I absolutely adore Hummus, a great dip on its own or even better in a falafel pitta sandwich.
Chickpeas are high in protein making them an excellent meat substitute for vegetarian and/or vegan diets. They are also high in fiber content and of low Glycemic Index that supports steady blood glucose levels protecting us from chronic health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.
Chickpeas should be soaked before cooking them to soften and promote a faster cook time but also to be more digestible. Make sure that your chickpeas are from the most recent harvest as older ones, or those kept in the pantry for long are much harder to soften/cook. For unbeatable creamy hummus use peeled chickpeas.
Creamy Hummus
Have a look below at the full recipe. Don’t forget, you can always print it.
Alternatively, you can surf in my Facebook & Instagram pages to explore more mouthwatering recipes.
I hope you enjoy it!
Here you can find more of my recipes exploiting the fantastic Chickpeas ingredient.
Creamy Hummus
Ingredients
- 500g dry Chickpeas , without their skin, from a recent harvest.
- 80ml Lemon juice
- 60ml EVOO , Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for a final drizzle
- 120g raw Tahini
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 clove Garlic , finely minced or grated (or better use roasted garlic for a milder taste)
- ¼ tsp Sweet Paprika , for garnish
- ½ tsp Cumin , ground
- 1½ tsp Sea Salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground White Pepper
Instructions
- 8 hours or overnight soak the Chickpeas in water with 1 tbsp of salt and the baking soda, the water to be 4 cm above the chickpeas as the chickpeas increase their volume quite rapidly. Add more water if needed. Drain the water and rinse them before cooking.
- If skinless chickpeas are not available then to make the hummus ultra-creamy, you should peel the soaked chickpeas. To do so, pat them dry and place them in large mixing bowl with 1 tbsp baking soda and stir to coat them thoroughly with the baking soda. Then add them to a skillet, heat up the skillet over medium heat, stirring the beans constantly, for 2-3’ until the beans are completely heated throughout, and the skins begin to separate from the beans. Pour the hot beans back into the large mixing bowl, then immerse them in 3-4 changes of cold water, agitating the beans with your hands to release the skins. Loose skins should float to the surface where they can easily be discarded with each batch of cold water. When most of the skins are gone, proceed with the next step of cooking them.
- To cook the chickpeas, use a large pot or casserole on high heat and add the soaked chickpeas. Add water to cover them and be 4 cm above their level, toss in the bay leaves and add a tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer at very low heat (don’t boil) for about 45’ with the lid on, slightly askew to allow steam to vent.
- Skim from the surface any scum/foam that is being created. Continue to cook until very tender. If needed, add more warm water to the pot/casserole for longer cooking time.
- When desired tenderness is achieved, reserve 1-2 cups of the cooking water, drain the chickpeas and keep aside to cool. Keep about 15 chickpeas for the final garnish.
- Take the bowl of a food processor and with the metal blade attached add the tahini, half the oil along with the garlic and slowly pour in 30-40ml of the reserved water while the food processor is running. Add half the lemon juice while processing and start adding a bit of the remaining lemon juice and then a bit more of the water so that you achieve the desired density and acidity. It should be a bit thick, so you add water only when the desired acidity has been achieved and you wish to reduce the density. Finally add the drained chickpeas and process until creamy smooth. Add the cumin, remaining oil, salt and pepper and work a bit more. Add more lemon juice according to your desired taste. If too thick you can add some more of the reserved water
- Serve the hummus in a flat dish, add the 15 reserved chickpeas, drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle the paprika.
