Garlic Hummus

Regular readers of this blog would know that Hubby and I are big fans of ethnic food. We particularly like Japanese and Mediterranean food. Both of which, unfortunately, are expensive and hard to make. But every once in a while, we give in and "experiment" on stuff.

Hence, this hummus. Truth be told, if Hubby asks me to make hummus again, I will just hand him $5 and send him to the store. Aside from the ingredients being pricey, it was just a ton of work. But since I love my husband who's sitting right beside me as I type, I agreed to make it, with the condition that he would help me. I don't know... memories of the kibbeh experience kept flashing back while I prepared this hummus.

Oh, but it was a trip... and for so many reasons. First, we had to do it a day in advance because we had to soak the chickpeas. If I had half a brain, I would have used canned ones - but nooooo! I wanted to use the fresh chickpeas in our pantry. Serves me right.

Second, we had to roast garlic, which was another recipe on its own (a fortunate discovery, though - we found out that roasted garlic can be a spread by itself!).

Third - we realized midway that our food processor is too small for a 1 pound bag of soaked chickpeas. We had to do it in batches. Poor hubby even resorted to mashing it by hand hahaha. Oh, it was a night we would never forget. 

By the way, we made enough hummus to feed an army. It took us forever to finish it. I recommend having it with some Kalamata olives. It was delish!

Les Roasted Garlique!

What you need: 

1 lb dried chickpeas
1 head of garlic, roasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons Tahini
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon paprika + more for garnish
dash of dried oregano (optional)
olive oil, to taste

The word "Tahini" makes me think of magicians. Weird? Yeah.

What to do: 

Soak hummus in water overnight.

After soaking, rinse it several times with fresh cold water. Transfer the chickpeas to a pot with about 6 to 8 cups of water and the baking soda. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for about an hour. Remove the scum that would appear.

Allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Place the boiled chickpeas in a food processor with about a cup of its boiled water and grind for a few minutes at low speed. Add salt, garlic, and slowly pour in the Tahini sauce while grinding. Continue the process until the chickpeas turn to almost a paste.

Add lemon juice and paprika and grind for about another minute. Adjust seasonings to your preference. Before serving, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and garnish with dried basil and a dash of paprika.


Tips, Tricks and Tips:

1. Feeling adventurous? Add roasted peppers, pine nuts, or other herbs in your hummus!
2. The hummus I made is kinda' thick. Make sure you add enough water to get better consistency.
3. Tahini is VERY hard to mix. It is like peanut butter on steroids. A lot of elbow grease required! 
4. Eat with pita bread, chips, or plain regular bread. 
5. Use canned chickpeas and skip the soaking process. 
6. Not sure if you can use a mixer (instead of a food processor) when making hummus. Maybe if you have the right attachments. Let me know if it works for you.