Classic Chickpea Hummus

Recipe:

Ingredient notes:

• Chickpeas. This recipe calls for making hummus from dried chickpeas. If you prefer and are able, you can buy canned chickpeas – it will save you time and the hummus will be softer and smoother. When substituting, remember that chickpeas increase in weight by about half after soaking and cooking. That is, for this arrangement of ingredients, you will need 300 grams of cooked (boiled or canned) chickpeas.
• Tahini. This is a sesame paste. It is sold in large supermarkets and in Indian, Iranian, and Turkish stores. If you can’t buy ready-made tahini, make your own – here’s the recipe.
• Garlic. The recipe calls for a moderate amount of garlic. If you like your hummus a little more spicy, you can add more.
• Chickpea cooking liquid. Or the liquid from a can of chickpeas. Do not discard it, but use it to adjust the consistency of the hummus. Of course, you can just add cold water instead, but the cooking liquid contains a lot of protein, and it’s a sin not to use it.

A few essential tips and tricks:

• Don’t neglect the step of soaking the chickpeas. This way, they will have a more even and faster cooking process.
• When cooking chickpeas, do not salt the water. Salt makes chickpeas tough. This rule applies to all types of beans, lentils, and peas.
• Before combining the cooked chickpeas with the other ingredients, remove the skins. Yes, it will take some time, but it will make the hummus softer and more tender.
• Hummus is the kind of dish where you can play around with the proportions of flavor ingredients. If you want a more pronounced sesame flavor, increase the amount of tahina. If you want a spicier taste, add more garlic or even some chili flakes.

Let’s start cooking.

8 hours before cooking, pour cold water over the dry chickpeas and leave them at room temperature. At the end of the time, drain the water, put the chickpeas in a pot and pour fresh cold water over them. Place on the stove, bring to a boil, cover and cook until cooked through. This will take about 30-40 minutes.

When the chickpeas are done, drain and reserve the cooking liquid. Pour cold water over the chickpeas and remove their skins.

In a bowl, combine the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and about half of the cooled chickpea broth listed in the ingredients. Process with a blender.

Add the cooking liquid a little at a time during the process for better chopping and consistency.

Ideally, the hummus should be very smooth.

Season to taste with salt and additional lemon juice if desired and mix thoroughly.

Before serving, lightly drizzle the hummus with olive oil and sprinkle with spices – this time I used sumac.

Enjoy!