Hummus
When I didn’t find my perfect hummus in the shop, I made it. And when it dawned on me how easy it was to make myself, I never went back! Hummus makes every crunchy snack and many dinners much more exciting.
Necessity is the mother of home cooking.
One of the things I’ve never really minded getting ready made from the shops, is hummus. There are some lovely pots of it in the supermarket. But there was a period I really fancied some hummus, and I was walking around a supermarket trying to find a hummus without garlic in it (my partner wasn’t eating garlic at the time, and I thought I’d spare him the torture of my garlic breath!). That proved a challenge. With all sorts of lovely, fresh hummus variations, not a single one was free of garlic. Now, I do understand and respect that garlic is a pretty important part of a traditional hummus recipe, however, I was certain that it could be pretty tasty without it as well. And that’s the first time I learned to make hummus from scratch. Ever since, I’ve always made mine at home - it’s a lovely thing to make fresh and I feel like my homemade hummus stays fresh for longer than the store-bought ones. And of course, there is the option of playing around, leaving garlic out if needed, doing different batches (one plain, one with sweet potato, one with roasted pepper… whatever you want!)
There are plenty of hummus recipes online and I don’t think you will have struggled to find one before this, I guess what I can offer that is new is the option to leave the garlic out. Or to think slightly differently about your approach to hummus. If you could have it exactly the way you wanted, how would you make it? More runny, less? Is there something you’ve always wanted to add to your hummus for a new flavour you’ve never seen in the shops? Try it now, with your own homemade hummus! And don’t waste the chickpea water from the can (aquafaba) - you can use this in baking and cooking!
Hummus
Watch my YouTube video on how to make hummus here!
Makes 1 large pot
Assembly time: 10 minutes | Cook time (chickpeas): 5 minutes
1 can chickpeas in water (not dry)
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice (roughly what you get from 1 lemon)
1/4 cup (60 ml) tahini
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt & pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons of water
1 small garlic clove (optional!)
Ground paprika, coriander or parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Start by draining the chickpeas, but save the chickpea water, you can use it for vegan baking (meringues for example), or for a vegan mayonnaise!
Boil the chickpeas in water in a pan for about five minutes, then drain and rinse, and let them cool. Some people peel the clear skin off the chickpeas after they’ve boiled and rinsed them (you will notice they come off easily), and claim that this makes a smoother hummus. I’m not particularly desperate for my hummus to be as smooth as possible, and frankly, I’ve tried both and can’t tell much of a difference. So if you’re like me, just chuck the chickpeas in your food processor/blender.
Add the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and seasoning - and garlic if you are adding that - and blend until it all comes together smoothly. If the mix is a bit too thick, add a bit of water, just a tiny bit at a time until you get your desired thickness/smoothness.
Serve with some seasoning or garnish on top and have hummus with some bread, carrot and celery sticks, or with a lovely mediterranean dinner. Yum!!!
I would love to see your hummus! Did you add anything else? And what do you have it with? Share your result with me on Instagram and tag @TheFromScratchBody and hashtag #TheFromScratchBody so I don’t miss it!
