[Hencredible Casanova]

Not sure how many of you guys like hummus, but it's pretty good and easy to make. Seems to be increasingly popular as well. Easy snack to have with veggies or chips and when drinking.

People all across the Middle East and Mediterranean make their own hummus everyday in their kitchens. Yet you'll find in the west that most supermarkets charge a few dollars for a small container of hummus when you can make even more yourself at a fraction of the price.

Though chick peas/garbanzo beans (legumes) aren't paleo, they are nutritious as are the other ingredients used to make hummus, especially tahini (sesame seed butter). You can get tahini in many stores but I personally go to a unique hole in the wall near where I live that specializes in products from the Levant.

Tahini is the most crucial ingredient because that's what gives the hummus it's smooth and creamy texture.

So here's what you'll need to make your own hummus:

*Tahini
* Chick peas/Garbanzo beans
*Lemon or Lemon juice
*Garlic cloves or garlic already minced
*Olive oil
*Salt
*Ground cumin

You'll also need a blender or food processor. I use magic bullet, which is the same thing I use to make protein smoothies.

Now the steps:

*Pour 1/4 cup of tahini into the blender as well as the same amount of lemon juice (or squeeze half a lemon but take out the seeds).

Blend for 1-2 mins

Use a spoon to stir and combine everything.

*Add two tablespoons of olive oil into the blender.
*Mince a garlic clove very finely or just add a spoonful of minced garlic

Blend for 1-2mins

Add a dash of salt and a teaspoon of ground cumin into the blender

Open a can of chick peas but don't drain the water in the can. Carefully pour the water in a separate cup and put half the chick peas in the blender with half the water.

* Blend for 1-2 mins

Use a spoon to stir and combine everything quickly.

*Add the rest of the chick peas and blend.

If it's not as smooth as you like, then add more of the remaining water from the can according to your preferences.

You can also have different flavored hummus by adding, for example, red chili pepper, basil pesto, etc.

You can also check out videos on youtube if you need visual help.

[Dr. Howard]

i've just upped the olive oil if I am short tahini, but then it needs more lemon. Its edible but not 'genuine'

[Aliblahba]

(09-01-2013 10:33 AM)wiscanada Wrote:  

i've just upped the olive oil if I am short tahini, but then it needs more lemon. Its edible but not 'genuine'

I still can't make it not to taste like shit. Got spoiled in the ME with the real stuff. I love the stuff, but subcontract the making of it to those that know how.

[Hencredible Casanova]

(09-01-2013 10:53 AM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

(09-01-2013 10:33 AM)wiscanada Wrote:  

i've just upped the olive oil if I am short tahini, but then it needs more lemon. Its edible but not 'genuine'

I still can't make it not to taste like shit. Got spoiled in the ME with the real stuff. I love the stuff, but subcontract the making of it to those that know how.

Haha. I guarantee if you follow my instructions verbatim you can't fuck it up. It will taste better than the grocery store version for sure. But nothing tops the kind you get in the ME itself.

[Veloce]

A couple tips/variations:

-Try toasting the cumin in a dry pan. For best flavor, get whole cumin seeds, toast them in a pan (just until the pan starts to smoke) and grind them to a powder in a coffee grinder (I have one just for spices).

-try cooking your own chickpeas. It just requires a bit more time and planning but it's by no means hard. Cover some dried chickpeas with water overnight in the fridge and cook them covered with water in a pot until very tender. Canning produces its own unique flavors that some people prefer or some don't. Ali this might be why it tastes like shit to you. Dried chickpeas are also even cheaper than canned, which are already inexpensive.

-some countries make a more coarse hummus, it's kind of like a smooth/crunchy peanut butter thing. I like a bit of texture in there myself, so experiment with making it smooth, coarse, etc.

-when eating humus, top with an extra splash of olive oil and a pinch of za'atar, which is a spice mix you can find in any middle eastern store. I like to make my own spice mixture of paprika, dried oregano, ground sumac, and white sesame seeds and put this on top of the humus, served with warm pita.

-finally, it's common in many med/ME countries to make variations of bean purees like humus. Try making humus with fresh fava beans, it's pretty killer. If you live in a large city with a great farmers market, you can actually find fresh garbanzo beans. They're pale green and have a really different flavor.

[Tigre]

Oh yeah, hummus is so good. I need to get back into the habit of making it.

This recipe found on the web is great. Bonus: requires baking soda.

In fact, the whole website in my link above is highly recommended. The guy is really passionate about hummus.

