Hummus with Tahini
Recipe No.: A-15
Arab100 minServes 8

Hummus bi tahini is one of the best-known mezze dishes of the Levant and Egypt: a smooth purée of boiled chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic. Its origin is not precisely known; the ingredients had been eaten in Egypt and the Levant for centuries, and the earliest comparable recipe is reported in a 13th-century cookbook attributed to Ibn al-Adim (a Syrian author), which omits garlic, while similar recipes appear in cookbooks written in Cairo in the 14th century.
Ingredients for Hummus with Tahini
- For the chickpeas
- 250 gdried chickpeas (about 1⅓ cups), soaked overnight in plenty of water with 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tspbaking soda for boiling
- For the hummus
- ½ cup(130 g) good light-coloured tahini
- ¼ cuplemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 2small cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tspsalt
- 4 to 6 tbspice-cold water
- For the topping
- 2 tbspolive oil and ½ tsp paprika
- a fewwhole cooked chickpeas, chopped parsley and a few pine nuts (optional)
Method
- Drain the soaking water and rinse the chickpeas. Put them in a pot with water to cover by 5 cm and 1 tsp baking soda.
- Bring to a boil and skim off the foam, then lower the heat and cook 60 to 90 minutes until very soft and crumbling between your fingers.
- Drain the chickpeas, keep 1 cup of the cooking water and set aside a handful of whole chickpeas for garnish.
- Process the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor for 1 minute until thick and pale, then add 3 tbsp ice water and process until creamy.
- Add the hot chickpeas and process 4 to 5 minutes until completely smooth, adding cooking water or ice water a spoon at a time to reach a smooth, spreadable texture.
- Taste and adjust salt and lemon. Rest 10 minutes, then spread in a dish with a well in the centre, pour in the olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, whole chickpeas and parsley. Serve with flatbread.
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