Hummus

smooth chickpea and tahini dip

Makes 3 cups · 210 kcal per serving

Ingredients

• 200 g Dried Chickpeas
• 1.5 g Baking Soda
• 120 g Tahini
• 50 g Lemon Juice
• 60 g Water
• 10 g Garlic
• 4 g Salt
• 2 g Ground Cumin
• 20 g Olive Oil

Method

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water with half the baking soda. Drain, cover with fresh water, add the rest of the baking soda, and simmer until they are falling apart and a chickpea crushes to nothing between your fingers, 40–60 min. Skim the foam and loose skins as they rise. The baking soda raises the pH so the skins break down; undercooked chickpeas are the single reason hummus turns out gritty, so take them well past tender.
2. Drain, reserving the cooking water. Blend the still-warm chickpeas with the garlic, lemon juice, salt, and cumin until pasty, then add the tahini and blend again. With the motor running, stream in the ice water and let it run a full 3–4 min. It will look too loose and will set as it cools. Adjust with the reserved cooking water if it stiffens too far.
3. Spread into a bowl, hollow the center, and pour the olive oil over.

Notes

Percentages are on dry chickpeas, which roughly double in weight once cooked.