Smear your senses with the subtle exotica of Hummus. Relished as an unparalelled dip that originated in the middle east, it's both nutritious and tongue-tickling at the same time.

But mind you, it is an acquired taste. Just like chinese food for Indians, just like Wasabi sauce for Americans and Chicken Tikka Masala for the Japanese.

For the ones with an adeventurous palate, this dip is highly recommended.
It is a paste made from chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. There are two ways you can cook this delicacy, one by soaking chickpeas overnight, and simmering for three hours, or an alternative method by using a pressure cooker which requires about no pre-soaking and is ready in about two hours.

Now, coming to the recipe of Hummus, here we go:

What you need:

• 3 cups raw dried chickpeas (or skip the soaking and cooking steps, and use 7 cups of drained tinned chickpeas)


• 9 cups water (twice)


• 1 T cooking oil


• 3/4 cup (175 g) tahini


• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice


• 12 cloves of garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)


• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil


• 1 T salt


• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper


• approximately 3/4 cup chickpea cooking liquid

How to make it:

1. Soak the chickpeas in the water overnight, then drain (skip this step if you are using a pressure cooker).


2. Gently simmer the chickpeas with the next lot of water (generously salted) and the tablespoon of oil until very soft, but still whole (about 3 hours, or 1 1/2 hours if using a pressure cooker).


3. Drain the chickpeas, and reserve a few cups of the cooking liquid (you will need it later).


4. Rinse the chickpeas with plenty of cold water, while doing so, gently rub them between your hands to release the skins, they should float away with the rinsing water. After a several changes of water, and removing a majority of the skins, drain the chickpeas again.


5. Using a food processor (or other means), mix the lemon juce with the tahini.


6. Process (or mash) the chickpeas in batches, using the lemon juce and tahini mixture, the olive oil, and the cooking liquid as required to maintain the desired consistency (add the garlic to the batch with the olive oil, and process until smooth).


7. In a large bowl, using a spoon, mix the salt and pepper into the other blended ingredients (add additional cooking liquid, if still too thick).

And lo and behold, what you have is a sumptuous dip that goes well with Pita Bread or Naan and is best paired with a nice White Zinfandel.

Labels: entrée, main-course, starter