Hummus spread has always been a popular staple part of Lebanese diet — whether it’s on the side of our lahme meshweye (goat meat kebabs) on Eid, or at the dinner table, or even in our pita bread sandwiches. Similar to Foul Mudammas, the origins of Hummus can be traced back to Ancient Egypt.
Traditionally Hummus spread is made using raw chickpeas that are boiled for a period of time until they are soft enough to make the spread. However this recipe uses canned chickpeas as it produces a smoother and softer result — unless you want to give boiling your own chickpeas a shot! Here you can find three different approaches to cooking your own dried chickpeas.
This hummus spread can last several days in the fridge, is super easy to make, and is guaranteed to be a much healthier and authentic choice over the store-bought ones. Additionally it is a gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan, dairy-free AND soy and nut-free dish! This recipe is very dynamic because it really depends on what you prefer in terms of taste and consistency. The Lemon, Olive Oil, Tahnini, Garlic and Chickpea Water proportions can all be adjusted accordingly.
This recipe serves 2-3.
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas WITH can water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Tahini (sesame paste)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on how you like the taste and/or consistency)
- 1/4 cup chopped garlic (more or less, depending on how much garlic you like in your hummus!)
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or more as needed)
Directions
- In a blender, add the chickpeas WITH the water from the can. Note that if you add less water the hummus consistency will be thicker — so this is up to your choosing.
- Depending on how much lemon you like in your hummus, add 3-5 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Add the Tahini and olive oil.
- Add the salt — more or less as you prefer.
- Add the chopped garlic (again, depending on how much garlic you like — I always add 2-4 cloves)
- Blend on high until smooth with no chunks
- Serve chilled, with a drizzle of olive oil on top. Add a dash of paprika or any additional spices, or just serve plain with pita bread!
“Hummus” is actually the Arabic word for “chickpeas”, which in itself has numerous health benefits for a relative low calorie count. To name a few health benefits of this chickpea-rich spread:
- High in fiber (24g per 100g), which aids in maintaining a healthy digestive system
- Helps in regulating blood sugar
- Protein-rich (16g per 100g), promoting healthy muscle and tissue growth
- Great weaning food for babies that are still teething
- Helps in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels
- Olive oil topping is a source of “good fat” aka. monounsaturated fat!