Hummus is one of the most popular and widely-enjoyed dips around the world. It’s creamy and savoury and can be enjoyed with various foods. But what makes hummus so special? What’s in it, and how do you make it? Here, we’ll explore everything you need to know about hummus – from its history to its health benefits and even recipes for making it at home. So if you’re looking to expand your culinary knowledge, keep reading!
Equipment
You need only a few key ingredients to make hummus, and they are all readily available. All you need is a can of chickpeas, some tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and salt. To make hummus, the texture is most important. The perfect hummus is thick, creamy and smooth. You can achieve texture with Wonderchef Nutri Blend Thunder with minimum effort. It is perfect for making all kinds of dips.
Chickpea Conundrum
If you’re a regular hummus eater, you’ve probably come across the occasional tough, dry, or flavourless chickpea. While many factors can contribute to this (including the type of chickpeas used and how they’re prepared), it’s still a frustrating experience.
I’ve never used chickpeas from a can. We always have a bag of dried chickpeas at home because they are so common and affordable in India. Keep in mind that dried chickpeas grow in size after being soaked and cooked. Therefore, if a recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas, you know that 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas must be soaked. You should always peal your chickpea to make the hummus smooth.
Tahini Troubles
If you’re new to making hummus at home, one of the first things you’ll need to do is find tahini. Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds, and it’s a key ingredient in hummus. The problem is that it might not be available in the market easily.
Although tahini is really easy to make. All you need is sesame and neutral-flavoured oil. The sesame should be dry roasted until aromatic, and the colour is slightly changed. Use a food processor to grind it until you have a crumbly powder. Oil should be added and processed until creamy. The sides may need to be scraped down several times. All you need for the typical hummus recipe is 1/4 cup of tahini, which can be made using the ratios listed below. You can proceed after adding your chickpeas and the remaining ingredients to the same food processor as the tahini.
Colour my Hummus!
By adding vegetables, you can add more nutritional value to your hummus. Oh, and it’s also a lot of fun! When you are making the hummus for kids, colours would really interest kids, and they will get nutrition from vegetables as well. Colourful hummus makes everyone joyful.
Try beetroot for a brilliant pink, roasted red peppers for an orange-red hummus, and carrots for an orange hummus. For green hummus, use fresh moringa leaves, spinach, or coriander.
Standard Hummus Recipe
In this recipe, 1 cup of hummus is made. Below is the recipe for basic hummus, which can then be improvised according to your taste.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Dried Chickpeas
- 1/4 cup Tahini
- 1 clove Garlic
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Ice Water
Instructions
- Wash and soak 1/2 cup dried chickpeas overnight.
- Drain the soaked chickpeas and transfer to a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt.
- Cook for 4 whistles in a pressure cooker or on a stovetop for about 1 hour until the chickpeas are soft.
- Drain and cool the chickpeas.
- While the chickpeas are still moist, remove the outer skin.
- Transfer the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, olive oil, salt and lemon juice to a food processor/mixer and blend.
- Add 2 Tbsp of ice-cold water to the jar and blend until the hummus is smooth.
- Transfer to a bowl and top with olive oil.
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you learn everything you need about hummus. We’ve covered everything from the ingredients that make up a classic hummus dish to some of the unique flavours and recipes that can be used. So next time you’re looking for something tasty and nutritious, why not give hummus a try? Its rich and creamy texture makes it sure to leave your taste buds happy!
About the blogger
Sneha Sundar is the creator of You Dim Sum, You Lose Some; a philosophy she adopts both in and out of the kitchen!
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