Hummus is a superfood in today’s world with number of health benefits. The healthy ingredients like mashed chickpea, olive oil and tahina made from sesame seeds. The recipe of hummus dates back to 13th century in the Arab world. This Middle Eastern dip is healthy comfort food when served with freshly baked pita bread. My hubby developed the loves of hummus during his stay in Middle East and since then we try to add this healthy dip as sides to the dinner table. The chickpea or garbanzo beans are the same beans, here’s my another side dish of these bean, the chana chaat.
Ingredients
Hummus without tahini is basically made of chickpea, sesame seeds, and extra virgin olive oil. Apart from the major ingredients garlic, lemon, yogurt, and salt are used to season the dip. Similarly, making a smooth tahini sauce by grinding sesame seeds finely is necessary. Since tahina has better shelf life you can do it in large batches and store in fridge. To make hummus without tahini, you can switch tahina with olive oil. Next, you need to create a balance of acid, salt, and fats. Always add little lemon juice, salt, and some olive oil for best taste. If you are a fan of garlic add some roasted or fresh garlic paste too. Greek yogurt can be skipped if you are vegan. Do a taste test and adjust as needed. Another most important tip is letting hummus rest for 3-4 hours before serving. Garlic Hummus tastes best the next day.
How do you make it?
This recipe is great for those who wish to make hummus from scratch. And I bet once you’ve enjoyed the taste of this freshly toasted sesame tahini and extra virgin olive oil. You won’t touch the store-bought stuff.
Steps to make tahini
Here’s an easy recipe for tahini, in case you want to make your own. Otherwise you can substitute extra virgin olive oil in the recipe to make hummus without tahina.
Steps to make hummus
In the pictorial, I’m showing how to make easy hummus recipe in a blender.
Expert Tips
Hummus without tahini: I have shared recipe of tahina so can make hummus with your homemade tahini. Tip: For a super smooth hummus, you need super soft chickpeas. If chickpeas are hard, your blending will be long and troublesome and you’ll never get that smooth texture.
Soak ¾ cup raw chickpea in warm water for two hours. Also, add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Discard water and wash chickpea. Boil washed chickpea in new water with 1 teaspoon of salt on a medium flame for 60-90 minutes until very soft. Add just enough water to cover the chickpea. You can cook in a pressure cooker in an instant pot to speed up the cooking. Store any excess water and the chickpea in the fridge or freeze.
Tip: Freshly boiled warm chickpeas blend easily into paste than cold chickpea. Tip: Always boil a large batch of chickpeas in advance and freeze. So can make hummus quickly whenever the craving strikes. You can also use chickpea to make Lebanese Moussaka. But incase you don’t like tahini or want to avoid sesame seeds. Just use extra virgin olive instead of tahini. The flavor will be different but still delicious as major part of tahini is again olive oil. And since I’ve tried it, I know it still tastes great without any tahini. Storage: Hummus is best stored in fridge for 3-4 days in an air tight plastic container. once it start giving off flavor and smell discard it. Reheating Leftover Hummus: The chickpea tend to absorb more and more moisture with time that results in thickening of hummus. So while reheating, add 1-2 teaspoons of water to bring it back to original consistency. Mix well and reheat in microwave for 30 seconds or until it is warm and enjoyable. Freezing: Hummus freezes very well for 2 months. Just put it in a freezer bag and seal it tightly.
Variations:
While I’m big fan of classic plain hummus. These variations are quite popular and can added in the blender along with chickpea.
Peanut butter: This is natural match for hummus and helps increase protien content of hummus giving it a nutty flavor. Almond butter also works well. Beetroot: This veggie gives pink color and sweeter taste to hummus. Great option for pink theme parties. Cilantro lemon: If you love cilantro then this will be a hit. Parsley can be added as well. Blend herbs before hand and them add to hummus for easy grinding. Roasted pepper: If you are paprika fan then this along with some curry powder is a great addition. Jalapeno: For spice lover, jalapeno is a hit. Other veggies: Other veggies that can be added are boiled pumpkin, sweet potato or carrot to increase nutritional value of hummus.
Hungry for more? Check these!
pita bread or pita chips tandoori naan chip or crackers a sideline with grilled meat fresh vegetables like zucchini, carrot, beetroot
There are other variations to basic hummus recipes, you can find more ideas in this round-up here. If you try hummus recipe without tahini, I’d LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments. Most 5-ratings motivate me to do my best. Stay connected for more recipes and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube.
📖 Recipe
