finally, hummus

I've been making hummus since I was 17.  I started with canned chik peas and lemon juice from a plastic lemon.  Eventually I got the fresh cooked chik peas down and realized that fresh lemons are important.  But still in 14 years, I was never fully satisfied with the turnout.  It was never creamy like in Middle Eastern restaurants.

Ashlita and I were on our way to Ala' Al-Deen in Victorville, CA for dinner a few months ago.  This is the best restaurant in the area and they have the best hummus and baba ganoush I've ever had.  Lita told me I should ask for tips.  The family who owns the restaurant is from Jordan and people come from LA and Orange County to eat at their little place in the High Desert.  We had a delicious meal of stuffed, marinated grape leaves, falafel, hummus, tabouleh, and baba.  Before leaving I asked the kind man in the kitchen to please share his secret to making the hummus so creamy.  The simplicity of his answer thrilled me.  You put a teaspoon of baking soda into the pot of chik peas while they boil.  This makes every one of those little skins come off the peas, and that is what makes real hummus so creamy.

Here is my recipe:

   2 cups dried chik peas

   1 tsp baking soda

   1/2 - 2/3 cup tahini

   juice from 2 lemons

   1 - 3 cloves fresh garlic (to taste)

   1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

   2 - 3 tbsp of reserved water from cooking chik peas

Soak the chik peas over night.  Drain and rinse well and put in a big pot with plenty of water and the baking soda.  Cook for 90 min - 2 hours until they are very soft and the skins are coming off easily.

Reserve a half cup of the water and then drain the peas and rinse well.  Put them back in the pot and fill with cold water.  Use a big slotted spoon to start pulling out the skins.  If you keep stirring the chik peas, skins will keep coming off and floating to the top.  Do this until you've gotten as many as you can.  Drain the chik peas and put them in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients.  It will blend very slowly.  If it is too thick, you can add a little of the reserved cooking water.  A little goes a long way, so add it slowly.

You can top it in the bowl with extra virgin olive oil and a shake of paprika and a bit of parsley for presentation.

And of course, there are a million delicious things you can add to your hummus if you want to make different flavors.  Some of my favorites are chipotle powder, fresh basil, or sun-dried tomatoes.

Finally, hummus.