Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Strain the chickpeas. Transfer the chickpea water to a medium-sized saucepan. Add baking soda, onion, and garlic.
- Transfer the chickpeas to a bowl. Add olive oil, mix well with your hands and add to the saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, cook over medium-high heat for about five minutes, lower to medium-low heat and cook for another 15 minutes at a gentle boil. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature*
- Strain the chickpeas into a bowl, make sure to keep the liquids* (see a note below). Keep 2-3 tablespoons of the chickpeas to garnish the dish. Store the cooked liquid in another bowl.
- Put the tahini in a food processor, add lemon juice, lemon acid, and a tiny pinch of cumin; process for a few seconds.
- Add the chickpeas, garlic, and onion to the food processor and process for another two minutes until you get a smooth texture. Stop the processor from time to time and scrape the chickpeas from the sides with a spatula.
- Add 3-4 tablespoons of the cooked chickpea water and process for a few more seconds. Occasionally stop the food processor and scrape the sides with a spatula; if too thick - gradually add more chickpea cooking water until you get the desired texture.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary: Add salt and lemon juice gradually—process for a few more seconds.
- Suppose you do not plan to eat Hummus that day. In that case, keep the remaining cooking water in the refrigerator, as the chickpeas thicken over time. Then, the next day adds the chickpea water gradually until you get the desired degree of thickness.
For Serving
- Divide the chickpeas into two or three serving bowls, garnish with whole chickpeas, tahini dressing, parsley, sweet paprika, sliced onion, and olive oil. Serve with pita.
Notes
- Lemon Acid quantity - depends on the brand. Start with a tiny pinch - and gradually up to ⅛ tsp.
- If you process the chickpeas while warm, once the hummus gets cold, it will thicken, meaning you will have to add more of the cooked chickpea water; however, if you process it at room temperature, it will maintain more or less the same texture.
- Keep the cooked chickpea liquid in the fridge, in a separate sealed container, so if your hummus has thickened in the refrigerator - just mix in a tablespoon or more of the liquid, to return it to the desired texture.
- If you choose to cook the chickpeas yourself - here's how: Soak 1 cup of dry Bulgarian chickpeas overnight - at least for eight hours; Strain and rinse. Cook in a pressure cooker with two cups of water, half a teaspoon of baking soda, garlic cloves cut to taste, and three tablespoons of oil. After the whistle, lower the heat and cook for about 25 minutes until the chickpeas are soft and crushed when lightly pressed with your finger and thumb. Continue according to the recipe.