Smooth hummus made from canned chickpeas, tahini, and lemon, blended with ice water. Chickpea microgreens on top bring a light tartness that brightens the thick dip.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cans - chickpeas, 15 oz each (480 g drained)
- 1/2 tsp - baking soda
- 100 g - tahini
- 45 ml - lemon juice (3 tbsp)
- 1 clove - garlic
- 60-80 ml - ice water (4-5 tbsp)
- salt, a pinch of ground cumin
- 2 tbsp - olive oil
- paprika for serving
- 20 g - chickpea microgreens
STEPS
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas, cover with fresh water, add the baking soda, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until they fall apart when pressed. Drain and rinse again.
- While the chickpeas cook, blend the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and a pinch of salt for 1 minute. It will thicken; that's normal.
- Add the hot chickpeas and cumin and blend for 2-3 minutes, pouring in the ice water in a thin stream, until the hummus is smooth and fluffy.
- Taste and adjust with salt and lemon juice. If it's too thick, blend in another spoonful of ice water.
- Spread in a bowl, swirl with the back of a spoon, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with paprika, and top with the chickpea microgreens.
Chickpea Microgreens on Hummus
Hummus is made from chickpeas, so it makes sense to top it with microgreens from the same plant. Chickpea microgreens taste surprising: the leaves are covered in fine hairs that release droplets of organic acids, and the flavor is like young peas with a squeeze of lemon. That tartness brightens thick, nutty hummus the way an extra spoonful of lemon juice would.
Put the microgreens on top right before serving and eat them with the hummus, scooped up with pita.
About the Ingredients
Chickpea microgreens: 20 g per bowl. Pea microgreens work as a swap, minus the tartness.
Chickpeas: two 15 oz (400 g) cans. If you cook dried ones, use 200 g and cook until completely soft.
Tahini: sesame paste. Good tahini is pourable and pale. If the oil has separated in the jar, stir it all back together.
Ice water makes the hummus lighter and fluffier than regular water.
Technique: Overcook the Canned Chickpeas
Canned chickpeas straight from the can make grainy hummus. Simmer them for 15-20 minutes with 1/2 tsp baking soda, until the chickpeas fall apart when pressed. The baking soda softens the skins, so you don’t have to peel them by hand. Drain, rinse, and blend them hot: warm chickpeas blend smoother.
Variations
- Roasted red pepper: blend in 1 roasted red pepper with the chickpeas.
- Beet: 100 g roasted beet turns it pink.
- With meat: top with ground lamb or beef browned with cumin and pine nuts.
- Spicy: 1 tsp harissa in the center of the bowl.
Serving and Storage
Serve with warm pita, raw vegetables, or as a sauce for meat. Hummus keeps in the fridge for 4 days in a sealed container, ideally under a thin layer of oil. Add the microgreens right before serving. Whether to wash microgreens before putting them on a cold dish is covered in our wiki: should you wash microgreens.
Another pita dip with microgreens: tzatziki with borage microgreens.
CHEF'S TIPS
Hummus thickens in the fridge. On day two, stir in a spoonful of water before serving.
Garlic gets sharper overnight, so use half a clove if the hummus needs to last a few days.
