Hummus

During the months that I would stay with them in Delhi, one of the most-uttered questions I would use is, “What are you cooking today?” and one of the most endearing replies would be, “Hummus”. Antar da introduced me to hummus at a time when I was freshly out of hostel and chickpeas and I couldn’t see eye to eye. Our relationship was like the one between Sonia Gandhi and Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi (are we allowed to be politically incorrect in a food blog?) And then happened hummus. So what if it’s made of chickpeas, it’s Mediterranean. And anything Mediterranean is always a winner with me.

For the uninitiated, hummus is basically a dip made up of mashed chickpeas, olive oil and tahini or sesame paste. Originally from Egypt, it has now percolated as a popular food item in the whole of Middle East and even North Africa. Now this is an extremely versatile dip. You can have it with pita bread (as is the norm), but any crusty bread does just about fine. You can also slice up raw vegetables and dip those crudites in this luscious chickpea heaven. Or I’ll tell you something? Cream cracker biscuits also act as a wonderful option. Spread some leftover hummus on a roti, throw some veggies or chicken, roll it and you have Mediterranean wrap ready. So what are you waiting for? Get that blender out and start whizzing your ingredients right now!

Serves: 5-6
Ingredients:

Chickpeas, soaked in water overnight: 200 gm
Extra Virgin Olive oil: 3/4 cup
Sesame seeds: 2-3 tbsp
Lime, juiced: 3
Garlic, minced: 2 tsp
Paprika: For seasoning
Garlic or seat salt: To taste

Method:

1. In a non-stick pan, dry roast the sesame seeds and make a paste with the lemon juice for the tahini. Set aside.

2. In a blender, throw in the chickpeas, garlic and blend. Drizzle olive oil bit by bit until almost smooth. Add tahini, salt, paprika and blend again. Blend till smooth and silky. Pour into your serving bowl.

3. Sprinkle a generous doze of olive oil and paprika and serve with pita bread or crackers. Ta da! 🙂