Skip to main content

The Zahav Hummus



Several times during the making of this hummus, you will doubt yourself. Am I adding too much lemon juice or way too much tahini, you will think. Why is there no olive oil going into the blender. And who puts iced water in a hummus.

But keep aside all your past hummus making experiences and believe in the genius that is Mike Solomonov, the chef who made Zahav the leading voice of Israeli cuisine in US. For only then you get rewarded with a hummus that is as silky smooth as a buttercream, with a texture that feels like you are eating clouds.

In the months following the publishing of Zahav cookbook, the hummus recipe took the world by storm. I noticed it a couple of weeks back on Food52 and was taken in by how counterintuitive everything in that recipe was. This might not be the first hummus recipe on this blog but I am fairly sure that this might be the final one.

Ingredients
1/2 cup chickpeas
1 tsp baking soda
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/6th cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup tahini
hearty pinch of ground cumin
olive oil, paprika and chopped parsley or cilantro, for serving

Put chickpeas in a large bowl with 1/2 tsp baking soda and cover with plenty of water. Soak overnight and the next morning, drain and rinse under cold water. Put chickpeas in a pressure cooker with 1/2 tsp baking soda and enough water to cover by at least 4 inches. Cook until the chickpeas are completely tender and maybe even a little mushy. Because of the baking soda, this will take less time than you think - took about 3 whistles in mine. You can obviously cook the chickpeas without the pressure cooker in a large pot but it will take around an hour to simmer and get mushy. Drain the chickpeas and keep aside.

Process garlic, lemon juice and salt in a food processor or blender until coarsely pureed. Let sit for 10-15 minutes for the lemon juice to absorb the garlic flavours. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing to get as much liquid as possible. Return the sieved liquid to the blender. Add tahini and pulse to combine. Add 2 tbsp iced water and blend until the mixture is very smooth, pale, and thick. Add chickpeas and cumin and puree for 1-2 minutes, until the hummus is smooth. Keep blending until the hummus appears very creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, lemon juice or cumin if required.

Serve in a shallow bowl, with a sprinkle of paprika and chopped parsley or cilantro leaves as well as a generous pour of olive oil. 

Labels:

Comments

Richa said…
I LOVE Hummus but never had the courage to try and make it at home, this time I just might, thank you :)
April 19, 2016 at 4:58 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I've found my perfect cookie

It's a bite sized cookie, with flavors of a pie, shape of a croissant and a pretty, pretty name. It's Rugelach. I first heard of this cookie when it became the baking pick for Tuesdays with Dorrie a couple of months back. The looks, the concept - everything was fascinating. And I've dreamed of making this cookie ever since. I ditched hundreds of recipes floating around and went straight to the master. It's Dorie Greenspan's recipe that I used, and ain't I glad I got it so perfect the very first time. So what's rugelach? It's cream-cheese pastry dough, rolled then cut into wedges, spread with jam and sugar and fillings of choice, rolled into crescents and baked. First the dough. Dorie did it in her processor, but I just went and did it by hand. Put 100 gms cream cheese and 100 gms butter out of the fridge until they were soft but still cold. Added both to a cup of plain flour (I omitted the salt because I use salted butter). Rubbed the flour and but
10 comments
Read more

Aloo Paranthas

In all these years of blogging, I've somehow never managed to talk about aloo paranthas, the potato stuffed flatbread that's a standard breakfast in North India. Possibly because they are such a staple in our home, I found there wouldn't be enough interest in the recipe. But I've also realised over time that my mom's recipe is unique, using a combination of flavours and spices that make these paranthas delicious. But that's not the only reason for this post. I also wanted to tell you about a super cool party and some ways we found to make aloo paranthas even better and believe it or not, healthier. The party in question was hosted by Rushina at her cooking studio a few months back. For a while now, Rushina has been talking about the merits of cling film, parchment and something called cooking foil made by Asahi Kasei. Because we won't believe that you can really cook without oil but using science, she invited a bunch of us over for a potluck lunch.
1 comment
Read more

Mystery Fruit

This only happened a few times every year, just when the rainy season kicked in. A street hawker will come by, straw basket on head. He will yell "kaul chapni" and I will run out to buy a bundle of these. Stuck together like flowers, they looked like a bouquet. Every hole contains a little fruit. You break out the package, peel the tiny fruit that pops out and eat it. Done slowly, it can take you an hour to eat an head. Or did, when I was about 12 years old. That was the last time I saw this fruit. I've never seen it again, didn't even know what it was called or where it came from. Three weeks back, Vikram Doctor wrote about a store in Khar that sells Sindhi foods. He described this fruit and I knew it came from my vivid childhood memories. And finally, I knew we were talking about lotus fruit. Now talk about coincidences. Last weekend, I was passing by a lane in Bandra and for the first time in many, many years I saw the straw basket filled with my mytery fru
14 comments
Read more