Why is the best hummus always in restaurants, especially Middle Eastern ones? I think I make a delicious, flavorful hummus that has a great consistency and is better than the ones you find in the supermarket. But, it doesn’t compare to the silky, light and creamy hummus that I’ve had in restaurants. I want that kind. The kind that will drip, not plop, off your pita if you’re not careful. The kind you can suck up with a straw. You know what I mean.
I got into bed with a book the other night, because reading helps me wind down and relax from my typically crazy day. But of course, I read cookbooks in bed before I go to sleep which is an absolutely terrible idea because that does nothing to quiet my overactive brain which doesn’t stop thinking, thinking, thinking! Regardless, I was reading Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s not-so-new, but gorgeous book , “Jerusalem.” So many recipes, so little time, people. I turned to their recipe for “Basic Hummus” and I swear I almost flipped the page without so much as a glance, because like I said, I already have a perfectly great hummus recipe which I have actually turned into four different flavors. But then I thought “have some respect, you never know.”
The word “supersmooth” caught my attention immediately and then I knew I found it — the hummus of my dreams. Let me jump to the chase. The Ottolenghi hummus is the kind I love at restaurants and they tell me all their secrets. Most importantly, the chickpea skins are removed after cooking and before pureeing. I know!!! Why didn’t I think of that? But before you think I have the kind of time to sit around peeling chickpea skins, think again. After soaking and draining the chickpeas, they are cooked with a little baking soda and then water is added to boil the beans. Most of the skins float to the top of the pot and you just skim them away. I know!!! Brilliant. They also add a lot more tahini (sesame paste) than I do which makes the hummus so creamy. And water. I would never have thought to add water, but it really makes the hummus lighter and cleaner than adding the chickpea liquid which is how I do it. “Better late than never,” is what I was thinking.
I wouldn’t say that my first attempt came out quite as smooth as Ottolenghi’s primarily because not all the chickpeas lost their skins and I was not about to go peeling them, but it was really, really good and very smooth. You can see the image of that below. I also tasted the hummus after adding 2/3 cup of tahini instead of the recommended 1 cup + 2 Tbs. and I thought it was divine. I made it a second time and did take the time to pull off any skins that didn’t come off during the boiling process and the hummus was a tad bit creamier, but I’m not sure it was worth the extra 12 minutes it took me to do that. You should do whatever makes sense to you and if you have the time, feel free to pick out every last skin. For that matter, you can buy canned cooked chickpeas and pull off the skins and proceed from there.
I served this to friends the other night, friends who have had my hummus a million times and they all said “where did you get this? This is so good.” I know, a tad insulting since the implication was that I could not have made it, but I was totally fine with that. Since then, we’ve enjoyed this immensely with pita bread and raw veggies (wow, I could actually hear you yawn through the computer), slathered on a baguette with grilled veggies and slow roasted tomatoes (my recommendation), and dolloped on a Greek salad with chicken souvlaki (we had this for dinner the other night — major hit!). There is an insanely beautiful picture in the book of the hummus topped with whole cooked chickpeas, pine nuts, chopped parsley, cooked lamb and the whole thing drizzled with olive oil. A-mazing.
No matter how you make it, hummus is rather nutritious and especially high in protein and fiber. It’s one of the more healthful spreads and dips, provided you don’t go to crazy on the pita bread or chips. I have even used it in place of mayonnaise in chicken salad. I have even eaten it with a spoon. I have even dreamt about it. You will too, until you make it!
Supersmooth, Light-as-Air Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups dried chickpeas, garbanzo beans*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 ½ cups water
- 1 cup light tahini paste, Ottolenghi recommends 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons, but I thought anywhere between 2/3 and 1 cup was great
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 medium cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 6 ½ Tablespoons ice cold water
- Unrefined olive oil and sweet paprika for finishing, if desired
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with at least 4 inches of cold water. Allow to soak 6-8 hours.
