Houmous: I finally got it!

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Have been working on houmous for a while.  My first attempts were so disappointing, I quit for a very long time.  Then a couple of years ago, I made another attempt, with modest success, but still not enough to stop me from buying it.

Last summer I tried again – and made progress, bit still wasn’t making a houmous as good as what I could buy elsewhere.  Then I bought Smorl’s houmous and read the ingredients, visited some websites, tried again.  Today I made a houmous that I think is good enough to sell.  Am I gonna give you the recipe?  Huh! What’s it worth to you?

Am I gonna tell you my secrets?  Huh!

Kombu sheets (Photo credit: FotoosVanRobin)

I didn’t measure, so the quantities are approximate – which could be why it’s so tricky to get right, but then when I’ve followed a recipe and measured, it didn’t turn out right, so I think it’s one of those things you have to make over and over and over, and taste, and then one day, you’ve got it.

• about 2/3 cup dried organic chick peas, soaked for about 12 hours
• cook in at least triple water, together with
• 1 double-wide sheet kombu vegetable cut into thin strips

When the chick peas are cooked, set half aside, with their own portion of the liquid and kombu, and add

• half a dozen or so cloves of garlic, sliced

  

• the juice of 1 medium sized lemon
• 1 Dessertspoonful of Tahini paste
• 1/2 tsp dried red hot chili
• 1 Dessertspoonful extra virgin olive oil

Blend with a hand held mixer (I do it right in the saucepan to reduce dish washing), frequently stopping and stirring with a spatula, scraping the mix off the sides of the pan and blending in.

When it’s blended but still a bit lumpy

• add the other half of your chick peas, liquid and kombu.

Blend again, using the same method as above.

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Taste.

Blend.

When it’s almost there texture wise, but a bit dry

• add about 1/4 cup of water.

Blend some more.

Blend.  Blend.  Blend.  All the while, scraping the sides with the spatula.

What I know for sure, the proportion of lemon and tahini to chick peas is crucial.  Too much of either makes it not right.  Garlic is a matter of personal, preference as is the hot red chili.

Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Related articles

• Houmous Gets the Raw Treatment (poliskitchen.wordpress.com)
• Roasted red pepper hummus with whole wheat pita chips (charlotte.news14.com)
• Hummus (ethnicrecipes4u.wordpress.com)

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