Hummus

Name: Hummus
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 105 g dried chickpeas (yields ~240 g cooked and drained; or use 240 g cooked chickpeas, 1 can); 120 g tahini (half the weight of the cooked chickpeas); 1 clove garlic; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 medium lemon (juiced, ≈45 g); 2 generous pinch of salt; 2 tbsp aquafaba (the chickpea cooking water, or the liquid from the can; optional, to thin); paprika (to taste, optional, to garnish); sesame or olive oil (to taste, optional); mint, basil or parsley (a few leaves, to garnish)

A smooth, fragrant chickpea and tahini purée — the Middle Eastern classic, the way we make it at home.

Hummus (ḥummuṣ, حُمُّص — Arabic for “chickpeas”) is a cornerstone of Levantine and wider Middle Eastern cooking, on the region’s tables long before it travelled the world. This is the version we make at home.

We use it as the base for our go-to tortillas with hummus and veggies, but we always make a big batch — it’s the best thing to have on hand for healthy snacking through the week.

Servings
Prep: 10min
Cook: 30min
Rest: overnight + ~2 h

Ingredients

105 g dried chickpeas (yields ~240 g cooked and drained; or use 240 g cooked chickpeas, 1 can)
120 g tahini (half the weight of the cooked chickpeas)
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp (≈7.5g) ground cumin
1 medium lemon (juiced, ≈45 g)
2 generous pinches of salt
2 tbsp aquafaba (the chickpea cooking water, or the liquid from the can; optional, to thin)
paprika (to taste, optional, to garnish)
sesame or olive oil (to taste, optional)
mint, basil or parsley (a few leaves, to garnish)

Method

Note. 105 g of dried chickpeas yield about 240 g cooked and drained, though this varies a lot. The ratio that matters: always use half the weight of the cooked chickpeas in tahini (so ~120 g here). In a hurry, a 240 g can of cooked chickpeas works just as well — keep the aquafaba for thinning the purée.

Soaking (the night before). Soak the dried chickpeas (105 g) overnight (or at least eight hours) in plenty of cold water.
Cooking. Drain them and put them in a pressure cooker, with water at 2.5 times the weight of the dried chickpeas (about 260 g): that way the leftover aquafaba is concentrated enough to use in other recipes, such as meringues. When it starts to whistle, turn it down to the lowest heat on the small burner and cook for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the pressure come down on its own, without opening the valve. Reserve the cooking water, and let the chickpeas cool before using them. With canned chickpeas, skip the soaking and cooking and keep the aquafaba from the can.
Weigh the cooked, drained chickpeas: the tahini is half their weight. Blend the chickpeas with the tahini, garlic (1 clove), cumin (1 tbsp) and salt (2 generous pinches), adding half the lemon juice, until perfectly smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula so no lumps remain.
Adjust with the remaining lemon juice to taste. Then, if you want a softer, creamier texture, add the aquafaba (about 2 tbsp) a little at a time.
Optional: spread into a bowl, dust with paprika using a fork as a stencil, finish with a drizzle of sesame or olive oil, and place a few leaves of mint, basil or parsley in the center.

KeepsIn the fridge, in an airtight container: 4–5 days.