Twisted Traditional Hummus

The best Hummus... Ever. I am no longer a fan of store bought hummus. The silky, buttery texture and mouthwatering topping will leave you flabbergasted. Simple ingredients, sneaky tricks and a subtle yet truly unbeatable flavour. This recipe is made with dried chickpeas, which need to be soaked overnight, so make sure you prep them the day before you want to eat it!

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‍Ingredients

Hummus:

• 250g dried chickpeas
• 2/3 cup of tahini
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 litres 6 1/2 cups water
• 4 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6 1/2 Tbsp ice water (100mls)
• 1 large ice cube
• Salt, Cumin to taste

Caramelised Onion:

• 3 brown onions sliced into rings
• 1 tbsp olive oil or 40gs butter
• 1 tbps brown sugar
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic
• salt, pepper (we like white but black pepper works just as well )

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Method

Hummus:

• Soak your dried chickpeas overnight, drain and dry very well with a clean tea towel or paper towel.
• Turn on stove to medium-high, add 1 tsp bicarb to pot. Then add your prepped chickpeas.
• Scruff them up with the bicarb. You do this by roughly stirring and scratching them around with a wooden spoon for about 3 mins. This step helps exfoliate the surface of the chickpeas, which makes the skins completely fall off when you cook them.
• Add water to cover and bring to the boil.
• For the first 20-40 mins you will notice fluffy, white, bubbly, scum, rising to the top. Scrape the scum off and discard as you continue cooking.
• Some chickpeas take longer or less time to cook. The amount of time they take to cook will depend on how long they have been stored for. To check if they are cooked, take one chickpea and push it against the side of the pot with your spoon. If there is no resistance and it squishes like mash potato, they are cooked!

Caramelised Onion:

• Now for some multi tasking, Prepare the Caramelised Onion, as you watch and scrape your chickpeas
• This recipe is very versatile! It is great on a cheese platter or as a relish, Try adding finely chopped rosemary whilst cooking - for a super yummy addition !
• Place a small pot or pan with a lid over medium heat and add the oil or butter, and onions. Cover with tight fitting lid and dont remove, allowing the onion to sweat for 10-15 minutes. Once very soft, add your choice of vinegar, sugar*, salt and pepper and cook for further 10 till soft, golden and caramelised
• You can substitute brown sugar for coconut or Rapadura sugar
• Ok, get ready to move quick! Working with hot chickpeas is key!!
• Once they seem soft and cooked, drain the chickpeas well and tip them into a food processor with metal blade. Blitz until they appear creamy and buttery.
• Now add lemon juice, tahini, garlic cloves, and salt with the machine still running
• If you are adding caramelised onion into the mix, add about 2 Tbps now. Continue to blend until completely smooth
• Taste, season with salt and a little cumin if you like, to taste.
• Time for the Last step! Don't skip this one!  This step gives you a beautiful light colour and silky smooth texture
• Turn the machine back on, and while it is running, with mixture still warm, add 100mls(1Tbsp) ice water or ice cubes and run processor for about 5 mins.
• Place in bowl, cover tightly for 30 mins before serving. Top with Caramelised onion, serve

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