Lebanese Hummus (Authentic)
Description
For a long time, hummus has been a favorite for many, but many people have struggled to achieve the perfect texture when making it at home. I’m here to tell you that there’s hope! With a few simple tricks and secrets, you can make the creamiest, most luscious hummus—good enough to rival the best hummus served at a refined fine-dining restaurant.
Ingredients
- 500 grams / 1 lb 2 oz dried chickpeas which can be purchased at many Middle Eastern or Asian markets
- 400 grams / 14 oz tahini
- Salt to taste
- 1/3 cup canola oil or sunflower oil. Skip it if you want to avoid hydrogenated oils but this is the secret ingredient many restaurants rely on for an epic hummus.
- 1 level tablespoon citric acid
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice strained
- 2 teaspoons baking soda: 1 teaspoon for the soaking water and the remaining teaspoon for the pot
- 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 2 or 3 garlic cloves; read the note about garlic
- High-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling upon serving
Instructions
- Before starting, please read all the tips and secrets I’ve provided above. They’ll definitely make a huge difference.
- In a bowl, add the dried chickpeas and cover them with twice their volume of cold water. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Leave them on the kitchen bench to soak overnight.
- Once the chickpeas have been rehydrated, drain the water they have been soaking in. Transfer them to a large pot and cover with 1½ liters / 6 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, remove the scum that appears on the surface, and add the remaining baking soda. The scum will appear once more after adding the baking soda; remove it again.Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the chickpeas are tender. They should be very soft and easy to mash, almost falling apart when pressed between your fingers. This will take 1–2 hours, depending on the chickpeas. Add more hot water if they seem to be drying out or boiling dry.
- Drain and set aside a few chickpeas for garnish. Using a food processor or high-speed blender, process the chickpeas while they are still warm for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then process for another 30 seconds, or until well blended and smooth, with no grainy texture remaining. Refrigerate overnight. If you’re in a hurry, freeze for 1 hour.
- On the second day, in the bowl of a food processor, add half of the ice cubes and pulse to crush them. Add the puréed chickpeas and pulse a few times to homogenize.
- Add the citric acid, lemon juice, remaining ice cubes, salt, and garlic (see the note above about the garlic). Pulse one more time.With the food processor still running, add half of the tahini in a thin, steady stream. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the remaining tahini. Process for 3 minutes to fully incorporate everything. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, resulting in smooth and creamy hummus.
- Gradually add the sunflower oil and pulse until well combined.
- You may need to add more lemon juice or salt, depending on your preference.
- Transfer hummus to shallow serving plates and create a well in the center with the back of a spoon. Garnish with reserved chickpeas/ paprika/cumin powder/ sumac, to make the fork impressions on hummus, dip the back of the fork in water so it coats the back of fork tines with light pressure, impression the paprika/cumin powder/ sumac onto the hummus surface and drizzle with quality extra virgin olive oil. You will love this recipe, I promise. Watch the detailed video tutorial. Enjoy!Transfer the hummus to shallow serving plates and create a well in the center using the back of a spoon.Garnish with the reserved chickpeas, paprika, cumin powder, and sumac. To create the fork impressions on the hummus, dip the back of a fork in water so that the tines are lightly coated. Gently press the back of the fork onto the hummus to create the impressions, then sprinkle with paprika, cumin powder, and sumac.Drizzle with high-quality extra virgin olive oil.You will love this recipe—I promise! Watch the detailed video tutorial, and enjoy!
Video
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