Homemade hummus — dried chickpeas, tahini and lemon

pareve Israeli and Mediterranean · regular · 80 min, including 20 hands-on

Hummus as served in Jaffa's hummus shops: chickpeas cooked until they crush between two fingers, blended while still hot with plenty of tahini, lemon and ice cubes, and served warm with a drizzle of olive oil, warm pita, raw onion and green chilli relish.

easy version

Ingredients for two

Method

1. The day before, rinse the chickpeas and cover with three times their volume of cold water and 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda. Soak for 12 hours, or at least 8, in the fridge if the kitchen is warmer than 25°C. The next day, rinse and drain: they should have doubled in volume.
2. Put the drained chickpeas and remaining 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda in a 3-litre saucepan. Stir over a high heat without liquid for 2 minutes to help loosen the skins. Cover with 1.5 litres cold water, bring to the boil and skim off the foam and floating skins. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered, without salt, for 45–60 minutes, depending on the age of the chickpeas. A chickpea should crush between two fingers without any resistance, almost to a purée. If in doubt, cook for another 10 minutes: overcooked chickpeas make smoother hummus; undercooked ones never will.
3. While the chickpeas cook, put the tahini, juice of half a lemon, crushed garlic and salt in a food processor or blender. Blend for 1 minute: the mixture will thicken and lighten, which is normal; the chickpeas will loosen it. Prepare the accompaniments. Cut the remaining lemon half into two wedges. Finely chop the green chilli with a pinch of salt, put in a small dish and squeeze over one lemon wedge to make the harif relish. Cut the half onion into wedges. Check that you have 4 ice cubes in the freezer, but leave them there until step 5, just before adding them.
4. Drain the piping-hot chickpeas in a colander set over a bowl, reserving a small glass (100 g) of cooking water for loosening the hummus or making masabacha. Reserve 1 tbsp whole chickpeas for garnish. Add the remaining hot chickpeas to the tahini mixture with the cumin. Blend at full speed for 2 minutes, removing the centre cap from the lid to let steam escape. The purée will still be thick and grainy.
5. Take the ice cubes out now. With the motor running, add them one at a time through the lid opening, followed by ice-cold water a spoonful at a time. Blend for another 3–4 minutes: the cold meeting the hot chickpeas produces a very smooth, pale, airy cream that falls slowly from a spoon. The longer you blend, the silkier it becomes. Taste and adjust the salt or lemon. If still too stiff, add a spoonful of hot cooking water rather than cold water.
6. Serve warm: spread 2 generous spoonfuls (120–150 g) on each shallow bowl, making a circular groove with the back of the spoon. Pour the olive oil into the groove, add the whole chickpeas and sprinkle with paprika and parsley. Warm the pita in a dry frying pan over a high heat for 1 minute on each side and serve cut into quarters. Set the onion wedges, lemon wedge and small dish of harif alongside. Refrigerate the remaining hummus, nearly half the batch, in a sealed container for lunch the next day.

On your plate

Cooking tips

This makes two starters and two lunches. Hummus keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for 4 days. Take it out 30 minutes before serving, loosen with a spoonful of water and beat with a fork to restore its texture. Serve leftovers the next day with a hard-boiled egg and pickles, or in a rolled pita. Doubling the batch for a crowd takes the same effort. Soak the chickpeas the evening before for 12 hours; this is not included in the stated time. Without soaking, allow 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. For masabacha, keep a generous third of the chickpeas whole and hot and spoon over the hummus with lemon juice, cumin and a little of the cooking water reserved in step 4.

Equipment : food processor or powerful blender, 3-litre saucepan, slotted spoon, colander, frying pan for warming the pita

Hummus from Israel's hummus shops, including Abu Hassan in Jaffa and Lina in Jerusalem, using the bicarbonate-of-soda and ice-cube method.