Hummus

Hummus is a mix of chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon and cumin that is easy to toss together yourself. The dish is perfect on the buffet table or to spread on some bread.

Although this recipe is very simple, there are a few things to keep in mind to get an extra good result. I think it is important to use fresh lemon as the purchased lemon juice can give a slightly odd aftertaste. Another thing is to use good quality chickpeas. I use "Änglamarks" ready-cooked, but you could of course cook your own chickpeas from dried ones. The last thing to keep in mind is to mix the mixture properly. With a food processor, this is easy, but you have to give it some time and scrape the inside of the food processor at regular intervals.

I first mix the sesame paste with the lemon juice until it is creamy. Then it's time for the remaining ingredients and then I mix for a good while. How loose you want your hummus varies but I want it pretty firm. If you prefer a little looser, you can save the liquid from the cooked chickpeas (aquafaba) and dilute the mixture until you have the desired consistency. It is a good idéa to save the chickpea liquid regardless since it can be used for a lot of different things - some examples include eggless aioli or eggless meringues.

Hummus fits perfectly on the buffet table. Dipping a few sticks of vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, peppers) is also really good. I also usually serve with liba or pita bread. It is perfectly possible to serve the mixture as it is, but I usually season it with a little paprika powder or sumac and sometimes also top with a little pomegranate and chopped parsley. It is possible to combine in many different ways and you just have to choose what you like best.

If you like a bit more heat, you can add some fresh chili or chili powder to the mix. I think hummus should have a strong garlic taste so I have 2 cloves of garlic, but it is of course possible to reduce the amount to just one clove - it will still taste a lot of garlic.