Hummus is a really easy dish to make. Years ago, when I first made hummus , I didn’t quite realise how long the sesame seeds needed to be blended before they turned into a liquid paste (aka tahini). I recently remade hummus after trading that the tahini needed far more time to blend that expected.
I’ve written up the recipe here for quick reference.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sesame seeds – note if you buy these in small spice jars, you’re going to be spending too much money. Check out a local Greek/Middle Eastern or spice store for low coast sesame seeds.
- Chickpeas – I used soaked from a can
- Lemon/Lime juice – I used half a lime
- Half a garlic head
- 1/4 tea spoon cumin
- Salt
- Dash of smoked paprika (optional)
- Olive oil
- Toast the sesame seeds in a pan for a few minutes. I use a frying pan and stop when I can smell the sesame seeds.
- Blend the sesame seeds in a food processor with a table spoon of vegetable oil. Other neutral oils work too. I used our mini KitchenAid to get the job done. Note that this step takes a long time. Longer than you would expect. It’s probably about 10 minutes of total blend time. Pause to let the processor cool off so you don’t burn the motor out. You will know it’s ready when the crumbly mess turns into a liquid. If it’s not turning into a liquid, don’t add more oil, keep blending.
- Hopefully now you should have the blended sesame paste (tahini). Great. Now we’re ready to make hummus.
- Take the tahini out the blender and store temporarily
- Take the garlic and blend with the lemon and lime juice
- Re add the tahini, adding ice water (a box 1/4 a cup) each time along with the cumin. Keep blending until it turns into the hummus consistency.
