♪
Hummus / حُمُّص (meaning chickpeas), called hummus bi tahina by Arabic speaking nations (simply meaning chickpeas with tahini), is a Levantine and Egyptian food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed garbanzo beans/chickpeas (or may be other beans), blended with tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt. The earliest known recipes for a dish similar to hummus bi tahina are recorded in cookbooks published in Cairo in the 13th century.
As an appetizer and dip, hummus is scooped with flatbread, such as pita. It is also served as part of a meze or as an accompaniment to falafel, grilled chicken, fish or eggplant. Garnishes include chopped tomato, cucumber, coriander, parsley, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, whole chickpeas, olive oil, hard-boiled eggs, paprika, sumac, cumin, ful (cooked fava bean dish), olives, pickles and pine nuts. It is also presented with lavash, tortilla chips, crackers and/or even with cut raw vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, celery, etc.
Since 2012, ‘Hummus Day’ is an annual event celebrated on May 13th!
♪
Hummus - Basic and Variations
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
Hummus is very easy to make. Homemade is far tastier than the store bought. Once you taste this recipe, you will never go back.
A food-processor or blender is needed for this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 can 440 g/ 16 oz cooked garbanzo beans/chickpeas – drained, rinsed and skins pinched off
* (yield 200 g/ 1 cup)
. **For tastier and more authentic hummus, cook chickpeas from scratch… go to [1]
• 1 Tbsp (14 g) tahini
• 3½ Tbsp (53 ml) extra-virgin olive oil + 1 Tbsp (15ml) for garnish
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2½ Tbsp (38 ml) lemon juice
• ½ tsp salt
DIRECTIONS
◊ [1] If making from scratch: Soak 90 g (½ cup) dried garbanzo beans for 24 hours (dried beans will reconstitute to almost 3 times). Drain, rinse and place in a medium sized saucepan covering with water. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, cook for 10 minutes (it will foam, scoop out foam or it’ll overflow), drain and rinse. (Process of draining after first boil helps keep beans from causing digestion problem/gas for some.) Wash the pot and return the beans to the pot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes or until cooked soft, drain and rinse. Remove any loose skin of garbanzo beans seen. Also, skins are loose on the garbanzo beans, pinch the skins off each garbanzo bean. It will yield a little over 1 cup.
◊ If using canned beans: If preferred for garnish, save 7 ~ 10 pieces of garbanzo beans.
Add all the ingredients (except 1 Tbsp olive oil for garnish) to a food-processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Midway, stop the process to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
◊ While still in the food-processor, taste and adjust the seasoning to your palate. Record the changes for future use. Don’t add additional tahini, as it will make the hummus bitter. Add additional salt or lemon juice a little at a time and process each time to taste again and bring it to your taste. If the dip is too thick, add a little olive oil at a time to help smooth it out.
◊ Spoon hummus into a bowl and using the tip of a spoon, swirl it into a spiral. Garnish with reserved beans and 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the grooves made (I sprinkled a smidgen of paprika). Serve with breads, cracker and/or cut raw vegetables.
– – – – – – – – –
Hummus variations
Hummus may be blended with following ingredients to taste:
♦ Walnuts, pine nuts or other nuts may be used instead of tahini.
♦ Roasted/grilled vegetables, i.e. eggplants, red-beets, bell-peppers, etc.
♦ Cured green or black olives, or preserved lemons.
♦ Ground (or finely chopped) pine-nuts, walnuts, etc.
♦ Spices to add flavor, i.e. paprika, sumac, cumin, harissa, etc.
♦ A little drizzle of pomegranate concentrate, olive oil or sprinkle of spices for color.
♦ To add Japanese flavor to it, at the time of processing, also add Carrot Dressing ingredients!
~ Bil-hanā’ wa ash-shifā’ • بالهناء والشفاء ~
♪
So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
♪
Hi Gerard, I like many variations of hummus, but at home I mostly make the plain/original. I sprinkle different spices on each corner for variety in each bite. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this. I like hummus, it’s simple, versatile, and so tasty. I make it often with cumin or diced bell pepper. A friend from Egypt says that it is better than the one prepared by his sister 🙂
Hi Anto, Isn’t hummus just wonderful. I don’t have any doubt that hummus you make must be fabulous. Bell peppers don’t like me, but next time, I am going to put some cumin, which I love a lot! 🙂
I’ve never heard of homous day…how wonderful!!
