This is the best basic hummus recipe ever. This Middle Eastern dip is traditionally made with chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. Once you have mastered the basic recipe, you can flavour it with whatever takes your fancy: black olives, paprika, cumin, coriander seeds, red bell pepper or sun dried tomatoes.
prep time 10 min
ingredients for 6-8 as a starter
- 2 x 400g cans of no-salt-added chickpeas (reserve the liquid)
- 1 tablespoon tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1 garlic clove crushed (most recipes call for 2)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
- 6-7 tablespoons reserved liquid from chickpeas
- 4 tablespoons squeezed lemon juice
- parsley or coriander to garnish (optional)
1. Rinse the chickpeas in cold water and tip into the food processor. I use an immersion blender. Take out the germ/core of garlic, the green shoot in the middle which makes it bitter especially if the garlic is older.
2. Add the crushed garlic, tahini, salt, the reserved liquid, the lemon juice and blend them. Pour slowly in the olive oil while you are blending.
3. Taste and adjust the flavour to your liking. When the mixture is fully combined and smooth, tip it into a serving dish.
4. Drizzle with some olive oil, and decorate with a few whole chickpeas. Sprinkle with paprika and finely chopped parsley.
BUON APPETITO!