Sunday, April 13, 2008

Hummus: so quick and easy

Why pay for expensive hummus (hamos, houmous, hommos, hommus, hummos, hummous or humus) from the grocery store when it's so very easy to make yourself? You don't even need a recipe, since the proportions are all to taste.
The only things missing from this lineup of ingredients are lemon juice (I forgot to pull out a cube for the photo) and salt and pepper.

Mince some garlic, and shallots if you have them, and brown them in a little olive oil. You can use raw if you like that.

Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid. Put about a fourth of the liquid with the beans in a food processor (I have a little one that's perfect for jobs like this). Add the garlic and onions, a spoonful or two of tahini, a squeeze of lemon juice, and any other seasonings you might like, such as cumin and coriander. A pinch of salt and pepper. Also a drizzle of olive oil. Process until smooth, adding a little more oil if it's too thick, or some lemon juice. Taste it! Adjust the seasoning as desired.
Garnish it with sprinkled paprika and a sprig of green. Put it on sandwiches or eat it as a dip for pita bread and vegetables.

You can try so many variations of this. Roast some red peppers and toss those in. Toast a huge amount of garlic. Grate some fresh lemon zest. Add a little cayenne or tabasco or sriracha for heat. It's all good!


  1. i love me some huhmohse...

    it was our dinner last night with pretzels for dipping and a salad...

  2. homemade hummus is so much better that anything you can buy. Although I've never tried sauteeing the garlic beforehand. A must do the next time. Yum.

  3. Another one of your recipes I'll just have to get round to trying. You do realise I'm never going to catch up with you at this rate don't you

  4. Hummus is one of my favorite dips/spreads. It is so quick and easy to make!

  5. Hi cef! I like your spelling. I could definitely make a dinner out of this stuff.

    meresy, I sautee it because I find raw is a little too potent for me, especially in something I'm going to eat at work. I like the sweeter, mellower flavor of it sauteed.

    Breezy, if I felt obliged to keep up with everyone's recipes, I'd be cooking 24 hours a day and weigh 300 pounds.

    Kevin, I just saw your roasted garlic version (checked to see if you had one). Sounds even better!

  6. Sounds great.

    I've read that hummus is a popular breakfast food in the middle east -- just in case you were interested in expanding your breakfast and/or hummus horizons.

  7. Oh, I could totally eat a bagel with hummus for breakfast, Julie. Good energy food!

    It sure disappears fast, though.

  8. I never realized it was so dang easy to make!!!