I discovered pita bread and hummus when I was in Google Hyderabad. We had a salad bar with all these crunchy, fresh vegetables and a bowl of creamy hummus with warm, oven-fresh pita bread right next to it. It wasn’t really a popular choice since our lunch buffet had much more appealing dishes but practically every other day, I used to make a pita sandwich with some lettuce, tomato slices, cucumber and a generous spread of hummus.
You may also enjoy:
Chunky tomato salsa recipe
Tomato mint chutney recipe
Fresh basil pesto
Mint chutney
Those were the days that I could get hummus without going through the trouble of making it myself but now things are different. So last weekend, I set out to the task myself. My hummus came out really well and though next time I may blend it until creamy, I still didn’t mind the coarse texture of it this time.
One ingredient you will surely need is good-quality Tahini. I got mine from NTUC FairPrice in Singapore. I don’t remember the brand name now but tahini is definitely available here in Singapore.
If you want to prepare the hummus without tahini then you can avoid it, which will of course affect the flavour but the end product is still creamy and delicious. Sometimes, kids are allergic to tahini so follow the hummus recipe below but without tahini.
Ingredients:
Chickpeas – 1 cup, washed and soaked in water overnight or at least 8 hours
Tahini – 1/2 cup
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Garlic – 1/2 tsp, minced
Cumin / jeera / jeerakam – 1/2 tsp, crushed (I used cumin powder)
Salt – to taste
Olive oil / sesame oil – 1 tbsp
Instructions:
1. Wash the soaked chickpeas well and drain water completely.
2. Pressure cook until soft (3 whistles) in sufficient water. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, transfer the chickpeas to a pot and add water until it is well covered. Cook until the chickpeas are soft and mash easily. This should take about 30-40 mins. Do not add salt while cooking the chickpeas as this will harden them.
3. Drain the water used for chickpeas and keep aside. Blend the chickpeas until smooth, adding little water if too thick.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients (except oil) and continue to blend until you get a smooth, thick paste that is of spreading consistency. If too thick, add very little water at a time from the water used to cook the chickpeas.
5. Make sure you mix the oil in before serving!
I didn’t buy pita bread so I served it with some home made white bread.
Now where wud i find tahini…..so how am i going to make this awesome dip?Somebody pls come up with an alternative…hello..koi sun raha hai??
Hummus is an all time favorite. I loved the 1st pic, Nags
I love hummus too.. the pic looks beautiful. thanx for the lovely entry 🙂
Nice recipe… and I really like your picture…
I didn’t know tahini is one of the main ingredients in hummus. i have never made hummus at home. but i don’t know where to get tahini from…. i like your first pic.very inviting.
Hi nags,
hummus is such a classic combination of chickpeas and olive. I even saw a recipe from bobby flay for a hummus quesadilla. Lovely photographs ! Thanks for sending in this delicious entry to JFI Chickpea,
best,
ms
I love hummus, when we wer ein holiday in egypt, we had them almost everyday with falafel.
This looks so yummy delicious.
I love the sprinkling on top. Is it chillie powder.
I love Hummus, & regularly make at home. I did not use store bought Tahini the first time I had made it,but did grind up sesame & olive oil at home…Urs looks lovely. try incorporating other flavors, like sun dried tomatoes , peppers.. u will not be disapppointed.
combination of Chickpeas, sesame and hint of olive oil taste amazing… and very quick recipe
chakali
I love this combo, makes a healthy snack to munch on any time. Pics are great! :))