Hummus bi Tahini
حمص بالطحينة·(hom-mos bee ta-hee-nee)
The Sunday Spread: Mezze & Memories
Store-bought hummus is a sad, grainy paste tasting faintly of preservatives. Real Lebanese hummus—the kind wiped clean with a single piece of fresh pita at a Sunday mezze spread—is an ethereal, whipped cloud perfectly balanced between nutty sesame and bright lemon. You don't need to peel every chickpea by hand to get there on a Tuesday night. A simple boil with baking soda breaks down the tough skins, and an ice water emulsion in the food processor whips the tahini into a pale, stable masterpiece. This is exactly how they do it in Beirut.
Ingredients
- chickpeas15 oz
- baking soda1/2 tsp
- garlic cloves2 small
- fresh lemon juice1/3 cup
- tahini1/2 cup
- fine sea salt1/2 tsp
- ground cumin1/4 tsp
- ice cubes4 small
- ice-cold water2 tbsp
- extra virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- sumac1 pinch
- fresh parsley1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Place the rinsed chickpeas in a medium saucepan, cover with two inches of water, and add the baking soda.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil vigorously for 15 to 20 minutes until the skins disintegrate and the water turns foamy.
- 02
Drain the chickpeas into a fine-mesh strainer and run under cold tap water for one minute to stop the cooking.
Shake off as much excess water as possible, and do not worry about picking out the loose skins because the blender will obliterate them.
- 03
Transfer the warm chickpeas to a food processor and blend continuously for one minute.
Process until they form a thick, powdery paste, then stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- 04
Add the smashed garlic, lemon juice, tahini, sea salt, and cumin to the chickpea paste and turn the machine back on.
The mixture will seize up and look incredibly thick and heavy, almost like peanut butter, which is exactly what should happen.
- 05
With the food processor running, drop in the ice cubes one by one followed by the ice-cold water, and blend continuously for three to four minutes.
The freezing temperature and friction will force the oil and water to emulsify, transforming the dense paste into a brilliant, pale, fluffy cloud.
- 06
Spoon the hummus onto a wide, shallow plate and use the back of a spoon to create a circular crater in the center.
Drizzle a generous pool of extra virgin olive oil into the crater, garnish with sumac and fresh parsley, and serve immediately with warm pita.
Notes
Never blend olive oil into the hummus.
Incorporating extra virgin olive oil into the food processor oxidizes the oil and releases bitter polyphenols, creating a heavy, greasy mouthfeel rather than a light emulsion. Keep it strictly as a finishing garnish.
Exercise restraint with the garlic.
Authentic Lebanese hummus relies on a delicate balance of sesame and lemon. More than one or two small cloves will overpower the dish and cause a negative transference of flavor if stored in the fridge.
From Cook Lebanese in America.