Great to read your recipe, I seem to have read so many variations recently!
xxx
Hi Elaine, Yes, now we have a new celebration for every May 13th. 😀 ))) I think, as people are looking for varieties and healthier foods, some of these tested, centuries old recipes become more popular. 🙂 xoxo Fae.
Lovely pictures Fae! I used to make hummus a lot in England but I can’t get tahini here in France. It’s a longshot but do you know of a substitute? 🙂
Hi Amanda, Thank you for your question, as I meant to add the substitutes for tahini and forgot (now I added). Walnuts, pine nuts, almonds etc may be substituted, and the positive part of it is that, if you over use it, they wouldn’t taste bitter as tahini does.
Love the silky texture of your Hummus, Fae. I totally agree with you, I prefer making Hummus from scratch for a much better texture. So versatile and so good! 🙂
Hi Linda, Getting your approval means, I have done it right. Thank you! 🙂 It is amazing how homemade tastes so much different/better!
Wow! I have never realized that hummus is so easy to make. I will definitely try your recipe, Fae. Thank you!
Hi Vera, I know, you don’t like using can foods. Soaking the beans and boiling them is really very easy. If preferred (and I recommend) pinching the skin off of each chickpea takes a little time (5~10 minutes when you get the hang of it), but the rest is just a whirl of the food-processor. 🙂
I think I had a variation of this before at an Arabic restaurant. Great recipe for a great dip!
Hi Chris, It really is a flavorful, nutritious dip. 🙂
I love hummus and really like all your variations and garnishes, Yum!
Hi Homa, Variety and experimenting is always good. When vegetables are included, with a few pieces of bread, it turns into a ‘complete’ nutritious treat/meal. 🙂
Hey, my wedding anniversary is May 13th – I will always have to include a bowl of your hummus on that special day. LOL. Looks delicious and I like all of your suggestions for garnishes.
Hi Judi, Your wedding anniversary is coming up and Congratulations! As a conversational piece, you should share the celebration with Mr. Hummus! 😀 )))
Thanks for all those good tips on making hummus. I enjoy eating it.
Hi Gerlinde, Me too, and I enjoy all varieties! 😀 )))
I totally agree that for a tastier hummus it’s best to use home cooked chickpeas. Love your ideas for variations. 🙂
Hi Ronit, Oh yes! Home cooked chickpeas have that special fresh smell and flavor. Variety of choices please every palate! 🙂
Looks fabulous, Fae! Never thought to add roasted beets… I imagine it would create a beautiful hue to the hummus!
Hi Nancy, Yes it does, and of course, a hint of sweetness too. 🙂
I LOVE hummus! Yours looks so nice swirled with the olive oil! I like all your variation ideas, too!
Hi Nancy, When a quality tasting extra virgin olive oil is drizzled on the top, it gives a super delicious addition to the bite. Mmm Mmm!
I love hummus, along with most of its wonderful variations! It is fun, simple, versatile, and so tasty. I love adding peas or fava beans during the season, either adding them on top, as “decoration”, or blending them together for a “green” hummus. I love your suggestion of adding all sorts of roasted veggies, which I have never tried!
Hi Darya, It all sounds delicious and wonderful don’t they. I personally love the plain and the one with fried eggplants. I have never tried with zucchini, which should be good too. 🙂
I make hummus often–so much better than store bought!
But I didn’t know there was a Hummus Day! 🙂
Hi Merril, Isn’t that funny. If there is a chopsticks day, there certainly should be a hummus day! 😀 )))
Wow this is simplest of all the hummus recipes I have ever come across-ed.Thanks for sharing this version.
Hi Megha, Tahini last for a long time in the frig. To whip a quick appetizer together, it is perfect! 🙂
Such a tasty recipe! Hummus might be a simple dish, but it’s packed with goodness. Love it!
Hi, Daniela, Isn’t that the truth. An addicting dip in a zippy! 😀 )))