Here’s something quick and funny for a Friday.
“How do you eat your corn?” Mr NQN said to me in bed one night.
I looked up from my episode of True Blood and regarded him.”Why?”
“Just tell me” he said.
“The opposite of you, I go around the corn” I answered. Over the years, I had noticed that he ate his corn across the row, much like a typewriter writes.
Before bed, he was reading a post about mathematicians and I was watching True Blood. He told me that the blog that he was reading said that the way that people ate their corn determined their field of mathematics. Mathematicians that ate their corn in a spiral preferred analysis and the ones that ate it in a row lengthwise like a typewriter preferred algebraic mathematics. I had to agree, I was terrible at algebra, even the idea sends my head into a spin. Not that I was any better at analysis.
This recipe has nothing to do with corn really, but it was after Mr NQN and I had eaten a dinner of this silky, smooth hummus. It got me to thinking about how some people eat hummus with a knife whereas some dip the bread straight in. This hummus recipe was one from The Chedi in Muscat, Oman, that I had adapted. It was so silky and delicious and so unlike any other hummus I had tried.
They were kind enough to give me the recipe but when I started, I felt like something was missing. Heeding reader Karen’s comment about removing the skins, I did so to try and make it as smooth as possible. A little research told me that chefs that are known for their hummus do this little step so that it is incredibly smooth. It’s up to you of course, you do get extra fibre but the benefits are of the texture-this hummus is divinely light and smooth. I also sieved the hummus to get it super silky for one batch although it left behind quite a bit of the chickpea which I thought was a bit of a waste so I ate the second batch as it was.
So tell me Dear Reader, how do you eat your corn on the cob and is it true about the type of maths that you prefer? And do you dip your bread into a dip or do you use a knife? Happy weekend everyone!
Silky Smooth Hummus
Adapted from a recipe by The Chedi Hotel, Muscat, Oman
- 300g/10.5ozs dried chickpeas
- 1.5 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 100ml tahini (sesame paste)
- 175ml/5.9 fl ozs. iced water
- 80ml/2.7fl ozs. fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil and some paprika or sumac to dust on top
1. Firstly, soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water in a bowl large enough to accommodate them expanding to twice their size. Change the water a couple of times during this time.
2. The next day, boil the chickpeas with the bicarbonate of soda for about 30-40 minutes until soft. Drain and rinse under cold water. During this time, remove the skins by rubbing them gently-I just toss them with my hands and even split them in two and this releases most of the semi translucent skins. Separate the skins from the chickpeas-this takes time but you can do this in front of the television and it is a fairly mindless and oddly satisfying task.
Skins removed
3. In a large food processor, blend the chickpeas with the tahini, iced water, lemon juice, garlic and salt until smooth. Then pass through a medium sieve to make it even smoother.
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72 Comments | Add your own
That is one of my favorite dips! Your hummus looks really good.
Cheers,
Rosa
But shouldn’t that mean that I, as a maths-avoider in general, wouldn’t eat corn at all?
I eat corn the same way your husband does, but I am terrible in any math, as a matter of fact I hated math in school so much that I choose my future profession based on amount of math in the curriculum.
So, no math for me, please…
Removing the skin from the beans reminded me of my lone time with almonds: I love to eat “naked” almonds. For that I pre-soak it overnight, and then next day meticulously peel the skin of each almond… No one understands why I am doing it, but I like my almonds “naked”, or none…
No cumin in this recipe? I’m surprised!
Thank you Lorraine! I have been looking for a great hummus recipe for ages – and this looks absolutley perfect. Great for Friday night drinks and mezedes – going to try this out tonight! Love hummus but despise mathematics of any form!!
Interesting about the maths thing. Great looking hummus – have a good weekend.
Interesting! I think I’d still go for it with the skins on … the more health and fibre the better!
I don’t like maths at all, but I like corn and eat it from side to side.
