How to Make Hummus (chickpea dip)

Hummus (or chickpea dip) is so simple to make and most vegans have this as a regular side dish. It is an Arab dish with many recipes from Lebanon and Syria, but my recipe is the easiest and most delicious and lasts for several days in the refrigerator. Simple, easy and economical for sure.

Some mix in parsley with the hummus when it is being prepared, but the parsley wilts in the hummus if you keep it for days. Add the parsley on top of the hummus after it is prepared for a fresher look and taste.

Hummus 101:

To make the very best hummus in the world, start with some dried chickpeas. Place 1 pound of chickpeas in a bowl with water covering them with 1 T. of baking soda to take away the gas. Make sure you have plenty of water on them as they will swell. The next morning drain the water off and rinse the beans well. Place the chickpeas in a pressure cooker and top with plenty of water and nothing else and cook them for twenty minutes after you hear the whistle. When they are done, drain all the juice off and put them in a food processor and pulse them to a complete mash. Take one cup of the chickpeas and with this, we will make the hummus.

The remaining chickpeas are divided into plastic bags and sealed for future use.

Instructions:

1 cup of chickpeas

1 clove of garlic

1/4 of a hot pepper or some hot pepper flakes

juice of 1/2 lemon or more as needed

2 T. of tahini (sesame paste)

salt

Place the chickpeas, garlic, hot pepper in a small food process and mulch well. This can also be done by hand but it takes longer. You can use a mortar and pound the garlic and pepper first and then add the chickpeas to the mortar. After they are mixed well add in the tahini slowly. After that is mixed well, add the lemon juice and salt to taste. Never add oil to this mixture. This is a traditional Arab recipe and is very delicious.

To Serve:

Place the hummus on a plate and spread out with a spoon, top with some sumac and some chopped parsley. Drizzle some olive oil on top. This is so delicious and to enhance a full meal you can add some fresh goat cheese that has been grilled and labane. These are both Arab foods. Labane is merely yogurt drained and thus becoming a cheese like spread. You should drizzle olive oil over this also.