Making Homemade Hummus

[SkunkedAgain]

I've tried making homemade hummus at home twice now. Both times it's tasted great but the output isn't very smooth. In fact, I finally got a jar of tahini for the last batch and the consistency was like mud. The next time I'll try adding water, but essentially my ingredients were garbanzo beans, minced garlic, minced onion, lemon juice, and tahini all through a food processor. I eventually added in some garlic olive oil but that didn't do anything to help the consistency.

Has anyone else made hummus and what did you do?

[Greybeard53]

I make a basil hummus that is like a cross between pesto/hummus.

That recipe says to add water until it reaches the right consistency, so that's what I've always done as the last step while it's still in the processor.

It's pretty thick and pasty before I add a little water.

Hopefully that helps.

[pushbutton]

Can of beans, reserve the liquid. At least a clove of garlic, usually do two. 4 Tbls of thahini, at least juice of half lemon, the "real lemon" out of the bottle is not so good. 1 tsp salt. I always add a good slice of onion and some cumin as well. Use about half the reserve liquid and blend away, adding more of the liquid if needed. Kind of depends how juicy your lemon is. It can be rather runny as it sets up in the fridge. Not runny runny though.

[pushbutton]

Oh, if the tahini is hard, reduce it oil or water. If you ever get by central and 28th? In Nordeast, holy land has great beans and tahini, not to mention fresh,dirt cheap, and about 20 differnt kinds of pita.

[Chef]

Here's the best one I've ever found for both flavor and texture...

4 cups Garbanzo beans -- drained (about 2 1/2 cans) 1/2 cup tahini -- (Sesame Paste) 1/3 cup warm water 1/3 cup olive oil 2 lemons -- juice of (2 or 3) 4 garlic cloves -- or more to taste 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons ground cumin freshly ground black pepper -- to taste 1. Combine chick-peas, tahini, warm water, olive oil and juice of 1 lemon in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth and creamy, pausing once or twice to scrape down sides of the bowl with a spatula. 2. Add garlic, salt, cumin and pepper to taste, and process to blend. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary. Add more lemon juice to taste. Scrape into a storage container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

[puddleduck]

A little chipoltle in adobe sauce added gives it a little kick. Careful, a little goes a long ways. A little sun dried tomatoes also.

[SkunkedAgain]

I'm heading to the Holy Land tonight, specifically to get some pita and naan. Even the Holy Land brand sold at Cub is far inferior to their in-store stuff. Thanks for all of the hummus advice.

[pushbutton]

Probably too late but Ziyad are my favorite beans. Actually Joan of Arc(common one in big box stores), are not bad in a pinch. Do not really care for some of the organic ones or Trader Joes though. You are one lucky dog to live so close to Holy Land. Every time I go there end up ordering the large sheiks plate and stuff my stoopid for the next three days.

[SkunkedAgain]

I'm in the south metro so it's still a little bit of a haul. I grabbed four bags of Lebanese pocket bread and then four bags of traditional pita bread. Most of it went into the big freezer. I got some falafel mix and tahini but was disappointed that they were out of ground lamb.

Oh well, it was still a good haul. I'll have to make my next batch hummus tomorrow night.

[pushbutton]

Well, your still a lot closer than me Next time your in the area go up a few blocks and stop at Cresent Moon Bakery. You got to trust me on this one because I am telling you ...you HAVE to get their "football pizza"....a pizza from an Afghani joint? Yep. Order what ever toppings float your boat, but make sure you ask for extra sauces. One is a mint tzatziki(the mint thread made me think of this), while the other is a slightly spicy/tangy cilantro sauce that is just ridiculous. You will seriously lick out the container .....and the combo ....slathered on pizza ...is simply one of the best things I have ever eaten stone cold sober

[SkunkedAgain]

Funny, I saw the big sign in their window as I drove to the Holy Land. I remembered thinking, really, a football pizza at an Afgan restaurant?

[SkunkedAgain]

I made hummus on Friday night....awesome. I hadn't soaked any beans so I used canned garbanzo beans instead. Lots of garlic, red onions, spices, etc...and water this time. It turned out great. The only thing that I didn't do was reserve the water from the bean can. Is there an advantage to using that water? I assumed it was syrup so I dumped it, then realized that it says "packed in water." I suppose that you maybe get a more beany flavor?

[pushbutton]

Yeah that liquid in the can sure look nasty, but might add flavor? Really can't say as I have always used it..... daddy's daddy's daddy type thing. Have also tried many times making hummus from scratch....soaking/cooking dried beans....but never really seems to come out as good as from the cans. Much more gritty versus the "creaminess" of the can. Plus, the cans are simply easier. Glad you got it down now....tastes a heck of a lot better than the store bought stuff(not ripping on it, have to preserve it somehow with something other than just lemon juice) and literally takes minutes!!!

[Chef]

I don't use the juice from the cans, I drain the Peas and use warm water when processing (see recipe in this thread). Warm water helps with the Tahini blending too--it can be pretty firm.

