Hummus bi Tahini (Chickpea Hummus with Tahini) by DK on Feb 21, 2013
I don't clearly remember when I had my first Hummus, but I sure remember how the first time making my own turned out to be. Looking at various recipes, it looked simple enough - chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon. Simple enough right? Ah, well turns out proportions matter here too. After "blech" results for quite a number of times, I slowly started getting the hang of it. And then it really did look very simple.
Now I make loads of modifications to suit my needs but on and off, the need to go back to the original versions strikes and I give myself blissfully to the velvety smooth sensations of this popular Middle Eastern dip. Its easy to make, uses minimal ingredients and all you really need is a good blender. Better the blender, better the consistency. If you are not a purist, try blending this with some fat free Greek yogurt (or Labneh). Tastes totally yum not to talk about enhancing the protein factor. Talking about which, this dish is loaded (and I mean really loaded!) with protein (chickpeas and sesame), antioxidants (garlic and lemon), good fats (olive oil) and many others like calcium, folate, Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins, iron, manganese and few more to make a nutritionist extremely happy.
What seals this news in is that it tastes absolutely delicious. Its creamy and savory with subtle flavors from garlic, lemon and tahini coming together. If you are a spice lover, add in some chilli oil (oo la la!). This mild fluffy hummus carries all the flavors wherein you taste the chickpeas mingled with the rest, each happy with its place without trying to overpower each other. You can easily adapt it to your taste. After trying out various versions, I liked this recipe from the Food and Wine site which I have used as a base to make my subtle changes. We enjoyed it with baked Whole Wheat Pita crackers.
- Cook time:
- Prep time:
- Serves: 8+ people
- Yields: Makes about 3.5 cups with 1/4 cup as one serving
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas
- 5 large Garlic cloves, unpeeled, or to taste
- 1 Bay leaf (optional), see Tips
- 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
- 1/4 tsp ground Cumin, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup Tahini, at room temperature, divided see Tips
- 1/4 cup fresh Lemon juice, divided or to taste
- Salt to taste
- Paprika, for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley, see Tips
Tips
1.Tahini: Depending on the brand of your Tahini (homemade/store bought) and your taste, you might need to add little less or more. Start with 2 to 3 tbsp and gradually adjust accordingly. Make sure to stir the tahini well before measuring since it tends to separate.
2. Parsley: I am partial to Cilantro and tend to use it in all my dishes. I hardly buy parsley and hence have used it in this recipe too. But authentic Hummus does not use cilantro.
3. Bay leaf: I use it in all my legume based dishes for its property of reducing excessive flatulence. Its purely optional. I use the Turkish variety. Not that it changes the taste of this hummus but just so you know :)
2. Parsley: I am partial to Cilantro and tend to use it in all my dishes. I hardly buy parsley and hence have used it in this recipe too. But authentic Hummus does not use cilantro.
3. Bay leaf: I use it in all my legume based dishes for its property of reducing excessive flatulence. Its purely optional. I use the Turkish variety. Not that it changes the taste of this hummus but just so you know :)
Method
1.
In a bowl, the previous night, cover the dried chickpeas with about 2 cups water. I also add 2 tbsp of lemon juice or whey to the soaking water to make them more digestible.
2.
Drain the chickpeas the next day ( I prefer at least 24 hour soak).
3.
Place it in a vessel along with the garlic and bay leaf.
4.
Cover with enough water to cover it (about 3 cups water) and pressure cook for 3 whistles (about 10-12 minutes in high heat).
5.
Discard the bay leaf. Remove the garlic cloves, peel and set aside. Drain the chickpeas reserving the cooking liquid. Set aside few chickpeas for garnish and rinse the remaining chickpeas in cold water.
6.
In a food processor, puree the chickpeas with 2 tbsp Olive oil, 4 garlic cloves and about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Puree it for 20 seconds and then add the cumin, 2 tbsp Tahini and 3 tbsp lemon juice along with salt.
7.
Puree to a smooth consistency. This takes some time and you might need to stop your processor, stir the contents a bit and continue the process. You might also need more of the cooking water or just plain water (or try adding Greek Yogurt). Do a taste test at the end to see if you need more tahini, salt or lemon juice.
8.
Once pureed, transfer this to a serving bowl. You can wipe out the food processor to start the tahini sauce, but I just use the food processor as it is (so that it can also incorporate any leftover chickpeas mixture in the jar). To the jar add the remaining 2 tbsp tahini, 2 tbsp Olive oil, 1 garlic clove and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
9.
Blend until it comes together as a sauce.
Using a spoon or ladle, make an indent in the center of the hummus. Spoon the tahini-lemon mixture and drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp oil in it (optional). You can instead use this oil while making the hummus or tahini lemon puree. Garnish with cumin, paprika and parsley. You can make refrigerate the ungarnished hummus (don't add the tahini lemon juice mixture) for upto 2 days.
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Ideal Accompaniments
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Recipe Reference
adapted from food and wine recipe
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1 Member Reviews
By Randy on Oct 21, 2013
I made this Hummus and used 4 cups of dried Chickpea's. I cooked them in a crock pot with water for about 3 hours. My biggest problem was I made way too much, 2 cups would have been plenty. My blender about choked! I added Tahini, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, 3 heads of roasted garlic, cumin, 4 cups water. I then added 1 habanero to half the batch. Pretty tasty!
30 Comments
By Oscars + Food + Beer Pairings | sparklinglover on Jan 19, 2015
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By Kerry on Jan 2, 2015
8) I am going to make this for a get together tonight! I love your site...good job :wink:
Thank you :) --DK
By panda on Dec 24, 2014
HEY, i made hummus last night. I totally forgot to add the garlic that i peeled and kept aside. What do i do now? The hummus tastes very bland without garlic.
