Can you believe that for all the chickpea adoration and hummus exaltation this blog is packed with, I have never posted a recipe for hummus? Me neither. Clearly it’s time.
Needless to say, there are practically an infinite number of ways to prepare hummus. Not only can the base ingredients be altered a bit, but you can make it any flavor under the sun. Plain, garlic, olive, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato, chile pepper, the list goes on. You can also craft hummus with the essences of many different regions’ cuisines—Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Greek, Egyptian, Spanish, Moroccan, you name it. This is my favorite type to make, a vibrant golden hummus infused with the opulent spices of India.
1 can chickpeas, drained
2-3 cloves garlic
2T lemon juice
3T tahini
1T curry powder
1 tsp cumin seed, or 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
Salt to taste
Put the chickpeas, garlic, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse to combine. Turn on the food processor, stream in 1/4 cup cold water, and blend until semi-smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the tahini and all the spices (but no salt). If you’ve never tried it, I recommend picking up some Madras curry powder. It’s so much more aromatic and deeply flavored than supermarket varieties.
Pulse together. Turn the processor back on and stream in another 1/4 cup or so of cold water as it’s running. Stop and scrape down the sides again, then turn back on and purée for at least 3 minutes. Yes, it’s a long time, but trust me. After that, give it a taste, then add salt to your liking (I usually put in about a teaspoon) and purée for another 30 seconds.
Transfer the hummus to a bowl or container and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight. The longer it sits, the more intense the flavors become—and that's a good thing. The fragrant spices are enhanced by the punch of garlic and the mellow tahini in the background. Garnish it with a sprinkle of paprika and a drizzle of olive oil if you like. This may be the first hummus recipe I've posted, but it will not be the last.
Yield: about 2 cups. Per 1/4 cup: 96 calories, 4g fat (trace sat), 13g carbs, 3g fiber, 4g protein.
If you like this, you might also like...
Tuscan white bean dip
Posts
Time to start experimenting with hummus, I really need something more then a protein bar for lunches. We have got to figure out what Flavor of India uses they would really bring out the garlic taste in this dish.
ReplyDeleteHey! I made your hummus tonight with a slight variation as I only had a limited variety of spices. I served the hummus two ways; one was with crushed garlic and olive oil, the other was with Chipotle ground red pepper from Penzeys. They were both great! I am thinking about serving some with sesame seeds as well... I also wanted to note that 1 tsp of salt was enough to flavor a double batch. Thanks for the recipe!!
ReplyDelete