Smooth Hummus
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 15 minutes plus overnight soaking
Cooking time: 1 hour
This makes a large amount of hummus (around 3-4 cups) but it's so good you'll be glad that you made it.
- 375g/2 cups/13.2ozs of dried chickpeas
- 3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon bicarb of soda
- 4-5 tablespoons tahini (to taste)
- 4-5 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs. water (maybe 2/3 cup*)
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Step 1 - Empty the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough water to cover the chickpeas by 10cms/3 inches and add 3 tablespoons of bicarb. Stir and allow to soak overnight.
Step 2 - The next morning drain the chickpeas and rinse several times until water runs clear. Cover with fresh water again and allow to sit for 2 hours.
Step 3 - Add drained chickpeas and 8 cups of water to a large pot. Add 1 teaspoon bicarb and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer with the lid on for 45-60 minutes. You can skim the foam and any chickpeas skins off too. The chickpeas are done when they are very soft and mushy when pressed. Drain and rinse very well (make sure to get rid of bicarb flavour). Cool to room temperature or you can also chill the drained chickpeas at this stage.
Step 4 - Place the cooked chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin and water into a blender (high speed blender ideally). Process until smooth. Some blenders like Nutri Bullets require a bit more liquid to process so you can add a little bit more water or lemon juice if needed. Season with salt and pepper. This hummus is best after a day in the fridge and becomes more spreadable the next day.
Thermomix note: process on speed #6 for 2 minutes.