The volume of beans that I've used here produces an amount of hummus similar to what you get in a grocery store container. Flavoring the beans during the cooking process is fabulous as you can eat them plain, add them to salad, rice or quinoa, dry roast them for a snack... and of course, grind them to a paste to make hummus.
CHICK PEA BOIL INGREDIENTS:
½ cup dried chickpeas
water
... later more water
2 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon black pepper (I use telicherry pepper from a specialty store, but any will do)
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
⅛ teaspoon ground sumac
small pinch of cinnamon (maybe 1/16 teaspoon)
pinch of salt (start with ½ teaspoon)
optional: ½ t baking soda to further soften the beans (it will effect the taste, but in a fine way)
HUMMUS INGREDIENTS
the cooked beans (about 2 cups)
reserved seasoned water from your chickpea boil
juice and zest of 1 lemon; maybe 2
½ cup of tahini
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (go to a restaurant supply store and buy it in a large container, for making dressings, sauces, etc.)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons cumin (paprika and za'tar are also great)
salt, ground pepper if needed
OPTIONAL GARNISHES
extra virgin olive oil
kalamata or similar olives
parsley
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
colander
4qt or larger pot
chef's knife
zester (a microplane is a great tool to have)
cutting board
measuring spoons/cups
large bowl
ladle
stick blender, blender or food processor
INSTRUCTIONS
Rinse the chickpeas well in a standard colander, making sure to remove any debris. Put the chickpeas in a 4 qt saucepan and cover with 3" of water. On an appropriate sized burner, bring contents of the pot to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and let the chickpeas sit in the pot for an hour. They will double in size.
Drain and rinse the cooled chick peas in the colander.
Cover with water 4-5" above the beans. They will double in size again during this cooking phase. Add all of the ingredients listed under "Chickpea Boil Ingredients" aside from the salt (you will add this in the last 15 minutes of cooking).
Bring the contents to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Be sure to check the pot to ensure you haven't boiled all of the water off. You can certainly add water, need be. At this point, add your salt. Boil for another 15-30 minutes to desired tenderness.
For softer beans, you can add ½ teaspoon of baking soda and/or leave the lid partially covering the pot during the boil. Experiment with that to see what you prefer.
Turn off the heat on your pot. Put the colander in the large bowl and drain your beans, keeping the boiling liquid in reserve. Remove the bay leaves from your beans. Either transfer the beans to a blender or food processor or a bowl in which you can grind them with a stick blender.
Add the zest and juice of one lemon, fresh garlic, cumin, olive oil and tahini. Blend until it starts to get smooth. Taste the paste. Add some more lemon juice or even a bit of tahini if you want the flavor to change. Blend. If the hummus is too thick, little by little add some of your reserved liquid until you are satisfied with the thickness. If you forget to reserve liquid, water will do. Keep blending. When it is your desired thickness, taste and add a little salt or pepper if you want to. Blend again.
Serve in a beautiful bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of fresh parsley. I love adding olives, too! Serve with pita, sliced veggies or even feta cheese!
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A note on tahini: It keeps quite well in the refrigerator. Two things I love doing with it:
Make a vegan dressing: tahini, lime juice and zest, rice wine vinegar, mirin (optional), sea salt, freshly ground black pepper. I use this to make a vegan cole slaw... here is my recipe: Vegan Cole Slaw
Make a sandwich: baked tofu on a toasted crusty whole-grain bread, thinly sliced cucumber, mung bean sprouts. Mix equal parts of tahini and peanut butter. Thin with a little rice wine vinegar and add a drop or two of liquid smoke. Spread some on the bread and enjoy!!
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