Sometimes hummus made from chickpeas can be quite heavy, as well as, a long wait for the chickpeas to be soaked and then cooked.  This recipe is a light and very quick 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 with no cooking involved.  This one has a taste of its own.

cooked red lentil hummus

Red lentils cook very fast – 15 minutes without soaking.  You can also use the 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, then simmer covered until the lentils are soft and have a mushy consistency – 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so all the lentils cook.  Try not to be tempted to add more water. Drain the lentils, keeping any excess water to add later.

2.  In a small pan, lightly dry-fry the cumin seeds, then grind in a mortar and pestle.

3.  Add the cumin, salt, lemon juice and tahini to the cooked lentils and using an immersion hand blender, blend all ingredients 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.  Trickle 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, a process 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

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

preparation 

1. To sprout the lentils, place the lentils in a bowl and, with filtered water, soak overnight or for at least 7 hours.

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 2 days. The longer the tail grows, the more water it retains, which means less flavour.

4. To prepare the hummus 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 any 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