Or, almost-Zahav hummus. I haven’t eaten at Zahav, but I do have the cookbook, and everything I’ve made from it has been delicious. The hummus was a revelation. Light, fluffy, airy, the best homemade hummus I have even eaten. The downside: well, it’s a little bit of a project. Especially hand-whisking the tahini sauce as it transitions from goopy to stiff to smooth, taking several minutes and not insignificant arm endurance. Also, the tahini sauce makes 4 cups, of which the hummus only requires 1.5 cups, and that sort of downsizing division is just kind of irritating. I played with this a little, adjusted the proportions, and found it is totally possible, and still delicious, to make both the tahini sauce base and the hummus in the same bowl of the food processor. I do still insist on using dried chickpeas though. This requires some planning, and I’m sorry for that, but it is so worth it. Canned chickpeas are still pretty firm, and will never give you the same smooth texture you can get from boiling the dried ones into oblivion. This leads me to my 2 major pieces of advice for making delightfully fluffy hummus:

1. Cook the chickpeas until they are super tender and falling apart. If you are unsure, keep cooking them.

2. Blend the hummus in the food processor for at least 5 minutes, preferably more. Really, don’t worry about overdoing it. The more you process it, the more air whips in, and the smoother and fluffier it gets. Blend until it isn’t grainy, and the food processor no longer feels like it is encountering resistance when you place your hand on it. Once again, if you are unsure-keep going.

Don’t be alarmed by the prep time. You will need to plan ahead to allow time for soaking and then cooking the chickpeas, but this whole recipe requires just about 10 minutes of real hands-on active time.

Classic Chickpea-Tahini Hummus

Recipe by Too Many SpoonsCourse: Lunch, AppetizerCuisine: Hummus

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

24

hours 

Cooking time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Cost

11

$

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans

• 2 tsp baking soda, divided

• 2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 2/3 cup tahini

• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 cup ice water

• olive oil and paprika, to finish

Directions

• Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl. Sprinkle 1 tsp baking soda over them, cover with 4 cups of water, cover the bowl, and soak overnight in the fridge. They should be about doubled in size by the next day.
• Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and put them in a saucepan with 1 tsp baking soda and 6 cups water, over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for an hour, skimming the foam off the surface as needed. The chickpeas should be very soft, and basically falling apart. (If they are still mostly intact, keep cooking). Drain and rinse, and let cool while you make the tahini sauce.
• In a food processor, combine the garlic cloves, lemon juice, tahini, salt, and cumin, and process on low until smooth. Gradually add up to 1/2 cup ice water, continuing to process on low. The mixture will seize up, then turn smooth and glossy, taking about 2 more minutes.
• Add the chickpeas to the food processor, and run it on low for 2 minutes, until they are fully incorporated. Taste for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then process again for at least 3 more minutes, until the hummus looks smooth, light, and voluminous.
• Spoon onto a serving platter, drizzle olive oil on top, and add a few dashes of paprika. Enjoy with toasted pita, crackers, and veggies.

Recipe Notes

• Adapted from the Zahav cookbook, by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook