21 February, 2015
Fail-Proof Creamy Garlic Hummus
I have a confession – I love hummus, what’s not to love about it? Its creamy, it’s healthy & it’s absolutely yummy! The first time I had this was years back when the Middle Eastern cuisine was not that big in India. I distinctly remember how my sister made it when she was visiting us from Dubai & none of us really liked it; back then I had a limited palette & was really not a person who was open to trying out new cuisines.
If you guys have been following me on Instagram, you would know that I have been eagerly trying to shed some weight & thus indulging in healthy food. I just can’t diet, never have been able to & I highly doubt that if it is ever possible for me; thus the need to eat healthy comes in.
Hummus has been told to be one the healthiest snack dips & thus it was on my “try to make at home” list. Recently I tried hummus at Carters Blue & Maroosh in Bandra & paid some odd Rs.200 for barely any quantity. No boasting but trust me when I say that try making this at home & you will never ever pay a single dime to have it again. Not only is it tastier than the store bought one, but you exactly know what all is going inside your tummy. Though I knew the basic ingredients of this recipe when I made it but there came a point in the middle of the process where I thought I should may be add water which is when my elder sister warned me against doing so & I am glad I took her advice on that.
Tahina/Tahini sauce is one ingredient really worth investing in, though you can make it at home but I preferred to buy a big bottle & keep it handy. Most recipes online would call for canned chickpeas however I wanted to try the normal boiled chickpeas & you really can’t say much of a difference, you simply have to boil for a whistle or two more than what you would for your Chickpeas Stew or for Pindi Chole.
Garlic Hummus
Ingredients
Chickpeas (boiled till tender) 2cups
Tahini Sauce 1/4th cup + 2 tbsps
Olive Oil ½ cup
Yogurt 5-6tbsps
Garlic cloves 8-10
Lemon juice 2tbsp
Lemon juice 2tbsp
Salt To taste
Method
- Mix Chickpeas, tahini, garlic, salt, half of olive oil & yogurt in a food processor or grinder & grind till smooth paste.
- Depending on the quality of your food processor, adjust the consistency of the hummus with the remaining yogurt & olive oil.
- It needs to be a smooth paste & it will take time so do not panic if you think the texture is too coarse.
- You may keep your hummus slightly coarse depending on your palette but not too coarse as it is supposed to be a smooth dip.
- Sprinkle with either sumac powder, roasted cumin powder, zataar powder or paprika powder, dried garlic granules & slices of olives.
- Drizzle with olive oil & serve chilled.
Cucumber Hummus Canape
I realized that it tastes best the next day so make it a day in advance if you have guests coming over or if you are having a Lebanese night with your family. I am going to be making & sharing a lot of variations of hummus with you guys soon.