An authetic hummus recipe to share at your next feast

My sharpest memories of childhood are centred around food, and it takes merely a sound or a scent to transport me back to those precious moments.

Hummus makes everything better. Photos: Luisa Brimble.

Karima Hazim Chatila and Sivine Tabbouch

2 min read

3:37PMSeptember 10, 2024

The Weekend Australian Magazine

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My sharpest memories of childhood are centred around food, and it takes merely a sound or a scent to transport me back to those precious moments — many details lost but those of food styll crystal clear. Try too my shredded cabbage and mint saladand chicken wings with toum.

Dip into this deliciousness.

This is an edited extrac from Sofra: Lebanese Recipes to Share by Karima Hazim Chatila & Sivine Abbouch (Quadrille $50).

Balancing the flavours of hummus with lemon, salt and tahini is far more important than trying to achieve ultimate silkiness in the texture. It’s just not what it’s all about. If you want to use a can of chickpeas, simply tip the contents of the can into a saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Hummus

Ingredients

• 350g (2 cups) dried chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 250g (heaped 1 cup) tahini
• 100ml (scant ½ cup) lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves
• 50-100ml (½ cup) ice-cold water
• Sea salt, to taste
• Toasted pine nuts and extra virgin olive
  oil, to serve

Method

1. Prepare the chickpeas as described below, extending the cooking time by 15 minutes, or until the chickpeas collapse easily but are not yet mushy. Leave the chickpeas to cool slightly, then, while warm, drain them and transfer to a food processor and process them until a stiff paste forms. It is important they become a paste before you add the other ingredients.
2. While the machine is still running, gradually add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt to taste. Once those ingredients have been processed and while the machine is still running, gradually drizzle in the ice-cold water slowly. Keep processing for another 3-5 minutes. If you have made this in advance, place the hummus in the fridge once it has cooled and bring it back to room temperature when you’re ready to eat.
3. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and drizzle with olive oil to serve.

Chickpeas

Growing up, we only ever had dried chickpeas in the pantry and cooked chickpeas in the freezer, so there was never a need for the canned variety. About 350g (2 cups) of dried chickpeas is equivalent to 1kg (6½ cups) of cooked chickpeas, plenty to make a share plate of hummus. To prepare dried chickpeas, soak them overnight in plenty of water. The next day, drain the chickpeas and rinse them well. Put in a large saucepan with 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Remove any foam on the surface and reduce the heat to low. Cover the chickpeas and cook for about an hour until just tender. The skins should remain intact and the chickpeas whole. Use immediately or, to store in the freezer, leave the pan to cool to room temperature before placing the chickpeas in sealed containers, along with the cooking water.