top of page

Hummus

Hummus

A Levantine food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Today, it's popular throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe.

Ingredients
1/2 kg chickpeas (soaked overnight)
1 cup tahini (beaten) *
5-6 garlic cloves, crushed 1/4 cup lemon juice
Tahini1/2 cup olive oil salt, paprika
finely chopped parsley

* Note: Tahini is a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds used in North African, Greek, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisine. Tahini is served as a dip on its own, or as a major component of hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva.

Preparation
Drain chickpeas, spread on a tea towel and roll a bottle over them to remove the husks. Boil the chickpeas until soft. Dry and mash. Beat the tahini and combine with the chickpeas. Add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. If the paste is very thick, add liquid from the chickpeas. Sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley and pour a little olive oil over the purée.

Turkish Humus is sharply appetising; it can be served with fresh bread or pitta bread to be dipped in, or as a sauce with fried fish or kebabs. It will enliven the table when served along with a vegetable casserole or as part of a meze. Humus can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Don't use canned chick-peas to make Humus as they're not successful. Preparation time: Soaking overnight + 1 hour cooking + 15 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients
175 g (6 oz.) chick-peas, picked clean and soaked overnight
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons tahini paste (optional, but add more oil if not used)
Juice of 1 and a half lemons
1 and a half teaspoons ground cumin
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
300 ml (1/2 pint) chick-pea cooking liquid
Salt and black pepper
1 or 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
A little cayenne pepper or paprika

Preparation: Rinse the chick-peas. Cover with plenty of water in a large pan, bring to the boil and skim until clear. Cover and cook until soft: in a pressure cooker they will take 15-20 minutes; otherwise a little over 1 hour, according to their age. Strain the chick-peas, reserving the cooking liquid. divide all the ingredients in two and place the first batch in a food processor or liquidiser; blend until grainy and of a runny consistency. If too dry, add more liquid and then adjust the seasoning and blend it in briefly. Make the second batch in the same fashion. Pour on to a flat platter, and sprinkle the oil and the cayenne pepper or paprika decoratively on top before serving.

bottom of page