Preserved lemon hummus with cumin and sumac roasted chickpeas

Name: Preserved lemon hummus with cumin and sumac roasted chickpeas
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: about 4 cups
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 2 x 400g cans organic chickpeas, strained and rinsed thoroughly; ½ small preserved lemon, roughly chopped; juice of ½ lemon; 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 tsp ground cumin; ⅓ – ¾ cup iced water* (see note); salt and pepper

Katrina Meynink

May 13, 2020

Swipe some flatbread through this preserved lemon hummus with crispy spicy chickpeas.Katrina Meynink

easyTime:< 30 minsMakes:about 4 cups

A can of chickpeas is one of the pantry's greatest gifts to time-poor cooks. And hummus is without doubt the ultimate tribute to their greatness. Yes, you can use dried chickpeas, but most of us don't have the time nor inclination for all those soaking and straining and cooking-with-baking-soda shenanigans.

Ingredients

2 x 400g cans organic chickpeas, strained and rinsed thoroughly
½ small preserved lemon, roughly chopped
juice of ½ lemon
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
⅓ – ¾ cup iced water* (see note)
salt and pepper

For roasted chickpeas

1 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sumac

To serve

extra olive oil
flatbreads
about ½ tsp cumin seeds and ½ tsp sumac

Method

1. Reserve a quarter of the chickpeas for roasting.
2. Add the remaining chickpeas, reserved lemon, lemon juice, garlic and ground cumin to a blender and start to blend on low. Add the iced water gradually until a smooth consistency is achieved. Season generously.
3. Preheat oven to 175C.
4. Spread the reserved chickpeas across a baking tray lined with baking paper. Spoon over the olive oil and using your hands, toss to coat. Sprinkle over the spices and roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until the chickpeas shrink a little, look crisp and feel firm.
5. Scoop the hummus into a serving dish. Pour over a generous lug of olive oil and sprinkle over the roasted chickpeas and spices. Serve with flatbread as part of a Middle Eastern feast.
*Note: I have made this with different brands of chickpeas and the amount of water required varies every time, so start with one-third cup iced water and continue to blend and add more water as necessary until you get the desired consistency.