Ingredients for 6 servings
- 250 g dried chickpeas
- 1 Tsp natron (bicarbonate)
- 270 g tahini
- 4 Tsp lemon juice
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 100 ml ice cold water
- sea salt
- parsley and chilli to decorate
the day before wash the chickpeas and placing them in a large bowl. cover them with cold water – at least twice their volume – and leave to soak overnight.
the next day, drain the chickpeas. place a medium saucepan on a high heat and add the drained chickpeas and the bicarbonate of soda. cook for about three minutes, stirring constantly. Add 1½ litres of fresh water and bring to a boil. cook, skimming off any foam and skins that float to the surface. the chickpeas can cook for anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes. once done, they should be very tender, breaking up easily when pressed between your thumb and finger, almost but not quite mushy.
drain the chickpeas. you should have roughly 600 grams now. place the chickpeas in a food processor bowl. process until you get a stiff paste; then, with the machine still running, add the tahini paste, cumin, lemon juice, garlic and 1½ teaspoons of salt. finally, slowly drizzle in the iced water and allow it to mix until you get a very smooth and creamy paste, about five minutes. transfer the hummus into a bowl, cover the surface with cling film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. if not using straight away, refrigerate until needed. make sure to take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.
serve with some pita bread.
this recipe was taken from Ottolenghi's recipe book Jerusalem