Hummus is a dish very popular in the Middle East. This is nothing but a paste of special peas - chickpeas, seasoned with
sesame sauce (ideally it is better to buy it in a store, it is called "tahin" or "tahini"), olive oil and spices. Usually it is served for breakfast (with bread or flat cake you get a hearty meal) or before lunch or dinner as a snack. Also, the dish can be served with minced meat, usually lamb, herbs and so on. In our article you will find a simple recipe for making hummus, adapted to Russian realities, that is, it will be described in detail about
how to cook peas, how to make sesame paste and which seasonings to add. You just have to follow our advice and stock up on time: peas must not only be soaked, but also cooked long enough.
A simple recipe for hummus
This dish needs to be prepared in advance, because the process from start to finish can take almost a day. Soak chickpeas (also called chickpeas) in plenty of cold drinking water. For future softness and better cooking, add a little baking soda to the water. If you are lucky and you can get the peas of this year's crop, then you need to soak it only for a couple of hours. Older beans should be kept in water for up to half a day. So the cooking process will be significantly reduced, and after 1-2 hours you will get an excellent hummus. The recipe is as follows: after the peas are soaked, boil it in salted water until soft - a little digestion is not scary, but from the undercooked dish will not work. You can notice that the beans are enclosed in a transparent shell, it needs to be separated in order to make the paste homogeneous, without interspersing extraneous and completely unnecessary ingredients. In order to facilitate the process, immediately place the hot hummus from the pan in very cold water and gently rub it with your hands - in this case, the shell will easily separate from the grain and float, and the peas themselves will settle to the bottom. Repeat the process if necessary. These were the main subtleties used in the preparation of the main ingredient for this dish. Actually, the recipe for making hummus implies the presence of such components, for 400 grams of chickpea you will need:
- 1 lemon to squeeze juice from;
- 7 tbsp. tablespoons of quality olive oil;
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of ground sesame (add a little oil to it to make a paste) or the most appropriate option is to use tahini paste instead of seeds themselves, also 2 tbsp. l .;
- 1 garlic clove;
- spices - half a tablespoon of dried cilantro, cumin and paprika.
When the peas are ready and already peeled from the outer shell (how to do this easily and quickly, described above), place it in a blender along with other ingredients, except oil, and beat until a smooth, uniform mass is obtained. If the paste is too thick, add a little water, better than the one in which you cooked the beans themselves. Then, without stopping the process, pour olive oil into a thin stream. Everything is ready, but it is better to let it brew for at least one hour before serving. As you can see, the recipe for making hummus itself is not too complicated, but it takes enough time to prepare.
By the way, a plate with this delicious bean paste can be decorated with several whole grains of chickpeas, and sprinkle on top with a small amount of fresh herbs (as shown in the picture). And in the Arab countries, for even more nutrition, in the middle put a few tablespoons of fried lamb minced meat. One way or another, it is best to serve hummus with tortillas or pita bread, in extreme cases with bread. It can be one of the snacks on the festive table, and a full breakfast, and a delicious start to dinner. By the way, the Hebrew hummus recipe is no different from its Arabic version. And in Israel, and in Syria or Turkey, it is prepared as described above, only adding spices, focusing on your own taste. If someone loves sharper, you can sprinkle the finished dish with paprika from the heart or pour a couple of drops
of Tabasco sauce into it
. We already mentioned the meat option, and if you prefer vegetables and greens, you can put chopped fresh cilantro in the middle.
If you have not tried hummus yet, be sure to use our tips for its preparation, perhaps it will become one of your favorite snacks.