You probably know what hummus is, an Egyptian food spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini (an oily paste made from toasted ground sesame seeds), olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic, very popular throughout the Middle East (including Turkey), North Africa and in Middle Eastern cuisine around the globe. It’s not only delicious but very healthy too, it’s an excellent source of vitamin B6, manganese and dietary fiber and a good source of protein, vitamin C, folate, phosphorus, iron and zinc. I was one of those people who tried hummus in restaurants, loved it but never even thought of eating it at home. I don’t know why, probably because it’s not typical in Mediterranean cuisine that was always the most common in my home. I also never thought how easy it would be to make it at home! It couldn’t be easier really, you just put those few ingredients in the blender / food processor and process for few minutes until you get this delicious creamy goodness that is also so healthy and good for us. It’s a matter of personal taste how much of each ingredient you want to put in, I like mild flavors and also because of my stomach issues cannot eat garlic any more (I miss those Italian little bruschette with garlic, fresh tomato and basil!) so I don’t put any in but you can put as much as you want. It’s so good for dipping, you can dip all kinds of raw vegetables like carrots, celery or cucumbers sticks (so called Crudités) or you can scoop it with flatbread or crackers. You can eat it as a healthy snack or as a part of the meal.
Besides a regular hummus, there are also different variations where you can put different vegetables and herbs together with those classic ingredients. The one that I wanted to try out is a beetroot hummus, it has the most beautiful purple color and that’s what attracted me to it. Don’t think that it involves more work that regular one, the only extra work is that you have to peel and cut in smaller pieces one beetroot and add it to everything else in your food processor. Besides the most amazing color, it also tastes a little bit sweeter and really delicious. It’s worth making both as they are both great! Hope you’ll try it out and let me know if you do, I always love hearing from you! 🙂
- For classic hummus:
- 1 cup chickpeas (canned or well-cooked)
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp tahini
- juice of half lemon
- salt (and pepper if you want)
- 1 clove garlic (optional)
- approx 3 tbsp chickpea liquid or water
- For Beetroot hummus:
- 1 cup chickpeas (canned or well-cooked)
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp tahini
- juice of half lemon
- salt (and pepper if you want)
- 1 clove garlic (optional)
- 1 small raw beetroot, peeled and chopped
- approx 4 tbsp chickpea liquid or water
- Note: From these quantities you will get 1 small bowl of each hummus so if you want more, just double up the quantities.
- For both classic and beetroot hummus: put all ingredients (except the chickpea liquid or water) in your food processor / blender and process until it looks combined. Add the chickpea liquid or water and process until it gets really creamy.
- Serve classic hummus with a bit of fresh coriander and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and beetroot one as it is. From these quantities you will get 1 small bowl of each hummus.
- Note: it can be stored in the fridge for few days.
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