The best homemade hummus recipe
Hummus has become ubiquitous since its arrival on supermarket shelves in the late 80s. Yet we’re very late to the hummus party.
The beige foodstuff – traditionally made with chickpeas, tahini and lemon juice – has been a staple of Middle Eastern cookery for centuries.
Where did the recipe originate?
“Generally most people agree that it was Levantine or Egyptian Arabs who first made hummus, though even this is debatable,” says Yotam Ottolenghi in his excellent cookbook Jerusalem, citing a controversial claim by Jewish author Meir Shalev that a certain passage in the Bible indicates Jews ate hummus in Biblical times.
It is mostly accepted that Arabs in Egypt were preparing and eating hummus bi tahini at least as far back as the 13th century, as the earliest known recipes for the dish date back to this period. Legends also link hummus to the reign of the 12th Century sultan Saladin.
Given the tumultuous history of the region, and the current worldwide popularity of hummus, it’s not surprising that the origins of the dish are, in Ottolenghi’s words “a highly explosive subject.”
In 2008, Lebanese manufacturers tried to sue Israel for “stealing its trademark foods” including hummus. The Israelis retaliated with a world record attempt to make the biggest plate of hummus, which the Lebanese then went on to beat in 2010. The Palestinians, Egyptians and Syrians can also arguably lay a claim to hummus, and the dish is popular throughout the region, including in Cyprus and Turkey.
How do you make hummus?
It’s easy to make your own hummus at home. While purists recommend dried chickpeas (Ottolenghi soaks his with a little bicarbonate of soda) and, like food blogger Helen Graves, rail against the ‘pong’ of tinned chick peas, there’s a handy middle ground if you have neither the time nor inclination to soak chickpeas for more than 24 hours.
Instead of regular tinned chickpeas, use good-quality jarred chickpeas, and check they are preserved in nothing but water. The firm, fresh-smelling chickpeas make for a rich and smooth dip.
Our homemade hummus recipe
Ingredients
- 1 380g carton chickpeas in water
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 freshly squeezed juice of one lemon
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (to garnish)
Details
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Recipe Type: starter
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 5 mins
- Cooking Time: 0 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- In a jug, mix together the tahini with the crushed garlic and lemon juice with a fork until the mixture thickens a little.
- Add the chick peas to a large bowl or food processor and pour in the tahini mixture. Using a stick blender or your food processor, pulse the mixture until it is smooth. Pour in 1tbsp olive oil, season with the sea salt and then pulse again.
- Add a little water to loosen the mixture and stir it into the hummus with a spoon. You should have a silky smooth but thick texture.
- Remove to a serving dish. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top and garnish with flat-leaf parsley.
- Keep any extra hummus in a covered bowl in the fridge, where it will keep for several days.
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