pour some good olive oil into the groves made by the spoon, then sprinkle with chopped parsley. For an ideal accompaniment have a look at our post on making your own flatbreads.

Still not sure? Check out the video.

F.A.Qs.

Enjoy Life!

John.

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