I always remove the skins too, and find I can only really get silky hommus if I boil dried chickpeas and avoid canned ones. Interesting that the recipe uses iced water – I use the Barry Vera Syrian hommus recipe, which uses hot water!
I eat corn in rows and despised algebra, although I did ok at it. As for hummus, I’m more a dip your bread in kind of girl, why dirty another utensil? What does the bicarbonate of soda do for the hummus?
HI Emily! Hehe maybe it’s the lesser of two evils-I was terrible at Maths either way but hopelessly worse at algebra
The bicarb soften the chickpeas and the skins 
I’m definitely a typewriter corn eater and yes, I was best at algebra. That’s weird! Have to try this super smooth hummus, it looks great – oh and we’re all pitta dippers here chez Glam. GG
Thanks for the fabulous Hummus recipe. We eat it by the bucketload but have never attempted to make it. Do you know I use lots of chickpeas that I always cook myself. However you are the 1st person who has ever mentioned about removing the skins. I never knew if I was doing the right thing rubbing those skins off! I cook up a whole kilo of chickpeas, then place into small cliplock bags when cool and freeze. So handy and much cheaper than the canned option!
Delicious, and it’s things like the extra step of removing the skins that make the difference between home food and restaurant food!
My daughter is starting algebra, and struggling with Pascals triangle, I wonder if I gave her corn every night and make sure she eats it in a spiral if she would understand the principles better?
Oooooooooooh I love me a good hummus dip. Sometimes it’s quite grainy and it leaves an unpleasant after taste. Love hearing that its “silky smooth”. I guess I have to try it myself
THanks for sharing. There is nothing like the ultra smooth, garlicky, lemony hummus of the Middle East. Makes all other versions pale.
I eat my corn like Mr. NQN, disliked math when young but later taught algebra, geometry and trig and loved them, and definitely I am a dipper.
Well, I’m totally excited to be mentioned in your blog! And I’ve never seen ice water in a hummus recipe before, so I’ll definitely be trying this one. I do feel sort of guilty removing the skins due to the fibre factor, but the result is so wonderful.
I think my corn-eating is haphazard so I guess it explains why I was so ordinary at maths.
I am a bread dipper in type of girl and I eat my corn around the cob.
While I’m sure a lovely, silky hummus would be divine I’m not likely to find out. I’m far too lazy to go through all of that. I make mine in my Thermomix and it produces a lovely smooth paste with little effort on my part – just the way I like it!
I don’t think I PREFER any kind of maths, I’ll just eat the corn and the hummous and let the geeks battle out if theres a correlation
using bicarb to soften the skins is such a good tip, it really does make a silky smooth dip! looks delish x
I go around in circles. I used to do the typewriter thing when I was a kid, because that’s what Bugs Bunny did. I loooooove hummus (not sure how I feel about it being smooth. Might have to try it), and if there’s cut-up pieces of bread I’ll dip it, but if it’s a bread-tearing situation then I use a knife. It’s all quite complicated, really
I love your silky hummus! I dip my bread in (though I’d use a knife if I had guests
).
HI
Should the tahini be hulled or unhulled
Hi Micala, I used hulled tahini
I eat my corn like you do! And after having had braces for four years as a kid, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy eating it off the cobb now just because I CAN!
Now that is one GORGEOUS looking batch of hummus. I just want to reach into my screen and start dipping flatbreads into it!
As for corn, the good ol’ typewriter way works for me. :p
Hi NQN. Can you use canned chickpeas for this?
haha how cute! I have no idea how I eat my corn…is that strange? I need to do a test & see
I was never great at maths though… mmm thanks for the hummus inspiration – must make my own!
Heidi xo
The humus looks fantastic and yes, I think is better to remove the skin, it helps a lot.
