I remember the first time I had hummus; I couldn’t believe that this creamy spread was made of chickpeas! Chickpeas, most commonly used locally for chole bhature, was something I hardly relished. But in this form, I was pleasantly surprised.
Hummus is actually the Arabic word for chickpeas, but the name has now become synonymous with the dip. Hummus bi tahini, the more precise name for the dip (where tahini means sesame), can be seasoned to taste; it may be traditional (sumac, cilantro, cumin, zattar) or not(mint, oregano).
I have tried making hummus several times by referring to various recipes online. They turned out pretty well. However, the best kind of hummus I’ve tried has been one of my experiments.This is not the traditional kind – it doesn’t even have sesame which is a vital ingredient – but it tastes wonderful. I probably didn’t miss the sesame because the lavash was completely covered with them. Here is how I made it:
Boiled chickpeas. It’s peels. Hummus with Lavash.Mint Hummus
- I loathe canned food and try to use as much fresh food as I can, so canned chickpeas are out of the question. Begin with soaking half a cup of chickpeas overnight.
- Boil them in a pressure cooker with salt, 2-3 cloves of garlic and a little clarified butter for 15 minutes.
- Turn on your favourite TV show, cos this step is going to take a while.
Sit with the bowl of chickpeas and peel each one of them. This will help make the paste really smooth; instead of having the bit of the skin ruin the texture. I was just about to do this when my mom offered to help (I love that about her – she’s not a great cook, but keeps everything ready for me- chopped, ground, minced, washed, cleaned, just the way I’d like it). - Grind the chickpeas together with extra virgin olive oil – and lots of it, 1 1/2 teaspoons Pudina (mint) masala and salt if required.
- If you’d like it chunky, throw in some chopped olives. Garnish with mint leaves and a slice of black olive.
- Serve it with lavash.
Pudina masala: mint, caraway, sea salt, black salt, red chilli powder, cumin, pomegranate seeds, dry mango powder, carom, nutmeg, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, dry ginger, mace, cloves. Thats a long list of spices to be blended together! I don’t know the proportions yet because I got that off the label of the bottle.
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