Hummus: the one made at home!

1994. Hummus: the one made at home!

Have you ever seen “My Great Greek Wedding”? one of the best scenes of that funny movie, is almost the first, when she was a girl and took to school a gyro, while herschool mates ate a sandwich. It happenedto me as a kid! since although I am Venezuelan, my parents are Lebanese immigrants. So, instead of bringing arepas and empanadas to school, I used to carry a “wrap” of Arabian bread stuffed with yogurt (laban) and pieces of paprika or a “pizza” of zatar (oregano + thyme + sesame in olive oil) . Obviously, my school mates were watching my breakfast as a rare thing, but I did not care, because in the world there wasn’t something more delicious than that. So the hummus is one of those dishes that have accompanied me all my life, since I was a kid. That is why Lebanese cuisine always accompanies me where I go and the one that always evokes my childhood. That is why when I learn to cook a new Lebanese dish, I feel that it is easier for me than when I try to make something from another source, perhaps it is intuitive cuisine.

I leave you this tasty recipe of a dish too well known and popular both Arabic and Hebrew cuisine: the famous hummus! And although in Colombia it is usual to be called Tahini, its real name is hummus! The first time I prepared it was in 1994, with the help of one of my maternal aunts, when I visited Lebanon. So this is my mother’s recipe, in two ways: quick (with a can of chickpeas) and the one that needs more time (cooking chickpeas).

Recipe for a very Lebanese hummus

Approximate calories: 54 calories per 30 grams *

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas / 250 grams of natural chickpeas (obviously I prefer the natural ones!)

2 lemons

2 tablespoons of tahine or tahini (sesame paste / sesame)

1 tsp of salt

2 tsp of pepper

Optional: A clove of garlic (there are people who use it, I personally do not, but I plan to try it).

What do I do?

Fast Mode: I drain the water from the can of chickpeas. In a blender or processor I add the chickpeas, the two tablespoons of tahine, I squeeze the lemons and add the salt (a fist) and the pepper (a 3 or 4 turns to the mill / 1/2 tablespoon).

I liquefy for about two minutes or until the chickpeas have become a dough where it is evident that everything is mixed and voilà! You have hummus! I put to refrigerate about 20 minutes if you have time because it is tastier cold!

Lebanese original way: You soak the chickpeas one night before in a lt. of water. The next morning before going to the office I check that all the water has not been gone. If it hapened, I pour more so that they always continue soaking. Then at night, I heat another lt. of water (or the one left) to boil and add the chickpeas to cook and become super soft. This can take between 40 and 80 minutes, maybe more. Try them out! When they are soft, let them cool a little, I put them in the blender jar (if you feel them a little hard, add a couple of spoons of the water where they were cooked) and there I do the same process as the other way: tahini, lemon, salt and pepper.

Tip on taste: It is important to taste what you prepare. If it tastes very strong, you can soften or improve the taste with lemon or a little water (even from the same can).

Tip on Tahini: If you’ve never bought Tahini, it’s important that you do not confuse the sesame paste with the sesame oil that the Asian people use to cook! The oil has a bright color, while the tahini is a paste with the same color as the hummus.

How do the Lebanese decorate hummus?

There are two ways and over a small bowl: the most typical is to sprinkle a little sumak (Lebanese seasoning of red wine color). The other one I have been told by my relatives who have recently visited Lebanon: Add some grenade teeth. If you do not have any of the two, simply in a bowl, you squeeze some olive oil and that’s it!

Tip # 1: This recipe is very healthy, gluten-free, and perfect if you’re dieting or doing the crossfit transformation challenge.

* calories based on an approximate counter: www.caloriecount.com