Hummus

This is my go-to recipe for hummus, dead simple, and very delicious!

If you aren’t sure how you like your hummus already, start with small amounts of garlic, tahini, salt, and lemon juice, and add more of whichever you feel it needs until it’s right for you.

Unless you are eating your hummus immediately, note that it will develop a stronger flavour and thicker texture when left to sit, even for an hour. If you are preparing it ahead of time, add quite a bit more liquid than you think it needs, and make sure not to over-season.

I have a neat little mini food processor (made by Kenwood, pictured below), that’s perfect for this amount of hummus. But any food processor, or a stick blender will work just as well.

I find often when I buy tinned chickpeas they can be quite undercooked, giving my hummus a gritty/grainy texture. It still tastes fine, but it’s not as good as it could be. If you find your chickpeas are kind of small and crunchy you can try simmering them for a bit, until they plump up.

Even better, cook your own from dried! I find it works out much cheaper and you get a much better taste and texture than with any of the tinned beans I can find. You’ll have to start a day in advance, but all you need to do is chuck them in some water to soak, so it’s hardly an impossible obstacle.

For more info on cooking your chickpeas from scratch, and on peeling them (for ultimate smoothness), I defer as ever to smitten kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1 heaped cup cooked chickpeas (reserve the chickpea water to loosen hummus as needed)
• 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• Salt, to taste, start with a big pinch
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Olive oil and ground sumac, to garnish

Method:

Blend the chickpeas by themselves until fairly smooth. Then add the garlic, tahini, salt, and lemon juice, and blend again until fully incorporated. Add chickpea water a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency (or plain water if you have accidentally drained your chickpeas earlier, it’s no biggie!) Give it a taste to check that the seasoning and texture is to your liking (see above), then decant into a serving bowl. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle sumac as desired.

Enjoy!