[delcecchi]

Here is a tip from Cook's illustrated. BTW I cook my own garbanzos, they are better than canned. I will also post their recipe, separately.

A tip on food writer Melissa Clark’s blog about how to achieve smoother, creamier hummus intrigued us. The tip advises pureeing the chickpeas while they are still warm from cooking rather than letting them cool to room temperature or chilling them first. We wondered if warmed-up beans would also be beneficial when using canned chickpeas (the test kitchen’s preference in hummus). To find out, we made hummus with beans straight from the can and compared it with a second batch incorporating beans that we microwaved for a minute and then cooled to room temperature before processing. The results? The hummus made from warmed beans was significantly silkier than the unheated sample—and remained that way even after being refrigerated.

Here’s why: Chickpeas are high in a starch called amylose that forms large crystals as it cools after cooking, leading to a grainy texture. But exposure to high heat will break the crystals down. There’s no risk of the grainy texture recurring once the hummus is refrigerated, as the oil it contains will coat the individual amylose molecules, inhibiting crystallization. If your goal is to make the smoothest possible dip, then give your chickpeas a quick zap before pureeing.

[delcecchi]

Recipe

Ultimate Hummus

Published May 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

Makes about 2 cups.

Why this recipe works:

To develop a hummus recipe with a light, silky-smooth texture and a flavor profile that would balance chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil, we emulsified the chickpeas and oil in the food processor. For the best flavor in our hummus recipe, we chose our tahini carefully and used it generously.

We recommend Joyva or Krinos tahini and Pastene chickpeas (see related tastings). The hummus can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 5 days. If you do not plan on serving it immediately, refrigerate the hummus and garnishes separately. When ready to serve, stir in approximately 1 tablespoon of warm water if the texture is too thick.

Ingredients

1/2cup dried chickpeas

2quarts water

1/8teaspoon baking soda

3tablespoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons

6tablespoons tahini , stirred well (see note)

2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , plus extra for drizzling

1small garlic clove , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon)

1/2teaspoon table salt

1/4teaspoon ground cumin

pinch Cayenne

1tablespoon minced fresh cilantro or parsley leaves

Instructions

1. Pick through and rinse chickpeas. Place beans in large bowl, cover with 1 quart water, and soak overnight. Drain. Bring beans, baking soda, and 1 quart water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup bean cooking water, and cool.

2. Combine lemon juice and bean cooking water in small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons oil in second small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish.

3. Process chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through feed tube; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

4. Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas and cilantro over surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

[pushbutton]

Huh, will have to give it a try. Would think hummus from scratch would have to be better and can't remember if I cooled the beans down after cooking or not. As previously stated, when cooking from scratch, the texture was always gritty/grainy though.....figured there was some trick of the trade type thing out there the Lebanese Grandmas used, but not knowing one, never knew

[delcecchi]

It sounds like the Lebanese trick was making it while the beans were still warm.

[SkunkedAgain]

You might also have not cooked the beans long enough but I'll definitely try the warm bean route.

Last night I made two batches of hummus. One was a test batch while the other I put about 10 strips of bacon into the food processor. Darn good I must say!

[delcecchi]

Bacon Hummus. Now that's a great idea.

[pushbutton]

That is borderline hilarious! Did a google search and you are not a first, but can't imagine bacon has often crossed the mind of the countless number of birkenstock wearing "hippies" blending up the hummus.......still kind of torn....... uncharacteristic to my nature don't like hummus being messed with many added ingredients....but hard to go wrong with anything involving bacon

[delcecchi]

If you are vegan you could use the bacon flavored soy bits. Me, I'm not vegan.

[deerminator]

Great post! I will have to try some of this. BTW, I started becoming addicted to hummus when my wife bought some red pepper Sabra brand hummus. Mix that with equal parts garlic Sabra brand hummus and dipped with Walmart brand Sensible Portions Pita Bites and whoop dang, that's good stuff.

[pushbutton]

Hey Skunked....the Mrs. Pushbutton was in the cities today and remembering this thread had her pick up a football pizza at Cresent Moon, which was great...stuffed my self silly and fell asleep during the debate; but she also happened to bring back an order of hummus....and have to say it was the best I have ever eaten! It was unique, had a spice on it...maybe cardamonn ...can't say for sure, also heavier on the sesame seed paste, lighter on the lemon, but if you, or anyone that likes the stuff has a chance to pick some up, would certainly do so. Going to talk to some arab friends and see if they can call them and get the lowdown on whatever made it taste so good.

[SkunkedAgain]

Interesting. I'll have to stop by since I'm now out of pita bread.

I did a relatively normal hummus the other week, with a bulb of roasted garlic instead of raw like I normally do. I still put the raw clove tips into the food processor which still gave a potent garlic flavor. The other night I was feeding my 10-month old daughter and gave her a little taste. She didn't make her usual 'yuck' face so I gave her more, and more, and more. She loves super garlic hummus!

It makes sense, because when her mom was pregnant I mandated that while in the womb, I wanted my baby to know garlic, spice, and beer. Maybe it worked!