I was thinking on how I ate corn…I guess by rows, so that means I’m good in algebra? interesting, so interesting…
Hi Shelley! I think you could use canned chickpeas although I don’t know if you can remove the skins from canned chickpeas (or are they already removed?). Just make sure to grind it as finely as possible and sieve it perhaps? If you do make it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Love that hommus recipe
! I am not in the habit of using dips but have used hommus, variations of dhal &/or avocado and vegetable spreads on bread instead of butter or, God forbid, margarine, for a number of decades. Want to try this: yes, I miss the cumin here also and have never used bicarb – daresay that is one of the Fs in the smoothness? Corn: side to side like Mr NQN and I loved and still love algebra and trigonometry above all else in maths 
??? !
But how do you eat corn if you just totally suck at all types of maths? Do we have to eat it from a can? I love the look of this hummus. Mine is usually a lot thicker and rougher rather than silky. I’d like to try this xx
I’m a dipper! There’s nothing like making your own little spoon with Lebanese bread & dipping inot your favourite food! As for Maths-let’s not go there!!!! Corn? I love it BBQ’ed & I pick it off one by one….& end up with black teeth!LOL.but boy is it worth it!
Hmm I eat mine like a typewriter, across the row – and I must say I did prefer algebra over analysis back in high school!
As for dip, I’m a knife person – I don’t like leaving crumbs in the dip, and I can spread it smoothly in an even layer rather than having a big mouthful of dip at once and then plain bread the next! Your hummus looks amazing
~~~Dear Lorraine,
Only you could possibly make the texture of hummus gloriously
silky & smooth.
I looooooooooove it…but I think I’d go WILD for yours.
How are you, dear? What else are you addicted to besides True Blood? Have you watched Breaking Bad yet. It is FAB. Xxx
Homemade hummus surpasses the store bought product by miles. Even the easy whip it up from canned chickpea version.
I think my corn eating habit sums up my math skills perfectly, I’m an ‘all over the place’ eater. Go across a bit, the around a bit, the eat a chunk from over there.
A definite GF staple of mine – nice to see a slight variation on my own recipe thanks!
My partner and his family all sit about the table and pick the kernals of corn off one at a time and eat it. As for me – have never eaten corn off a cob. I hate it, the pop in your mouth (but then I have only ever had the corn that comes in a frozen vege mix) as a child put me off it for life.
As for the hummus, when I make mine I have put the lemon zest in the food wizz. Gives it a zingy lemon taste. And you definitely have to make a little scoop with flat bread to eat it all up as Middle Eastern custom dictates.
That does look super smooth. I’m intrigued about the iced water… Why ‘iced’?
Have you ever done the knife trick?
What a smart preparation for hummus. It makes so much sense to remove the skins first. I keep hummus around all the time, I’ll have to try this!
Am a typewriter eater like Mr NQN, TRUE!
Something that goes back to fond childhood memories too!
re corn, have always been in awe on what works re Shucking …works for me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnBF6bv4Oe4
Re bread….love the dipping, but double dipping seems more popular in the States than it does to be an Aussie!
Doesn’t this hummus look fantastic? I must skin mine and try it soon.
For what it’s worth, maths is not my thing at all. I cut it off.
Re: bread question. I just use a spoon half the time, haha.
HAHHAA I like you Lorraine I eat around it and ABSOLUTELY HATED MATHS not just algebra just hated it full stop
Ohhh yummmm I rarely see such smooth hummus YUM!
what a great tip to remove the skins of the chickpeas! The hummus looks incredibly smooth and I’m sure very satisfying!
I hate Maths but I eat my corn like one mean algebratrician
Your hummus looks superb!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Lorraine – With all this this talk of maths and corn, I forgot to mention previously that each cob has an average of 800 kernels made up of 16 rows x 50. A fact I learned the other day during a quiz question!
This is so interesting and unique about the maths and corn! Who would have thought it? The hummus looks very smooth and silky!
Yum yum yum thank you for sharing this one I love hommus!
I had to hold an imaginary corn cob to my face but I’m pretty sure I eat it like Mr NQN. I was a bit maths nerd though so that fits me nicely.