- Drain the chickpeas. In a medium saucepan over high heat, add the drained chickpeas and the baking soda. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the water and bring to a boil. Make sure the water covers the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Reduce heat and simmer, skimming off and foam and any skins that float to the surface. The chickpeas cook faster this way and may only need from 20-40 minutes to become tender, but possibly longer. You know they’re done if you can squish a chickpea in between your thumb and forefinger.
- Drain the chickpeas. You will have about 3 2/3 cups. Transfer the chickpeas to a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until you get a stiff paste. With the machine running, add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Lastly, slowly drizzle in the ice water and allow it to mix for about 5 minutes until you get a really smooth and creamy paste. I actually set my timer for 5 minutes and washed the dishes in the meantime.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and allow the hummus to rest for at least 30 minutes. If not serving right away, refrigerate until needed. Make sure to remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving. If desired, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.
Notes
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Hello. Love your recipes and creativity! I’m confused if you sautéed the chickpeas in the saucepan for 3 minutes first before you add the water? Thank you:)
Thanks, Leora. Yes, that’s what you do!
Hi Pamela: We love the humus recipe and have made it twice…once with canned chickpeas (very laborious removing the skins) and once with fresh cooked chickpeas (still had to remove the skins and still laborious). Does the baking soda soften the remaining skins enough that they don’t have to be removed? Not many of my skins floated to the surface.
Thanks!
First of all, you do not need to do this method of removing all the skins. You can make perfectly good hummus with the skins on, but it just isn’t this light and smooth. The baking soda should help get the chickpeas softer than if you didn’t use it, and it helps to break down the skins a little, but you still have to remove them manually somewhat. Otherwise, try cooking them with baking soda and not removing the skins and see if you like the texture enough. 🙂
Thank for your prompt reply!
I tried this recipe, but could I have possibly overworked my hummus? It was so thick and stiff? In fact, my food processor was HOT after waiting allotted time. I used peeked canned beans… I’m remaking it soon with soaked dried beans and thought I’d ask…thank you so much!
SOunds like you didn’t have enough liquid. Did you remember to add the tahini and the water?
Thank you so much for the reply- I did add the tahini and water. As a side note, I remade with the cooked/peeled fresh beans. It was much lighter-less stiff. Tasty hummus!
why not just put your chickpeas through a foley mill or potato ricer to screen out the skins?
Wow, this really is the smoothest hummus ever! I used 5 cloves roasted garlic, rather than fresh and added about 1/2 tsp cumin. Delicious!
Love both those additions!!
It’s a small suggestion however, for decorative and taste enhancement purposes, instead of sprinkling paprika over the hummus before serving, try sumac
You are quite right, Bill! I actually have some sumac from a Fattoush obsession I had. I actually prefer it to paprika and it would be marvelous here. Excellent suggestion, thank you!
As one other hummus groupie suggested I also half fresh garlic and half roasted garlic puree which I make 5 pounds at a time.
The garlic-flavoured olive oil that it bakes in can’t be beat on just about anything including sprinkling on traditional hummus.
I can’t find any way to disagree with that. 5 pounds at a time, eh? Nice!
This is the best hummus recipe I’ve tried. So flavorful and smooth! Love it, thank you!!
Glad it was yummy for you, Katie!
I dont see where you use the 1 tsp baking soda that you have in the ingredients list.
Good question, Kathi. The baking soda is used to cook the dried chickpeas, not as a hummus ingredient. See Step 2. It helps to dissolve the skins so you can just skim them off. If you are using pre-cooked chickpeas (like from a can), you won’t need the baking soda. Hope that makes sense!
What about roasting the garlic like you do in the white bean dip recipe?
Thanks!
Huh! Never thought about that. I bet it would be delicious. Go for it and let me know how it turns out please.
Embarking on new hummus recipe. Feeling like I’m cheating on the old hummus recipe! Do you still recommend adding kombu when soaking/boiling the chickpeas?
Too funny! Sure, why not on the kombu. It adds alkalinity and increases digestibility, but it’s not a dealbreaker either way.