Now I know I promised some delicious Indian dishes when I was in India, but during my stay, I enjoyed someone else making them, rather than me cooking them. My dear friend Mary had organised a wonderful Indian lady with a huge smile to cook lunch for us. We were quite a big group of 6 hungry adults and 4 hungry, very appreciative children. Each day, there was a new dish, more delicious than the next. Each day there was a soupy dal, rice, two types of vegetable palya (a dry vegetable dish)and either chapati or rice rotti. The chapati went very well with the hummus.
When packing for India, I packed a huge jar of tahini to experiment with a hummus recipe that was given to me by some experts in this field (thank you, Noa and Tal). Also, it is one way that I know the children will get a good dose of protein while we are in Mysore, in the South of India.
There are a few secrets to this recipe;
- bicarbonate of soda for a softer chickpea
- good quality traditional tahini
- ice water to create an aerated, creamy hummus.
hummus
Makes about 2½ cups
ingredients
1¼ cup dried chickpeas
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ cup good quality tahini
salt to taste
juice from ½ lemon, approximately 2 Tbsp, plus more if needed
½ cup ice water
to garnish
1 large ripe tomato
¼ tsp sweet paprika
pre-soak
1. Soak the chickpeas and bicarb of soda overnight with double their volume in water.
2. Drain, rinse and place in a large pot, and generously cover with water, bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that comes to the surface.
3. Simmer until the chickpeas are soft, about 2 – 3 hours, depending on the brand and freshness of your chickpeas. You will need to add more water as they simmer. Once done, the chickpeas should be quite soft but not mushy – drain and set aside.
prepare the hummus
4. Dry roast the cumin seeds in a small pan; when lightly toasted, turn off the heat and grind to a powder in a mortar and pestle.
5. Measure out 2 cups chickpeas/350g (any remaining chickpeas can be used as garnish) and place in a food processor attached with an S-blade; run the machine, stopping and scraping down the sides occasionally until the beans are crumbly.
6. Pour in tahini, add ground cumin, lemon juice, and salt, and blend again until well combined. With the machine still running, start drizzling in the ice water so that the hummus starts to become fluffy and aerated. Depending on the chickpeas, you may not use all the water or need more.
7. Allow to sit for 5 minutes; taste and adjust to your own personal taste by adding more tahini, lemon, or salt.
8. To serve, spread the hummus in a shallow bowl, add any leftover chickpeas, cut the tomato in half, and grate each half on a medium grater directly into the hummus. Grate until all the pulp and juices are out, and you’re just left with the peel, which you discard. Drizzle with olive oil, more lemon juice, and a sprinkling of sweet paprika. You could also garnish with toasted black sesame seeds or an assortment of sprouts.
Serve with freshly made chapati or pita bread.
I have been sautéing on very high heat – mildly spiced long green peppers, sautéed until slightly charred.
Shared goodness from Stacey
