Authentic hummus

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A dried chickpea is a thing of wonder and mystery. A small hard little bullet that requires soaking and boiling until it finally becomes edible. Sounds like a lot of effort to me. I’m the kind of gal who likes to shmoosh up a can of ready prepared chickpeas in 5 minutes and call it hummus –isn’t that what canned chickpeas are for? That being said, I have it on good authority that soaking and cooking dried chickpeas makes a vast improvement over my tinned version so was intrigued enough to try it for myself. Soaking the chickpeas overnight is the only step that makes the process lengthy but other than that, the task was relatively effortless and well worth it. My hummus was silky smooth, buttery and creamier than any I have ever made. Sprinkled with smoked paprika and drizzled with lashings of extra virgin olive oil, I served mine warm straight out the pot shovelled on top a hot pita bread. Nom nom. 

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Authentic hummus
Makes approx 600g / Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 1 hr 20 mins + soaking overnight / V Vn Gf Df 
You’ll need: Food processor or hand blender
250g dried chickpeas 
1tsp sea salt flakes 
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 
For the hummus:
2 garlic cloves
2 tbs tahini 
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbs water (more if you like a looser texture) 
1tsp sea salt flakes 
To serve:
Smoked paprika, chopped parsley and a good quality extra virgin olive oil 

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1. Add the dried chickpeas to a large bowl and cover with twice the volume of cold water (filtered if you have it). leave to soak for at least 12 hours – I tend to do this overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas well before transferring to a large saucepan. Cover again with twice the volume of cold tap or filtered water and add 1 tsp of salt and ½ a tsp of bicarbonate of soda and stir well.
3. Place over a high heat and bring to a furious boil for 10 mins, skimming off any foam and loose skins that have come away. Turn the heat down to a simmer and continue to skim off and disregard any other loose skins occasionally for 50 mins. Your chickpeas should be soft enough to squish between your fingers. If they’re still little hard, continue to cook them until they are soft.
4. Drain the chickpeas over a large bowl to reserve the water and leave to cool in a colander for 10-15 mins. Tip the warm chickpeas into a food processor or large bowl (if using a hand blender) and add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt and 2 tbs of the reserved water. Blitz until you have your desired texture. If you like your hummus extra smooth, add additional chickpea water and blend for longer until you get your desired textured.
5. Spoon into a bowl and serve warm topped with chopped fresh parsley, a dusting of smoked paprika and a good glug of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

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If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

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V – Vegetarian    Vn – Vegan     Gf – Gluten free     Df – Dairy free

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If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.