I am sure that this will be no surprise to anyone who knows me but I make my own hummus from scratch. I much prefer it to anything I have ever had from a store and the vast majority of restaurants I have experienced. I like it thick and a little chunky, not reduced to a thin, insipid paste like a lot of the store bought versions I have tried.

It really helps to have a food processor to do this but it can be done by hand with a lot of effort and a mortar and pestle. (As serious as I am about cooking, I recommend the machinery method over the elbow grease method).

Dragon's Infamous Hummus

• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black pepper corns
• 14 oz can of garbanzo beans (also called chick peas and chana dal), drained
• 1/4 preserved lemon, seeds removed, chopped (See note below)
• 1/3 cup tahini (also spelled tahina, this is a ground sesame seed paste)
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves, pounded (roasted or raw as desired)
• Ground cayenne pepper to taste (Optional)
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
• Mild olive oil (see below for quantity)

Heat a small skillet over medium heat until very hot. Add the coriander, cumin and pepper corns. Dry roast the spices briefly until they are very aromatic, shake the pan frequently to keep them from burning. Dump the spices onto a cool plate to stop them from cooking further. Grind the spices in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Put the ground spices and all of the remaining ingredients except the olive oil in the food processor. Turn the food processor on and gradually add a thin stream of olive oil until you get the consistency you desire. You will probably use somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup olive oil. Do not add much more oil or it will separate out of the hummus. If you want the hummus to be thinner, you can add either water or more lemon juice.

Garnish with a sprinkle of sumac and a little extra virgin olive oil. Serve with pita bread, crackers or use as a spread on a sandwich.

Variations are numerous and limited only by your imagination. Roasted red bell pepper is nice. You can add plain yogurt that has been drained of excess whey to make it a bit creamier. Chopped olives, especially some of the more exotic varieties are nice. Spices such as allspice, nutmeg, cloves, fresh ginger and galangal, while not traditional can be fun to experiment with. Chopped fresh herbs would also be interesting, basil should work as would parsley and oregano, cilantro is another interesting choice.

Note: Preserved lemons are basically a type of pickled lemon that is used in Northern African cuisines. They are very fragrant and a bit salty with a unique character that simply cannot be duplicated any other way. If you cannot find preserved lemons, they are easy to make. Don't be discouraged by the time it takes to ferment them, it is well worth your patience.

Preserved Lemon Recipe from Recipe Source

Page Last modified: March 31 2006 09:27:46.