Best ever hummus / houmous

[Felece]

The restaurant told me olive oil tasted of too much and that I had to use sunflower oil, which is much more neutral and therefor compliments the hummus better.
But nothing wrong with using olive oil, sunflower oil is just more suitable for this particular recipe .

[Tigerlily]

Olive oil is traditionally used and it's drizzled on top of the hummus, not blended in.

[Pansypuss]

Has anyone ever frozen hummus and used it again later? Would it come out okay after defrosting do you think?

I usually make huge amounts of hummus and freeze it in small containers. It freezes well but loses some of it's garlick-ness. But then as I always put so much garlic in, it's fine. I put lots of lemon in as well plus some grated lemon rind as I really like lemony, garlicky hummus. I like hot hummus as well, some minced red chili peppers are great in it.

[Korn]

It seems that among the few 'secret' ways to make really good hummus, these seems to be the Top Ten of hummus tips & tricks:

Add a very small amount of cayenne pepper - like a quarter (half?) of a teaspoon - in addition to black pepper

Add some (half a teaspoon?) of cumin powder

Use some paprika powder, either in the hummus itself or as a topping (or both)

Use a few tablespoons extra vigin olive oil both in the hummus and as a topping

Avoid canned chick peas if possible

Always use (circa half a cup) light tahini (can also be used as topping if garlic, water, lemon and salt/pepper is added))

At least to cloves of garlic and a whole lemon (or at least a half) seems like a good idea for a 'normal' portion (for circa two people)

The chick peas should be slightly overcooked

Another tip: After having cooked the chick peas (takes only 25 min in a pressure cooker), one could keep the extra peas in a fridge for a few days, and make new hummus out of these chick peas instead of keeping a large portion of hummus in the fridge.

Putting some paprika powder and olive oil (will make the paprika powder stick to the pitas) on the pita breads just before they are served/heated is also quite common.

If I use all these tricks at the same time, even my 7 year old son is impressed (he currently would prefer to have hummus for breakfast, dinner and supper!)...




PS - For a sweeter taste, roast the garlic first...

[mjnewbould]

I always freeze it in little bits. I never put garlic in - i don't use garlic at all as I really dislike its smell and flavour - i do use cumin and lemon. It comes out really lovely.

[RubyDuby]

It seems that among the few 'secret' ways to make really good hummus, these seems to be the Top Ten of hummus tips & tricks:

Add a very small amount of cayenne pepper (like a quarter of a teaspoon) in addition to black pepper

Add some (half a teaspoon) of cumin powder

Use some paprika powder, either in the hummus itself or as a topping (or both)

Use a few tablespoons extra vigin olive oil both in the hummus and as a topping

Avoid canned chick peas if possible

Always use tahini sauce (can also be used as topping if garlic, water, lemon and salt/pepper is added))

At least to cloves of garlic and a whole lemon (or at least a half) seems like a good idea for a 'normal' portion (for circa two people)

The chick peas should be slightly overcooked

Another tip: After having cooked the chick peas (takes only 25 min in a pressure cooker), one could keep the extra peas in a fridge for a few days, and make new hummus out of these chick peas instead of keeping a large portion of hummus in the fridge.

Putting some paprika powder and olive oil (will make the paprika powder stick to the pitas) on the pita breads just before they are served/heated is also quite common.

If I use all these tricks at the same time, even my 7 year old son is impressed (he currently would prefer to have hummus for breakfast, dinner and supper!)...




PS - For a sweeter taste, roast the garlic first...

how much chick peas do u use for thos tricks?

[Korn]

I'll try to figure that out next time I make hummus, but the amount is probably closer to the equivalent of two cans of chick peas than one can....

[cedarblue]

Do not use olive oil.

sorry, i just have to disagree - i tried making it with water but after keeping it in the fridge till later, it was watery on top and not very creamy - was sloppy too. the olive oil def brings out the chickpea taste to me anyway.

btw, i tried sainsburys mediterranean hummus and olive and tomato hummus today - both soooooo tasty!

[Cumin]

I have recently switched to using Rapeseed oil (extra virgin), and I much prefer the resulting flavour to using Olive oil. I think It complements the nutty sesame flavour well.

Korn - I agree with most of your tips too. I always use cumin :D, paprika and sometimes roast garlic when I want to reduce the garlic effect.

If I want to make it garlic-free, I find spring onions (finely chopped) work well.

[gogs67]

Must admit the best hummus i've had (including numerous home made recipies) is Tescos own!:D

[Korn]

how much chick peas do u use for thos tricks?

Circa three medium sized cups of boiled chickpeas, sometimes a little more...

[RubyDuby]

k, thanks. :)

[Korn]

A little hummus update:


By replacing the black and the cayenne pepper white white pepper (but more of it), and by increasing the amount if garlic (I used two large cloves to one can garbanzo beans), increasing the amount of powdered cumin to a full teaspoon, and adding some orange juice (!) to the recipe, the hummus turned out really good - even if I used canned chick peas this time.

