HUMMUS BEIRUTI

I posted a hummus recipe a few years ago and thought it could use a quick revisit. If you’re not familiar with humus, it’s a starter that can take on many forms (more on this later) and is made from mashed chickpeas, tahini paste, lemon, and salt.

My recipe is surprisingly aromatic, creaming chickpeas into a paste with tahini will give you a soft power of aromas. It’s zesty (no monotone flavors here), and so smooth for extra pleasure.

There are a lot of great things about hummus aside from the way it tastes, it’s healthy, it’s fun, it’s a crowd pleaser but most importantly, it’s your joker card.

It can be used as a dip for vegetables and crackers (a pairing for Friday evening drinks with friends), a side (a go-to option that complements everything), or a main meal (a day when you want something light but filling). 

THE CICKPEAS: 

  • Traditional recipes call for dried chickpeas that need to be soaked (overnight) and boiled (for hours). Do you have to do that? Not really, a ready-to-use jar/can of whole chickpeas in brine would do just fine.

  • But, if you want to take your hummus from Good to GREAT, you’ll have to pop each one out of its translucent skin. Yes, it’s time-consuming and annoying (maybe meditative depending on your mood), but this guarantees your hummus is extra smooth and full of flavor since you’re throwing out the tasteless, lumpy skin. 

TO ADD GARLIC OR NOT TO ADD GARLIC?:

With traditional recipes, everyone has their “thoughts” about the “correct” version. And with hummus, the debate is always about whether to add garlic or not. After a quick census of my Lebanese community, I was left more confused than when I started, because the responses were polarizing.   

After testing out a few recipes and combinations, here’s my answer, if you’re looking for a dip, add the garlic, if you're looking for a side or main dish, don’t add the garlic.  

If you looking to do whatever you want to do, because both options are delicious and theoretically go with everything, that works too.  

HUMMUS INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ½ cups chickpeas in brine from a can or jar, drained

  • 1/3 cup tahini (Middle Eastern sesame paste)

  • 3 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 1 1/4 tsp tablespoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 3 tablespoon hummus cooking liquid

  • Extra virgin olive oil for serving

BEEF TOPPING INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup pine seeds

  • 100 grams ground beef

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tsp allspice

  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

  • 6 cracks black pepper

HUMMUS METHOD

  1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add the drained chickpeas, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until soft.

  2. Reserve ¼ cup of hummus cooking liquid. Discard the remaining water and add cold water to the pot. This will help loosen the humus from its skin. Once cool enough to handle, pop each chickpea out of its translucent skin using your fingers. Discard the skin.

  3. Add the peeled chickpeas to a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and process until creamy. Every so often scrapes down the sides and bottoms of the food processor to ensure even creaminess. While processing, the hummus will first have a crumbly texture, then transform into a creamy dough-like texture, around 5 minutes.

  4. Add the tahini, lemon, salt, olive oil, and 3 tablespoons of hummus cooking water to the creamed chickpeas and continue to process until smooth. Every so often scrapes down the sides and bottoms of the food processor to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.

  5. The hummus should be soft enough to easily scoop up with a slice of bread, but firm enough not to have any drip back down because the consistency is too loose.

  6. If the hummus is too thick, gradually add hummus cooking liquid, to reach your desired consistency.

GROUND BEEF METHOD:  

  1. Add the pine seeds to a medium skillet set at medium-high heat. Because pine seeds are packed with their own oils that are extracted when heated, there’s no need to add oil to your skillet. Stir occasionally until the seeds turn golden brown. Set the toasted pine seeds aside.

  2. In the same medium skillet, add the minced meat, salt, allspice, black pepper, and cinnamon and cook until the meat turns from pink to brown and until all the excess juices from the cooked meat evaporate, around 6 to 10 min.

  3. A note here: traditionally the beef is sliced into bite-sized chunks but I prefer it ground, feel free to pick your preference, the cooking method remains the same.  

ASSEMBLY METHOD:

  1. Add the hummus to a shallow medium-sized bowl. With the back of a spoon create a crater in the center, where the cooked meat can lay. Spoon the cooked meat onto the hummus and top with the toasted nuts and a drizzle of olive oil. The dish can be served warm or at room temperature. 

Recipe, Photography, Food Styling, Prop Styling by: TALA SOUBRA

I read and reply to all comments. So please do share your thoughts about the recipe.