By nandany on Nov 13, 2014
:wink: Hummus is a real favourite at our house. I can’t make enough for my hubby. thanks :roll: :-P :-? 8)
By padmaja on Sep 19, 2014
nice recip
By padmaja on Sep 19, 2014
:lol:
By Mindy on May 19, 2014
If you remove the skins from the beans after taking them from the can or after you cook them, your hummus will not have that grainy effect. It will be extremely smooth. A little more time to prep but well worth it!
By Huma on May 2, 2014
what is Tahini?
By Monu Teena on Nov 19, 2013
Lovely Recipe you have shared.. thanks for sharing.. Made the similar recipe of "Hummus" try to visit my place when time permits .. Recipes Passion love to have your feedback; just visiting..
Happy blogging have a good day.. dear :)
By jane mariel on Sep 17, 2013
I made some hummus the other day and Tahini were unavailable so I just put some cumin powder and it works well :wink:
By aparna on Jul 8, 2013
i never tasted this ! looking pretty ! let me try ! :roll:
By gill miller on Apr 5, 2013
hi, i make my hummus using tinned chickpeas. sometimes it tastes a little bitter, do you think this may be from the tinned instead of fresh?
By deepshikha on Mar 26, 2013
I had made this home once & served it with Garlic Naam (ordered from outside). It will enhance the taste. Try this combination sometime.
By Janardan on Mar 23, 2013
Nidhi, tahini paste is very simple. To make it, I take 240 grams sesame seed, and warm them in a pan on the stove. Do not brown them, just heat until they start to get fragrant. Transfer to a food processor, and add 2 ounces vegetable oil. Blend until it forms a paste. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
By Nidhi on Mar 11, 2013
Please let me know how to make tahini paste at home as it is not commonly available in india
By Krithika on Mar 7, 2013
My husband was really skeptical when I said I am going to make hummus but afterwards he couldn't stop eating it. Thanks for yet another great and simple recipe.
By kiran singh on Feb 28, 2013
so yummy........ :-P
By Holiday Baker Man on Feb 27, 2013
Oh Yum!
By Pancho Solís on Feb 26, 2013
I'm the biggest hummus fan ever! I've always made it from dried chickpeas. I add cumin, salt, pepper, dried smoked chili (known as merken in my country - Chile), lemon juice, garlic, bay leaves, a couple teaspoons heavy cream (I know that's not a proper hummus ingredient!), dried oregano and a sprinkle of cinnammon. Lovely!
By Jane Hirt on Feb 25, 2013
Will using canned chickpeas be equally as good? If so, do you recommend discarding the liquid from the can and use water instead?
By Meenakshi on Feb 23, 2013
Yes, thats why I said perfect timing. My daughter wanted to make it and lo, you had the recipe... Thanks for your fab recipes....
By Cassandra on Feb 22, 2013
This sounds really good! I love the hummus that I've had at restaurants but cannot make it at home. I have tried 5 or 6 times and they all come out bleh. I will try your recipe! We don't have a pressure cooker, though. Can I boil the chickpeas on the stove instead? Thanks so much for sharing!
Oh yes. You def. can. Add the chickpeas in a saucepan and cover it with enough water (abt 2 inches above the chickpeas). Add the garlic cloves along with Bay leaves and bring to boil. Then simmer it in low-medium heat for about 45 minutes or until tender. The follow the rest of the steps. --DK
By meenakshi on Feb 22, 2013
:-). Must say it was perfect. I used normal yogurt instead of greek yougurt. Thanks a ton and keep the healthy recipes coming.
Oh wow! You made this already? Awesome, thank you so much for the feedback. --DK
By Charul @ Tadka Masala on Feb 22, 2013
Yumm! Simple to amke and very very versatile and nutritious too. And, lovely pics as usual. :)
By ayesha on Feb 22, 2013
Can u let me know how to make tahini
By Nance on Feb 21, 2013
If you have powdered sumac, a teaspoon of that is good in the hummus, too. Tastes like a cross between lemon and paprika. On the Just Hungry (Japanese food) blog, Maki adds miso instead of salt to her hummus. Tastes good and provides beneficial bacteria. Thanks for the idea of the bay leaf reducing gas.
By Aparna on Feb 21, 2013
I usually add greek yogurt only and use the olive oil only for garnish. The traditional recipe calls for a little less than a cup of oil (or so my good friend from Lebanon insists!!)! Yogurt with whey removed (even greek one!) compensates for the lack of oil and I feel, enhances the flavor quite a lot or maybe I don't like the taste of olive oil too much! ;) BTW, do you have the recipe to make greek yogurt at home?
By Meenakshi on Feb 21, 2013
Perfect timing. I looked up your site the first but found only beet hummus. Thanks for posting... :-P
Yes, Since I am doing the recipe requests last few months, you will find the most common/popular/basic/day-to-day dishes for few more weeks. Now that I am hard pressed to experiment new stuff as much, I am sticking to my everyday recipes for posting :) Loads of thanks to patient readers like you :) --DK
By Michele on Feb 21, 2013
Glad for the yoghurt & bayleaf tips. Hummus is a real favourite at our house. I can't make enough for my hubby.
Adding Labneh or greek yogurt (i use fat free) makes this even more smoother and velvety not to speak of adding even more protein. Very filling and satisfying snack in my house...we love it :) --DK
By Raj Bhalla on Feb 26, 2015