Saturday, November 04, 2006

Homemade-est Hummus

(note: I don't know that this recipe is worth it unless you live in a country where you can't buy hummus or tahini, a key ingredient. It seems like a pain but it's actually pretty quick.)



To make "tahini":
First, roast sesame seeds:
heat a dry wok over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of sesame seeds (available in the baking section of any supermarket in Taiwan). Shake often. After a minute, keep the wok above the heat and shake it constantly. When they start to turn brown, remove from heat and pour over a plate to cool for 5 minutes.
Use a blender to blend the sesame seeds, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1 tbs oil. Add in four parts, lemon juice first, and blend after each addition. It should be a creamy consistency. (this isn't really tahini, but it stands in for it in this recipe)
Next, make the hummus:
1/3 cup tahini (from above), removed from blender
2 cups garbanzo beans (see this link for cooking dried beans)
2 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried cumin (easy to find in the spice section)
2 cloves garlic

Put the lemon juice, oil an garlic in the blender. Alternate adding the tahini and the beans in small batches (about 1/5 each time), blending well after each addition. It should always be very smooth. If it's not, add water by teaspoonfulls. Remove from blender and stir in the salt and cumin.

The key to getting a creamy consistency is adding and moist ingredients and the chickpeas in small batches. (I learned this online, but I can't find the link now, so sorry if I stole someone's idea!) The recipe is pretty rough and you should adjust it to taste.
When it's done, remove from blender,

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