Traditional Hummus

Hummus is Yummus!

Not so long ago a person who ate hummus frequently, often, and made it at home was considered an eccentric human being by most, or one with a family lineage tied to a hummus eating country. As much as I liked being labeled an “exotic gentleman”, I am no longer deserving of it. But why???????? Well, the reason is that Hummus has gone totally mainstream. Some would say that hummus jumped the shark from the foodie crowd. I say Hummus just finally got it’s due, it’s rightful place on the leaderboard of international condiments, even sometimes in dessert form. Yes, there are people making dessert hummus. I actually made a peach hummus once, and while it was not for me, I can say “I made peach hummus”!

The hummus mainstream breakthrough has garnished a huge following. My dad, quite possibly the pickiest eater I’ve ever met, will literally eat a plate of hummus (as long as you don’t tell him what it is). If you can think of a variation that you think no one has ever made, I can assure you that by now it’s been done. So, who makes the best hummus? That’s a debate that will never be settled in the mainstream, and ultimately no one can win that argument. Having visited Israel, I can say that I probably had the best hummus of my life there. After all, it’s a national dish for Israelis.

Argument settled, it’s Israel, right? No, not at all. Hummus is on the menu at every Greek restaurant I’ve ever been to, so it’s from Greece? Lebanon, how about the Lebanese owning the rights to hummus? Good luck Lebanon, you’d be fighting off Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Iran…….and about a dozen other countries who consume hummus as a staple item on most of their menus. Rather than starting a world war over a coveted chickpea dish, let’s just agree that “hummus is yummus” and make any variation that you deem “the best”. I’m not here to tell you this will make the best hummus you’ve ever had, some like it smoother than others, some like more citrus, some people are overwhelmed by an excessive amount of tahini, and others don’t believe oil belongs in a hummus and that the tahini should be more than capable of doing the work on it’s own. Even I don’t stick to one hummus, I like the hummus I grew up on, but I also love Turkish hummus that incorporates yogurt.

This is a basic hummus recipe, with variations to follow. The work of soaking dried chickpeas overnight is not cumbersome, but the ingredients may be tough to find depending on where you live. If this is the case, or you just decided you’re craving hummus and can’t wait, go ahead and substitute 2 cans of chickpeas and proceed to the food processor.

The average package hummus at the grocery store is about $4.19. Make a giant batch for under $1 and thank me later for being called “eccentric” by all your friends!

Continue to Recipe >>>>

Traditional Hummus

This is a far from basic hummus recipe. It's exactly what you'd want in a hummus; it's velvety smooth and garlicy. It can be made quickly with canned chickpeas, however if you're able to use dried ones that can soak overnight, I would strongly suggest that you do as the end result is superior. Enjoy!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Soaking Time 1 day d

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Equipment

• Food Processor

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 6 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup light tahini paste any tahini paste will do
• 4 tbsp lemon juice use freshly squeezed if you have
• 4 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
• 6 1/2 tbsp iced water
• salt to taste

Instructions

 

• The night before making your hummus, put the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with cold water at least twice their volume. Leave them to soak overnight.
• The next day, drain the chickpeas. Then, add the chickpeas and baking soda to a medium saucepan over high heat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cook, skimming off any foam and skins that float to the surface. You’re going to let these bad boys sit in a rolling boil for 30 minutes, but continue to skim off the surface from time to time.
• After the 30-minute cook, go ahead and drain the chickpeas. Be careful, the water is hot and there’s no award in telling people you were injured in a hummus making incident. You should have about 3 ½ cups of drained chickpeas at this point. Place the chickpeas in a food processor and process until you get a nice stiff but not too chunky paste. With the machine running, add the tahini paste, lemon juice, garlic and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Lastly, drizzle in the iced water and allow it to mix for a few minutes. The end result should be an incredibly smooth and creamy paste.

Notes

• You could substitute 2 (14 oz) cans of drained chickpeas and proceed right to the food processor if you’re impatient and need your hummus fix ASAP! While the more time-consuming overnight soak will definitely produce what I think to be a better outcome, the quick hummus will absolutely work.
• Other variations:
  • Roasted Red Pepper Hummus – follow all steps above, and add 2 roasted red peppers (cored and seeded) prior to adding your iced water. You may not need all of the iced water as red peppers have a decent amount of water in them, and you don’t want a watery hummus.
  • Roasted Poblano Hummus – follow all steps above, and add 2 roasted poblanos (cored and seeded) prior to adding your iced water. Just like the roasted red pepper hummus above, you may not need all of the iced water as poblanos contain a decent amount of water.
  • Beet Hummus – Follow all steps above, and add 2 medium sized roasted beets (peeled and chopped) prior to adding your iced water. Just like the additions above, you may not need all of the iced water as beets contain a decent amount of liquid.
  • There are millions of other variations. Get inspired. Use the base recipe as your playground and have fun making hummus! Let me know what else you’ve tried and I’d love to gain inspiration from your creativity!

Keyword condiment, hummus, side