What is hummus?
Hummus is a Middle Eastern and Arabic food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with
tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.
Today, it is popular throughout the Middle East, Turkey, North Africa, Morocco, and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe.
The above explaination was cut and paste from Wiki. I knew nut about hummus nor I tasted it before till I saw it at UNWARPPED. It is show from the Food Channel that featuring the food production in US that I or we (my kids and I) came across HUMMUS and realised it made of chickpeas.
Chickpea has another bobastic name called garbanzo bean that is not familiar to asian. We dun really have chickenpeas except having it as the indian snacks call "kachanputeh", other than that we dun really include chickpeas in our diet.
However, if you read many of the 10 best foods or foods that slim you down. You see garbanzo bean appeared more of the time so I pick up my courage to buy a box of hummus when I went shopping at Cold Storage. It is like a dip for nachos and a healthier than dipping into cheese sauce.
Infact, it taste quite nice. Well, I like the taste of chickpeas and nuts so I like the nutty taste from hummas. Infact, it contains high proteins and folate in this cute little peas.
Here I venture my search into something different and may be to give myself a rest from the korean food.
Oh btw, tahini is the hulled sesame so I guess it is sesame sauce to asian, you will spot tahini sauce at the organic shelves so I believe it is on that category.
Basically, the hummus consist of chickpeas, lemon and olive oil. Most receipes call for tahini and I found one that asking for yogurt. Well, I think both are equally healthy, the yogurt add in probotics to the hummus u eating while the tahini will give you additional sauce of vitamins and mineral on top of the chickpeas and the nice aroma from the seasame. We chinese love the smell of seasame oil.
Ingredients
1 ( 400g ) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
½ lemon, juiced
Coarse salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp (⅓ palm full) ground coriander
1 tsp (⅓ palm full) ground cumin
½ tsp crushed pepper flakes
A drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
2 rounded tablespoons tahini sesame paste, found in both dairy and dry specialty foods sections
Pita breads, grilled and cut into wedges for dipping
Method
1) Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. 2) Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
3) Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.
4) Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).
5) Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.
Variations
For a spicier hummus, add a sliced red chile or a dash of cayenne pepper.
Storing Hummus
Hummus can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and can be kept in the freezer for up to one month. Add a little olive oil if it appears to be too dry.
Ingredients
One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo), rinsed and drained welljuice from 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt1-2 cloves garlic, very finely minced1/4 cup plain yogurt3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling1/4 teaspoon smoked paprikaminced fresh parsley
Method
1)
In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, salt, garlic and yogurt.
2) Process for 1 minute, then open the food processer and scrape the sides. Process for another minute. While the processor is running, pour in the olive oil. Taste and check for smooth consistency. If the hummus is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water. Just before serving, sprinkle with smoked paprika, fresh parsley and drizzle with additional olive oil.
