Why blog about a dish that so many people already know how to make? I wasn’t really planning on posting this recipe but people have been commenting that this is the best hummus they have ever had. I do have a few secrets that make this hummus so good. So here they go …

If you have been following my blog you can probably guess easily … the most important one is … to cook the chickpeas for 3 hours or less for pressure cookers, of course. This is a must IMO if you are looking for that special flavor. You can use canned beans but you will not get the same results. My other secret is to use lots of tahini. Recipes usually call for a few tablespoons … no I use a 1/2 cup and you get this wonderfully nutty sesame flavor. Oh and of course the seasoning is important too. I use cumin, coriander, paprika and garlic.

For those of you who are not familiar with hummus, it is a delicious chickpea based paste from the Middle East. It is made with mashing the chickpeas and adding tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and spices. It can be served as an appetizer, a dip or with other dishes.

RECIPE

Ingredients

Directions

Clean and soak the chickpeas overnight but at least for 8 hours. Drain liquid. Add fresh cold water with baking soda and cook for 3 hours, less if using a pressure cooker, of course. Take off foam at the end.

Chop onions by hand or in a food processor of your choice.

Add the beans and puree.

Add all the rest of the ingredients: tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, liquid from the beans, olive oil. Mix until all ingredients are well blended. Hummus should be a nice paste in consistency.

Additional suggestions: Add more salt, garlic and liquid from the beans if needed. If your tahini was dried out, you will need to add a few tablespoon of the cooking liquid for sure.

Drizzle generous amount of olive oil on the top. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and chopped sumac (optional) on the top.

Serve with bread.

enjoy!

Text, recipe, photo by twincitiesherbs.