When my wife and I moved in together, many years ago, there were many foods I discovered that I liked that I either didn't think I did or didn't know existed, she introduced me to a world of flavours! Hummus was one of them. I'd never tried it before and discovered I loved it.
To start with we only really used it as a dip, with raw peppers or tortilla crisps (or chips for the Americans). Then I started using it in sandwiches and although you receive a certain amount of stick for having hummus in you sandwiches on a building site, it was worth it to break the monotony of ham or cheese (or ham and cheese if we were feeling flush that week).
But now I'd like to make my own, rather than spending 90p on a little pot of the stuff and with chickpeas only 39p a tin from Lidl it makes it worth making at home. My wife also has a project making some at school for their Greece project next term and needs an easy recipe for the children to make.
The only trouble is I could do with decent recipe, it can't contain peanut butter (due to the school not allowing it) so Tahini is the order of the day and so far the batches I've made have been nice but the garlic is a little over powering.
Anyone else like hummus?
Any tips or recipes from anyone would be gratefully received.
Try looking for tahini in it's raw form i.e. unmixed and ready to eat. That then gets mixed with fresh lemon juice and water to the required consistency and whatever spices / seasonings you require :)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't using fresh lemon juice so maybe that has something to do with it as well.
DeleteKev - we loooove hummus around here! and always use a ton of garlic in it! if you are finding the garlic too overpowering...then a few questions are: do you use fresh-squeezed lemon and do you also use some of the chickpea water? the lemon, chickpea water and salt and pepper can cut down the garlic flavour. as well, i add a ton of cumin, turmeric and cayenne to give it a little kick. and just how much garlic are you using??? honestly...there just couldn't be a way for it to be too galicky - we use a ton and love the strong garlic flavour!!!
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
Looking forward to the comments on this one Kev. I found a couple of tins of chickpeas "under the stairs" last week and thought that I could make some hummous for our Christmas afternoon tea. ( another tick for the "C" shopping list)
DeleteI didn't use fresh lemons but I did use some of the chickpea water. Normally we say nothing can be too garlicy but maybe it's because the garlic is raw, normally ours is cooked. Our garlic is pretty strong this year but normally I use loads and we love it.
Deletetake the little stick shoot out of the garlic for a start and then like everyone else has said yours looks too thick. I like mine extra zingy so more lemon juice and some water to let it down. the commercial stuff has plain oil added to it for shelf life stability. I top it in a bowl with olive oil and a shake of paprika.
ReplyDeleteMy sister on the other hand uses 3 table spoons tahini and 1 table spoon of olive oil. and I use 4 large table spoons of tahini and 3 of olive oil. I like mine thinner. I also recook the canned chickpeas for about 10 mins in plain water no salt. mostly I have to use light tahini but if I can find it I prefer dark tahini
We've got a jar of light tahini so we'll stick with that until it's run out. I'll try your recipe and see what happens. Need to buy some lemons as well! Thanks for the tips!
Deleteive been looking now and the closest I can find is this recipe, as we eat it warm. I dont think they do that in Greece. (I guess what we are really saying is that this is like asking an 6 Italian Mamma's the recipe for sauce! lol)
Deletehttp://www.mamaslebanesekitchen.com/mezza/hummus-recipe-from-scratch/
Love hummus, I like to use roasted red peppers in it as well as some of the other ingredients mentioned above. Have you ever had olive hummus, yummy thats good too. Chopped Green olives stuffed with pimento added to it. All tahini is not the same that is for sure. Switching around brands as you need a new jar maybe you will find one you like better :O)
ReplyDeleteThe olivez and peppers sound like good additions! I couldn't eat the tahini on its own. Maybe we'll try a different brand with the next jar
DeleteMy friend, who is an immigrant of dubious legality and used to work for us before moving on to a much better farmer, grows Garbonzo beans every year in a corner of one of our fields. I should say, Jose and I attempt to grow Garbonzo beans as they don't always turn out very well.
ReplyDeleteGarbonzo beans are the same as Chick Peas but the hispanic tradition seems to be to eat them like peas. They eat them raw or boil them. The point of this story is to express the strange sensation of biting into a stuffed taco and having it taste like hummus. Sort of out of context. You should try growing chickpeas in your garden. Or perhaps you do already and now you have discovered that I speedread blogs on my iPhone...
I ljke the sound of trying to grow skme. I think that many self sufficiency people grow loads of veg but not many staples. I'm keen to try growing some grains on a small scale and other staples. Just for an experiment but it would be interesting to grow my own chicken food and mill our ow wheat for bread.
DeleteIs the garlic in the tahini sauce? If so try using less - it shouldn't change the taste too much. If it is pure tahini and you are adding the garlic then you could experiment with how much you add. Garlic, lemon and olive oil are all traditional additions, cumin less so but tasty. When my girls were small I used to add a couple of spoons of (Greek) yogurt to make it creamier - now they like it straight with lots of garlic!
ReplyDeleteI'll have a look. I think its more that the garlic is raw and a little sharp. The yoghurt is a good idea as well.
DeleteTake the chick peas or whatever you are using and throw it out to the chickens. Make sure one is eating it ALOT. Go tot he store and buy some Mayo, mustard (Plus other stuff if you like it). Come home and kill the chicken that is has been eating the nasty Humus fixins then roast it. Pull it apart and make Chicken salad for your sandwiches. It is much better tasting :)
ReplyDeleteI like your thinking! I have to admit that lately we've been eating much less meat and we've been feeling healthier for it. Not every meal we have now contains meat. Although hummus and chorizo us one of my favourite sandwiches.
DeleteLuckily our Tesco reduces it down to 5p most nights so I've not had to have a go at making it myself yet x
ReplyDeleteI try to steer clear of shops if I can! But that is a bargain!
DeleteI don't bother with the tahini, (being from sesame seeds, some folk are allergic to it too), Simpley chickpeas,lemon juice, a little of the chickpea water, (the rest goes in a pan for soup), loads of pressed garlic,(again, the bits left in the garlic presser go into the pan for soup), freshly ground black pepper and olive oil, whooshed up in the blender or in a deep bowl with the stick blender. The other ingredient for perfect enjoyment, thick slices of crusty french stick.
ReplyDeleteAfter trying again today I think it might be the tahini that has the bitter taste. maybe we'll try another brand or not bother. Stick blender is our only option so we have to go for a chunky texture!
DeleteInteresting post Kev. I have thought about having a go at making humuus but never got round to it. Will do, though, especially after reading these posts.
ReplyDeleteIt's only worth it if you can buy the chickpeas cheap enough, otherwise it's easier to buy it. Lidl has them really cheap so thats why I'm trying to get it right.
Deletewhat a great blog! i am so glad you found me and i found you! i am putting you on my sidebar so hopefully you will get more traffic from my followers! i am so happy to meet you!
ReplyDeleteI quite often visit your blog but don't comment. I'll add you as well.
DeleteHi kev, my recipe is on my blog- sprouted chick peas, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, parsley and /or coriander, sea salt. Keep adding and tasting until just right. I don't like it with tahini, so I leave it out. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI think I'm not a tahini person. I'll check out your recipy though - thanks for that!
DeleteI use HFW River cottage recipes for various types of hummus but they do use tahini. I like making a big batch and then freezing in small containers as other half does not like it (his loss my gain) :-)
ReplyDeletePat