How funny! I’ve seen someone eat corn like “typewriter writes (that’s a great expression Lorraine!)”, but I think it’s rare. Lately I cannot stand corn gets stuck on my teeth so I use knife to shave off kernels and then scoop up to eat. Anyway, the hummus looks so good. Never had this silky kind before. Delish…
My parents used to also soak the chickpeas or bulgur wheat when making tabouli in the lemon juice over night too. It’s so lovely.
I actually prefer to cut my kernels off in long strips from the cob. Though if it’s real buttery I like to suck the corn before biting into it
Ooh, I eat my corn round and round – how interesting! As for hummus, I dip, knife, spoon – pretty much anything as long as it’s headed for my mouth
Always eat hummous with bread – habit from childhood! Love the sound of this super silky version. Lush.
I love hummus – I’d like to try making it, but I’d probably used canned chickpeas (cos I’m lazy). Oh, and i eat my corn in a totally random manner – up, down, across, in rows & round and round. I’m also terrible at maths!
Hummus is a favourite in our kitchen, Lorraine. You made me laugh with the how do you eat your corn and the typewriter thing… you just imagine the ‘tap tap tap’ of teeth quickly eating the corn. I slice the kernels off the cob, as my teeth sometimes chip. My Peter just hoes into it.
Gorgeous hummus! I usually use canned chickpeas and do not peel them but now I am adapting your recipe (and the Chedi). Perfect! And I eat corn around and am much more into analysis than straight mathematical thinking.
I will have to pay closer attention next time I eat corn! I would not be bothered with trying to get the silky texture as it seems like to much like hard work! Have a super weekend
the iced water in the recipe looks interesting!
the corn thing is funny – I like the typewriter style and enjoyed algebra! E eats his in patches and it just seems so messy
So that’s the secret to silkier hummus! Remove the skins!
By the way, I eat my corn in sections around the cob. My husband eats it in a row like a typewriter. Hmmm, maybe it’s a man-woman thing…!
I eat my my hummus with a…spoon! I scoop a whole glob and dump it on my pita!
I adore hummus but have never had it with the skins removed; I’m loving the idea! I made a bean dip a couple of weeks ago and did just that, so I’m surprised it hasn’t occurred to me to do it with hummus.
I eat corn side to side like a type writer, row by row, cleaning each row perfectly. It’s a little anal, I know. That would make me good at algebraic mathematics; NOT.
Oh, beautiful pictures Lorraine! I eat corn in a row lengthwise- but never think that numbers and alphabets should be in the same sentence in math (or I prefer to stay away from math at all-I’m horrible with numbers!) and I dip my bread to hummus
just couldn’t be bothered with a knife, I guess.
I eat my corn straight across, but I am so bad at math that I can’t even claim a preference!
I’m a dipper, I’m afraid. A knife really just takes too long, I can’t wait for the niceties of life….
hummus looks wonderful, need to make some this weekend…
xxoo,
RMW
The math thing would work for me although math isnot really my thing.
Definitely trying out this recipe. I love Hummus
i like my hummus a little thicker than that, but who am i kidding–it’s all delicious!
interesting! who needs cutlery? a dip is dip.a knife is to spread for thicker hommus as i use for inplace of butter. that is my belief. yummy looking dip and good recipe.
the bi carb is the secret though. shhhh not many people know…. but yess it does work.
great tip to use the bicarb…never tried that before…thanks
well, i made the hummus and used my Thermomix to process, so certainly ended up with a silky smooth consistency without having to sieve but it has a distinct taste of bicarb which is not nice
(. we eat a lot of it so will try again without the bicarb (is there a reason to use it?) thanks for sharing recipe
Hi Wendy! Oh that’s unusual, I didn’t get the bicarb taste in mine? The bicarb is to soften the chickpeas so that they are easier to blend and smooth out. It’s usually in the water which gets drained.
Thanks NQN!!! I’ll make it this sunday and let you know the results!
Results: Canned chickpeas still have their skins on but they are easy to remove. the hummus was yummy but could have been smoother.
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