Hummus

Recipe contributed by: Dhara Balwa

Hummus is a very popular dip, spread and side in various Mediterranean dishes. We always used to buy it from stores whenever I cooked Mediterranean food or to serve with appetizers. A few days back I was going through the different hummus recipes and realized it is very easy to make it at home with basic ingredients. I soon got a chance to try it when I made a Sudanese meal of Fava Beans and Falafel and needed a dip to serve with it. Just look at the texture in the picture below. It's perfect and it tasted right! Another addition in the meal free of added flavors and all the preservatives listed in the store-bought hummus.

Photo by Dhara Balwa

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 min plus soak time for chickpeas Cook time: 15 min (for chickpeas)
Difficulty level: Easy

Ingredients:

1 cup soaked Chickpeas
1 large clove Garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. Lime Juice
1/4 tsp. Cumin powder
2 tsp. Tahini
1 tsp. Olive oil (you can add more for richer version)
Salt as per taste
1 tsp. Olive oil for garnish
Little water to help chickpeas churn

Method:

1) Cook the chickpeas till they are soft and tender. Drain excess water and let the chick peas cool down.

2) In a mixer, add the chickpeas, oil and around 2 Tbsp. water and churn. If you still have trouble getting it all in a paste, add more water/oil.

3) Once you have uniform consistency paste, add lime juice, tahini, garlic, cumin powder and salt and give it few quick pulses to get it all mixed together.

Top it with little oil while serving.

Note: You can also make tahini at home. Roast the sesame seeds till fragrant. Let them cool down. In a mixer, add the seeds and little olive/ sesame oil and churn is for few minutes till you get a smooth paste. That is what I did for this recipe.