It also helps to use the water from the cooked (or canned) chick peas instead of plain water to make the hummus more fluid.

Hummus seems to have more aroma when it isn't too cold or warm - room temperature seems to be best.

I used about two large spoons of Lebanese tahini and half a lemon in this portion (200-250 g wet chick peas). By combining the tips from various hummus experts I've met (I found the idea about orange juice on some internet site), I've finally been able to get the hummus to taste as good as it does on good Lebanese places... that's a personal landmark event! :)

[treehugga]

congratulations korn. it's very satisfying when all the hard work pays off. i spent ages perfecting a green thai curry and people say it's better than any they have had in a restaurant. a good hommous is worth its weight in gold.

[RubyDuby]

yay, cant wait to try it!

treehugga, is that thai curry recipe posted anywhere? :D

[Qaxt]

I just made hummus for the first time in my life. It tasted like death. :( Suggestions? Haha... it tasted terrible at first, so I added more of various things it tasted like it was missing. Made it SLIGHTLY more tolerable, but barely. It looks like hummus. Smells kinda like armpit. Tastes kinda like death. :(

[treehugga]

Hmmmm. I've posted so many recipes I don't know. I think Korn will let me off if I post it here just this once.

Whatever Asian veg you prefer.
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cummin
1 teaspoon tumeric
zest of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic
1 onion chopped
2 tablespoons galangal
1 large knob fresh tumeric grated (in addition to powdered tumeric)

Saute above spices in coconut oil for a minute.
Add veg and saute until wilted
Add 1 can coconut cream (good quality)
1 tablespoon veg oyster sauce
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon ketsup manis
2 teaspoons veg fake chicken stock.
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Cook several minutes. Squeeze the juice from 1 lime into mix.
Serve with rice.

[RubyDuby]

awesome! thank you. :)

I cant make a good curry to save my life. hopefully this will help.
if i can find those ingredients!

[Korn]

I think Korn will let me off if I post it here just this once.

Sure! :) Thanks for the recipe...

By the way, I figured out what ketsup manis is ( http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry/?id=3142 ) but who makes veg oyster sauce and veg fake chicken stock... or: which brand do you recommend?

[RubyDuby]

nice. thanks fo that korn. :)

[jomo]

When I was in Palestine, I used to eat hummus at a restaurant that served only that. the thing that was the most surprising about it, was that it was served warm! It is supposed to be unbeleiveably creamy and warm, with a moat of olive oil on the plate.

the recipe, they tell me, is only, salt, water, chickpeas, cooked like hell, olive oil, garlic (scant) and lemon (scant) and tahini,sometimes the srpinkle summac.

it's very imporant to cook the chickpeas until the skins come off, and skim them off. you have to mix in a lot of tahini, and much much less garlic and lemon than one tends to find here in north america. North american vegan cafés tend to make a more Greek version. the lemon and garlic, should be hinted at not overwhelming, especially the garlic, but lemon also is extremely sour and should be moderated. the cooking water from the chickpeas is used to smooth it out. It can be done by hand or in a food processor.

the nicest thing to serve it with is to drizzle olive oil and roasted pine-nuts. It is usually served with pickles, pita, and onions as a dipping vegatable. It should be very rich.

OH and serve WARM.. not chilled.

enjoy

[Korn]

A little discovery: The red stuff that sometimes is put in the middle of a hummus portion served at Middle-Eastern restaurants is ajvar sauce:

http://scrumptiouslyvegan.blogspot.com/2008/07/keep-on-blending.html

[Korn]

W4uSf0d5yhw
Hummus : Top 20 (http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Appetizers-and-Snacks/Dips-and-Spreads/Hummus/Top.aspx)
"The Best Hummus You've Ever Tasted" (http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2007/09/the-best-hummus.html)
Best Hummus? (http://whatdidyoueat.typepad.com/what_did_you_eat/2008/04/best-hummus.html)
"Modern Convenience Makes the Best Hummus Recipe" (http://www.greatpartyrecipes.com/hummusrecipe.html)
"The Best Hummus" (http://www.recipezaar.com/The-Best-Hummus-91710)
Letter From Jeruslaem: The "best" hummus (http://blogs.abc.net.au/wa/2009/06/letter-from-jeruslaem-the-best-hummus.html)
Real Hummus (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Real-Hummus/Detail.aspx)
The hummus blog (http://humus101.com/EN/)

[Piggles]

How long will homemade hummous last for if it's kept in the fridge?

[Cumin]

Ewww. I don't fancy her recipe much. First she adds too much liquid, and then add citric acid (dry) because it's too wet.
If she had used the right amount of water and lemon juice to begin with, then it would be must simpler.
Maybe I'm too picky.. :-)