Houmous

HURRAY! BEIGE GLORY!! (photo by Ashley)
HURRAY! BEIGE GLORY!! (photo by Ashley)

I’ve been trying to perfect homemade houmous (or hummus – whatever your spelling preference) for AGES and every time I’ve made it it’s been really bitter. It’s been driving me crazy as every time I’ve followed a recipe and it’s always turned into a big old mess. There’s nothing more frustrating than wasting time and ingredients when you just can’t understand what’s caused something to go wrong! Anyway, after much research and some angsty conversations with successful houmous chefs, I have found the problem! It was the tahini! The brand of tahini I was using (Cypressa Light Tahini) is really bitter. My friend Emma picked some up from her local Mediterranean shop, and I did a taste test of the tahini on its own – it’s amazing how much more mellow and flavourful hers was! So I’ve binned what was left of the Cypressa and decided to never use it again! 

Anyway, instead of following a recipe, I went off piste and did my own thing! And you know what? It was absolutely DIVINE. So, without further rambling, here it is…!

SUCCESS! (photo by Ashley)
SUCCESS! (photo by Ashley)

This makes enough for four/five people

  • 400g can of chickpeas
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 dessert spoons of peanut butter
  • 4 tbsp tahini (NOT Cypressa! I used Koska – pic below)
  • A few cumin seeds to decorate (optional)
  1. Start by draining your chickpeas and then popping them in a bowl of fresh, clean water. Use your hand to squooshthem around a bit to make sure they’re all squeaky clean. If you’re picky, you can rub them together in your hand and this will remove the skins. You can then scoop the skins off. If you’re not picky, just given them a good swirl around and drain again.
  2. Pop the chickpeas in a large food processor. Peel the garlic and throw it in, along with the fresh lemon juice and cumin.
  3. Whizz up on high speed and blend for a couple of minutes until it starts to become smooth. Add in the peanut butter and blend again. If it’s looking a bit stiff, add a couple of tablespoons of water. Blend again, this time for at least 4 mins so it’s really smooth.
  4. Finally, add the tahini and blitz again for 30 seconds to a minute to ensure it’s well combined. If it needs it, add a little bit more water until you get the right consistency.
  5. Decorate with a few cumin seeds if you fancy. Serve with hot toasted pitta! 

Enjoy!

This is the brand I use. A friend of mine gets it for me from a Mediterranean shop in Streatham but I am sure it's available in independent shops all over.
This is the brand I use. A friend of mine gets it for me from a Mediterranean shop in Streatham but I am sure it’s available in independent shops all over.

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