[Katatonic]

(09-01-2013 12:31 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

A couple tips/variations:

-try cooking your own chickpeas. It just requires a bit more time and planning but it's by no means hard. Cover some dried chickpeas with water overnight in the fridge and cook them covered with water in a pot until very tender. Canning produces its own unique flavors that some people prefer or some don't. Ali this might be why it tastes like shit to you. Dried chickpeas are also even cheaper than canned, which are already inexpensive.

-when eating humus, top with an extra splash of olive oil and a pinch of za'atar, which is a spice mix you can find in any middle eastern store. I like to make my own spice mixture of paprika, dried oregano, ground sumac, and white sesame seeds and put this on top of the humus, served with warm pita.

You hit on the biggest key to making good hummus. I have tried nearly every type of canned chick peas from the "Mid-East" brand to most USA brands and they all pale in comparison to cooking your own. I even know a couple from Jordan who pull the skins off of all the chick peas before making hummus.


Instead of regular paprika I get the Spanish smoked pimento variation. I have to load up again next time I hit Surfas in LA.

[Quintus Curtius]

This is great. I can't believe there's a thread on this...!
I grew up with Syrian/Lebanese food. I can tell you guys that Hencredible Casanova's recipie is spot-on. My only comments and add-ons are:
1. Make sure you use a high quality extra virgin olive oil. Makes all the difference.
2. Boiling your own dry chickpeas can be done, but it's not as easy as it looks. If the water in your area is "hard", the beans can fall apart before becoming tender. Adding a bit of baking soda to the water as it boils can solve this problem. It's usually a lot easier to just buy the canned beans.
3. To plate and garnish the hummus b'tahina, spread it out in a serving plate with a depression in the center. Fill this with extra virgin olive oil.
4. Add toasted pine nuts to the sides to garnish.
5. You can make a lot of variations to the final garnishings. I like ground sumac (it's a reddish colored, sour tasting spice). Or, like Katatonic says above, za'atar is great also. There are many different varieties of za'atar. Or, you can add Aleppo pepper (filfil Halabi).

Never buy hummus in the store. Way overpriced, and much easier to make your own.

[speakeasy]

A delicious alternative to hummous is Za'atar.

[Quintus Curtius]

(09-01-2013 10:09 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

A delicious alternative to hummous is Za'atar.

Heh heh...manakeesh bi za'atar...I can dig it.

QC

[Bolthouse]

what do you guys eat hummus with while maintaining paleo?

[BortimusPrime]

(09-02-2013 02:00 AM)Bolthouse Wrote:  

what do you guys eat hummus with while maintaining paleo?

Carrots.

[greensteelhead]

This sounds pretty easy to do! I like making my own stuff (wine, jellies, pickles, salsa), and hummus is awesome.

How long does the homemade variety keep?

[kosko]

Soaking dry chic peas makes all the difference flavor wise and you can get way better texture from the soaked and cooked beans.

Toasting your cumin is also a great tip that was noted. I like roasted garlic in mine too and will roast a bulb up to throw in.

One hack I have for homemade hummus is that you can use other nut butters if you can't find Tahini. I've used peanut butter, cashew, and almond butter with great results. Peanut butter obviously has a strong distinct taste but it adds another layer of flavor and works well with it.

Last thing is that bitches love the stuff. Girls eat a lot of shitty hummus for the store and restaurants since many are "vegetarians" so when you let them try some hummus that actually has some glamour and isn't just creamy salty paste they always get all big eyed and crush the whole thing.

[bacon]

How important/necessary is tahini sause when making hummus? I cant find it where I live

[kosko]

(09-02-2013 10:28 AM)bacon Wrote:  

How important/necessary is tahini sause when making hummus? I cant find it where I live

It tastes more authentic but I found almond butter and cashew butter good replacements. It won't taste "bad" with other nut butters it just won't taste authentic like a Levant style one would. All tasted good when I used them, give it a shot.

[Tigre]

(09-02-2013 10:28 AM)bacon Wrote:  

How important/necessary is tahini sause when making hummus? I cant find it where I live

Provided you can get your hands on sesame seeds and olive oil, you can make it.

http://mideastfood.about.com/od/dipsands...recipe.htm

[Hencredible Casanova]

(09-02-2013 10:28 AM)bacon Wrote:  

How important/necessary is tahini sause when making hummus? I cant find it where I live

You can also just order tahini online if you order shit off amazon.

[Hencredible Casanova]

With flour and a few basic additional ingredients, you can make falafel with the same ingredients as hummus.