Hummus Bi-Tahini

Hummus comes from the Arabic word meaning “chickpeas”, the full Syrian name is: hummus bi-tahini (chickpeas in tahini)

One of the most popular and best known of all Syrian dishes as an appetizer dip or spread and no mezze is complete without a bowl of creamy hummus and some flatbread.

Hummus is known all over the Middle East and in Mediterranean countries  too. It is a popular dip in Egypt where it is eaten with pita, and frequently flavored with cumin or other spices.

For Palestinians and Jordanians, hummus has long been a staple food, often served warm, with bread for breakfast, lunch or dinner and a dish popular in Palestine and Jordan is laban ma’ hummus (“yogurt and chickpeas”), which uses yogurt in the place of tahini and butter in the place of olive oil and is topped with pieces of toasted bread.

Also in Lebanon Hummus is a common part of everyday meals (Hummus Beiruti)

To make your hummus plate delicious, garnish it with chopped tomato, cucumber, coriander, parsley, sauteed mushrooms, whole chickpeas, olive oil, paprika, sumac, “nana” mint leaves, ful (broad beans), olives, pickles, and pine nuts.

Chickpeas, the main ingredient of conventional hummus, have appreciable amounts of dietary fiber, protein, vitamin B6, manganese and other nutrients.

Ingredients

2 cups of soaked and boiled dried chickpeas

1/2 cup of tahini sauce

2 cloves of garlic

1 Teaspoon of salt

1 Teaspoon of cumin

Squeeze of 1 lemon

1 Cup of chickpeas water reserved

Paprika, sumac, olive oil and chopped parsley for garnish

1/2 cup of crushed ice

Preparation

• Add chickpeas to a food processor with crushed ice and process. And then add the salt, garlic, cumin, tahini, lemon juice and chickpeas water and process well.

• Add more water if needed and process until well combined and smooth.

• Place hummus in plate and place in refrigerator until serving time.

• Drizzle with olive oil and decorate with chopped parsley, paprika and sumac.

Tip:

• You can use canned chickpeas if you don’t have the time to boil the dried chickpeas.

• Chickpeas water that is reserved is either from the boiling water or from the can.

Lara Khouli