To be honest, I was not convinced there was a need to create a blog post for hummus but recently I have had so many requests for my “recipe”. Confession: I’ve never had or used a recipe, I feel it is cheating on the art of hummus. It was my impression that everyone else in the world eats hummus on the daily like myself but this belief was an erroneous one. I have even met some folks recently that have never even had hummus! Since it is such a staple in my life I forgot that it is not for everyone but I am on a mission to bring hummus to the masses apparently. The basic ingredients for hummus are things pretty commonly found around the globe I have found so why not try to teach everyone I encounter how to make it this vegan god-send? It is actually the easiest thing I make, no lie but one of the most loved!
So, in my deliberations to put a hummus “recipe” on my blog I decided an un-recipe would be more fitting. Like a Merry Un-birthday, hummus style. There are literally endless ways to vary it up, think about how many herbs exist in your local area or how many different variations of spices you have available in your kitchen now; any of those can be added in (within reason, I suppose I should add to err on the side of caution). Because I am always amazed by others’ creativity in the kitchen I want to lay out my blueprint and give suggestions but encourage everyone to interpret how they see fit. And then let me know their secrets!
I say with something as simple as hummus, take the blueprint of the recipe (beans, tahini, oil of choice, salt and an acid like lemon juice) and spin it however you like, depending on your mood! I love that everyone who makes their own hummus has their own way in doing so, it can mean different textures, consistencies, flavors, etc. I love playing with my own and discovering a whole new version of the very classic dip. You can also pair your hummus with something that suits its flavoring, like a certain vegetable, cracker or bread. For instance, I love sourdough bread to go with my most traditional garlic hummus but if I were doing a indian-spiced version I may do naan crisps or something of the like.
Note: I have bolded the ingredients I use to make my most basic garlic-y hummus if you want to keep it golden and simple.
Possible Ingredients:
- 2 cans of bean of choice; most commonly chickpeas but you could opt for cannelloni beans, black beans or you could even use lentils! (approx. 2 1/2 c. cooked, drained)
- 1/3 c. tahini (sesame seed paste, you could grind this yourself too)
- 2-4 cloves of garlic, either raw or roasted
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
- juice of 1 lemon (or to taste)
- pepper to taste
- roasted vegetables such as carrot or tomato
- harissa paste
- chermoula paste
- chimichurri
- pesto
- sun-dried tomatoes
- Indian blend of spices- coriander, cumin, turmeric, black mustard seeds(cooked in oil)
- any herb!
- Possible toppings:
- olive oil
- lemon zest
- herbs (i.e. parsley, chives, cilantro, chervil, basil)
- pepitas
- avocado oil
- sunflower seeds
- spices (i.e. paprika, cayenne, spice blends like garam masala)
- pine nuts
Putting it together:
In a high speed blender or food processor combine all the wonderful things your heart desires and blend until smooth adding more water to achieve desired consistency, if you like your hummus to have more texture you can pulse the hummus and retain some chickpea chunk and reduce or eliminate adding water. Season the hummus to taste adding more salt, pepper, lemon or olive oil according to how you like your hummus. Top with any garnishes of choice, remember to make it look pretty and instagram-worthy! I would say serve immediately but theres no need because you’ll for sure be eating it before its even out of the blender. But do present to your guests with the vessel of your choosing, I love fresh baked sourdough, crispy baguette slices, sliced radishes, crackers with a slice of tomato, naan, pita, freshly fried tortilla chips. Please refrigerate any leftover hummus and I doubt it will make it this long but it stays fresh for about 3-5 days in the fridge…in case you have more self control than I.