Hummus

Hummus is a Middle Eastern food dip/spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.

This creamy tangy dip is quick and easy to prepare. Hummus is generally served with pita bread, corn chips, as an accompaniment to falafel or used as a spread on sandwiches or wraps.

Ingredients

1 cup	Chickpeas (Kabuli Chana)
1/4 cup	Tahini*
2 tbsp	Lemon juice
3-4	garlic cloves
2 tbsp	Olive Oil
to taste	Crushed Black Pepper (Optional)
to taste	Salt

Method

·         Soak Chickpeas for 5-6 hours in warm water. Then boil the chickpeas in a pressure cooker/Microwave till they become soft.

·         Place the chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, tahini paste, lemon juice, Salt, crushed black pepper in a food processor/mixer grinder and process. Add 1/4 cup of water from boiled chickpeas and process again until quite smooth

·         Garnish with paprika, olives and a drizzle of olive oil

Tips

·         *Tahini Paste is nothing but roasted sesame seeds grinded along with some olive oil. Make sure that the sesame seeds do not change color while roasting.

·         I have found that I enjoy a lighter hummus more than the thick stuff so u can increase or decrease the quantity of water and olive oil as per your choice

·         Olive oil keeps the dip soft and mushy and prevents it from drying up

·         Canned chickpeas can also be used for a quick dip

·         The quantity of lemon juice can be increased if you like it tangier.