Hommus

Hummus

Hummus is a delicious dip made of ground chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. Hummus is popular throughout the Middle east and is becoming an ever increasingly popular food all over the world. Chickpeas are a good source of protein and the tahini paste in the dish also means that this is a good source of calcium within the vegan diet!

Prep time Soak over night
Cooking time 2 hours

Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas soaked – this produces approximately 2 cups of chickpeas (or 1 can of chickpeas)
2 cloves of garlic
Rind of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp tahini paste
2 good pinches of salt
a generous twist of pepper
½ a tsp sweet paprika
100ml olive oil
a handful of chopped coriander (optional)

Method
1. First of all you must soak the chickpeas. This takes at least 8 hours. So ideally soak them overnight. (The benefit of soaking and cooking is a superior flavour and chunkier texture.) Drain the chickpeas and cook in a large pot of boiling water for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Taste one to see if they are ready. They should be firm to the touch but soft to the bite.
2. If step one is too time consuming store bought canned chickpeas can be substituted but they are by far inferior in both flavour and texture.
3. Put chickpeas, lemon rind, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, olive oil and the coriander if using it. (The coriander adds a lovely fragrance and freshness to the hummus)
4. Blend them into a smooth paste. I like my hummus chunky but if you like a smoother paste you may need to add more oil to achieve the right texture.
3. 5. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serving Suggestion
Hummus is a wonderful addition to any mezze platter but is equally delicious served as a dip. Serve at room temperature. Drizzle a little virgin olive oil on the top and add a pinch of paprika on top. A mixture of vegetable sticks and toasted flat bread make a super light lunch or appetizer.