red lentil hummus – two ways

Sometimes, hummus made from chickpeas can be quite heavy, and it takes a long time to soak and cook the chickpeas. This recipe is a light and speedy alternative.

I am giving two recipes here

• One, which I make often, where the lentils are cooked and taste similar to regular hummus. It takes only 20 minutes to prepare.
• The second recipe involves soaking and sprouting without cooking. This one has a unique taste.

COOKED RED LENTIL HUMMUS

Red lentils cook very fast—15 minutes without soaking. You can also use yellow split moong dal instead of red lentils, as they cook almost as fast and don’t require soaking.

preparation 20 minutes

makes 2 cups 

ingredients

1 cup red lentils/split moong dal

⅓ – ½ cup tahini

½ tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp spicy paprika (optional)

juice of one lemon

salt and pepper

preparation

1. In a saucepan, rinse the lentils until the water runs clear, drain, barely cover with water, and simmer covered until the lentils are soft and have a mushy consistency—10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so all the lentils cook. Do not be tempted to add more water. Drain the lentils, keeping any excess water to add later.
2. Lightly dry-fry the cumin seeds in a small pan, then grind in a mortar and pestle.
3. Add the cumin, salt, lemon juice, and tahini to the cooked lentils. Blend all ingredients using an immersion hand blender until you reach a creamy texture (or one you desire).
4. Taste the hummus and adjust any ingredients to your liking—lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, or pepper. Then, drizzle with olive oil, dust with spicy paprika, and garnish with fresh garden coriander.

Serve with sliced carrot, beetroot and crunchy fennel pieces.

RAW SPROUTED RED LENTIL HUMMUS

Sprouting is germination, where all the vitamins, minerals,  proteins, and essential acids that lay dormant in raw seeds, grains, and beans activate and multiply.  Sprouting also eliminates certain acids and toxins in plant life that would otherwise interfere with digestion.

serves 4

preparation 2 days

ingredients

1 cup sprouted red lentils (soaked and sprouted as below)

½ cup tahini

½ tsp freshly ground cumin

juice one lemon

salt and pepper

filtered water

pre-preparation

1. To sprout the lentils, place them in a bowl and soak them overnight or for at least 7 hours in filtered water.
2. Once soaked, place a colander over a bowl and drain all the water. Leave the lentils in the colander overnight.
3. Rinse the lentils and allow them to sit overnight again. The lentils should start to sprout a tail. This takes about two days. The longer the tail grows, the more water it retains, which means less flavour.

prepare the hummus

4. In a high-speed blender, blend all ingredients and add water until you reach a creamy texture (or one you desire).
5. Taste the hummus and adjust the ingredients to your liking—lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, or pepper.

Trickle with olive oil, dust with hot paprika and sprinkle with nuts or seeds of choice.

Shared goodness from Stacey