Christ is risen!
I’ve been making this recipe for about 6 years or so now and its been my go to recipe ever since I found it. Joseph Shuldiner uses baking soda in his recipe when soaking the chickpeas overnight; I use apple cider vinegar. When taking classes at the Natural Gourmet Institute, I learned the best way to reduce the gassy-like properties of beans was to soak them with vinegar — and when cooking with them, use a strip of kombu while cooking. It’s not necessary but it’s very helpful! I also use boiling hot water to help with the soaking. My husband’s stomach, despite his appetite and love for hummus, cannot handle it very well, especially in the evening, so I try to make it really easy for digestion.
When making this for Pascha / Easter this year, I tripled or quadrupled the batch. A happy accident occurred when I added more aquafaba then the recipe calls for. It turned out to be deliciously creamy!!!! If you like a creamier hummus, simply add more aquafaba according to your taste. Simple as that!
Want a bolder flavor? Grinding the cumin seeds fresh gives the hummus a bolder and loud flavor profile.
What is great about hummus is that you can use it as a dip for crudite and pita, falafel, a spread on toast or sandwich, or on its own! It is the ultimate spread for picnics and gatherings, as it won’t spill on the way over! Creativity is limitless as well! You can add roasted tomatoes and garlic, parsley, chickpeas on top of it to give it variety– try with your own topping combinations according to your taste buds. Instead of cumin, add za’atar or cayenne or whatever spices you like — it doesn’t hurt to experiment as long as you have the basic foundation recipe down.
Author’s note from “Pure Vegan” Cookbook:
“Although you can now find packaged, remade hummus in practically any grocery store it’s well worth making your own from scratch (just note that the beans require a soaking overnight before being cooked). The vivid flavors here remind me of the authentic version served at one of the few Middle Eastern restaurants in Southern California in the 1960s. My mother loved ethnic food, and we were regulars at Kabakian’s, an Armenian restaurant owned by the agin, eponymous Kabakian brothers. If you ordered hummus bi tahini (which simply means “garbanzo beans with sesame paste”), the brothers would shuffle over to your table in their slippers, pushing a cart with a plate of hummus and a basket of freshly baked pita bread. Then, determined to show you how to eat properly in the style of their homeland, they would tear off a piece of pita, dip it into your plate of hummus, and then actually stick it in your mouth! Now that’s service!”
Makes 4 cups, serves about 8
Ingredients
8 oz dried garbanzo beans
1 tbsp baking soda or Apple cider vinegar
5 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
Paprika for garnish
Ground sumac for garnish
Warm pita or crudite for serving
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the garbanzo beans and baking soda. Pour water into the bowl until the beans are covered by 1 inch and let soak for at least 8 hours and up to overnight in the refrigerator.
Drain and rinse the beans, put them in a medium saucepan, and add fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender, 30 – 40 minutes.
Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. Set aside about a dozen whole garbanzos. In a food processor or blender, combine the remaining beans with the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, cumin, salt, and 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Process until smooth, about 1 – 2 minutes.
Transfer the hummus to a shallow serving bowl. With the back of a large tablespoon, make an indentation in the center of the hummus and drizzle in a bit of olive oil. Dust the top with paprika and sumac, then scatter the reserved whole garbanzos over the top. Serve with the warm pita bread. Wearing slippers while serving is optional, but it’s a nice touch.
NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS
CHICKPEAS
68% Carbs
19% Protein
13% Fat
270 Calories per 1 cup serving
Protein: 15 g
TAHINI
Tahini is simply made from sesame seeds. Seeds are a healthy addition to our daily life, a clean source of protein, fats, and moderate amount of carbs (depending on the seeds). Sesame seeds flavor are slightly sweet, with notes of butter, milk, and or nuts, and a rich texture. When blended it has a sweet and or salty, nutty, with a creamy texture. Tahini is great and versatile dressing making it a great accompaniment for vegetables and grain bowls. If you ever feel lazy making a healthy dressing, just make a simple tahini dressing with garlic, lemon juice, cumin and salt. (Vegetarian Flavor Bible)
70% Fats
19% Carbs
11% Protein
90 Calories per 1 tablespoon serving
Protein: 3 g
LEMON
63% Carbs
24% Protein
13% Fat
Protein: 1 g
20 Calories per medium lemon (raw with peel)
CUMIN
Cumin seeds aids digestion, release flatulence, colic, and diarrhea, and act as a tonic and stimulant.
All pungent foods promote energy circulation and increase the metabolic rate. Notable examples are the herbs cumin, ginger, cloves, spearmint, fennel, anise, and cayenne. A person with heat symptoms, however, should avoid these warming pungent and should use neutral or cooling ones instead: peppermint, chamomile, kohlrabi, turnip, radish, taro, and white pepper. (Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition).
Sources
Recipe is from “Pure Vegan: 70 recipes for Beautiful Meals and Clean Living” by Joseph Shuldiner
Nutritional Information from “Vegetarian Flavor Bible” by Karen Page
Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition 3rd Edition, Paul Pitchford
Anastasia's Peaceful Kitchen 