best tasting uses dried chickpeas easy recipe uses tinned
For a tasty hummus recipe chickpeas are soaked overnight, drained and simmered in fresh water until soft. You then pound them to a pulp or put them in the food processor, with a little of their cooking water, and blend until you have a thick cream.
However, it is much easier to use tinned chickpeas. For a bowl-full of healthy dip for 4- 6 people, use one 400 g tin of cooked chickpeas. This is the approx. equivalent of 75 g of dried and then cooked.
For more authenticity you can add tahina paste, which is a sesame paste. You can buy it in the UK in jars - also called Tahini.
Process the chickpeas to a puree in a food processor. Add the juice of a lemon, a garlic clove, at least 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a few tablespoons of tahina paste if you have it. If it’s still very thick, add some water - if you were using dried chickpeas you’d use the water they were cooked in.
Blend until creamy and season well with salt and black pepper. Add other spices to taste, if you wish, especially if you missed out the tahina. Popular spices are ground cumin, fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped red chilli or cayenne pepper.
Put in a bowl and sprinkle lightly with cayenne pepper or paprika. Or garnish with chopped parsley or coriander leaves and a dribble of olive oil.
This recipe is packed with iron and minerals, which support the metabolic process and chickpeas are also a good source of protein and help to stabilise blood sugar.
For more authenticity you can add tahina paste, which is a sesame paste. You can buy it in the UK in jars - also called Tahini.