There are times that I don’t really get what all the fuss about humus. All in all we are talking about a crashed legume with tahini sauce, lemon juice garlic and spices. Sounds like a nice veggie spread, but not something to write home about.
All this instantly forgotten when I sit at the table with fresh made humus in front of me and pickles hot sauce and pita bread along side. At this moment I forget all high end chef’s specials, with their poetic descriptions and indulging in sheer pleasure reserved only for good hummus.
Tens of thousand of words were written in Israeli newspapers about humus (and I bet the same amount in Arabic too), every food section in any newspaper published more then a few humus recipes, and every now and then any self-respecting daily, monthly or online magazine runs the “ultimate humus survey”
At times it seemed that if you arrived at a deserted island with only one Israeli living there, you’d find two humus places, one that he will die for and the one that he’d never step foot inside.
And the recipes…how many times have I seen THE ONE AND ONLY humus recipe? One will emphasize you MUST soak the grains in water with baking soda while the other say never in your life use it. Soak the grains over night leaning on the left side and rinse the third time or do not touch them so that the grains won’t get angry? And the biggest question of all: “to peel or not to peel”? If only I had a dollar for every recipe…
After a few try and error attempts I found the one that works for me. It does not include intimate conversations with the grains, nor does it require you to caress each and every one of them. What’s really important is the quality of the ingredients, especially the tahini sauce and lots of love. Best of all, a caveman can do it.
I make enough humus for one meal. It doesn’t keep longer than a day or maybe two days in the refrigerator because it has no preservatives.
Ingredients
2 cups of cooked chickpeas grains
¾ cup tahini sauce
2 clove garlic, minced
½ cup water from the cooked humus
2 TBS lemon juice
salt
a pinch cumin
Soak the chickpeas grains over night in a big bowl with plenty of water. Wash the chickpeas and replace the water two or three times (recommended).
On the next day wash the grains. Boil about 4-5 liter/quart of water, add the grains and cook until very tender (1/5-2 hours). Drain and save some cooking water for later. Save a little cooked grain for decorating.
Place the cooked grains, tahini sauce, minced garlic lemon juice, salt, cumin and ¼ cup of water in a food processor bowl with metal blade. Mix using high speed. Add water one cup at a time to get the desired texture. Taste and correct seasoning. Serve fresh decorating with cooked whole chickpeas grains olive oil and some lemon juice.