Eat Healthy and Cheap
Hummus, from Scratch
Hummus starts with chickpeas cooked far softer than most recipes call for. Most stop the moment the beans are tender; this one keeps going until they crush under no pressure at all, because a blender cannot manufacture silkiness that undercooked chickpeas do not have. Simmering the garlic cloves right in the pot mellows their sharpness before they ever hit the blade, so the dip needs no raw bite and barely any salt to taste finished. Serve it with whole grain pita, raw vegetables, or spooned over grain bowls in place of a dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups Chickpeas, dried, soaked overnight and drained
- 3 cloves Garlic, peeled, left whole
- 3/4 tsp Cumin seed
- 1/3 cup Tahini
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice, fresh, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp Sweet paprika, for garnish
Method
- Put the soaked, drained chickpeas in a pot with the whole garlic cloves and enough fresh water to cover by 3 inches (7.5 cm). Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then lower to a bare simmer.
- Cook uncovered for 60 to 75 minutes, until the chickpeas are so soft they crush between two fingers with no resistance and some skins have split. This is well past where most hummus recipes stop, and it is the difference between a grainy dip and a silky one: overcooked chickpeas blend into cream, not paste.
- Scoop out and set aside 2 tablespoons of the whole cooked chickpeas for garnish. Drain the rest, reserving 1 cup (240 ml) of the cooking liquid. Leave the soft garlic cloves in with the chickpeas; the long simmer has turned them mellow and sweet, with none of raw garlic's bite.
- Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until they darken a shade and smell nutty, about 1 minute, then grind them in a mortar or spice grinder. Toasting first is what turns cumin from dusty to warm.
- While the chickpeas are still hot, blend them with the tahini, ground cumin, and lemon juice. Add the reserved cooking liquid a few tablespoons at a time, blending after each addition, until the hummus turns pale, fluffy, and falls off a spoon in a slow ribbon. Blending hot is what lets the tahini emulsify into the chickpeas instead of sitting on top of them as a separate paste.
- Taste and add more lemon juice if it needs brightness before you reach for salt. Spread the hummus into a shallow bowl, swirl the surface with the back of a spoon, and dust with the sweet paprika. Scatter the reserved whole chickpeas over the top.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 235 calories, 10 g protein, 8 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.
