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This amazing snack hails from the Middle East and is not without reason loved by the domestic gourmet. Hummus conquers a pleasant tart taste with expressive spicy notes and a subtle nutty aftertaste. Prepare a real hummus under the power of any hostess. The right ingredients and culinary secrets from the brand “National” – that’s all you need for this.
Chickpeas-all the head
In fact, hummus is a creamy pate with an oily consistency, which is usually served cold with unleavened flatbread or thin pita bread. Its main ingredient is chickpeas, also known as Turkish or lamb peas.
Canned chickpeas are often found on sale. But for real hummus, you need only dry chickpeas. Only he is able to give the snack the most delicate texture. Chickpeas “National” is suitable for us in all respects. Chickpeas TM “National” – a yellow-golden grain with a diameter of 10 mm, in the finished form have a nutty taste.
First, the peas are soaked in a large amount of water for the whole night, and even better – for a day. To prevent the grains from turning sour, keep them in the refrigerator. After that, the chickpeas are boiled in water without salt and spices until completely softened for 1-2 hours. All this time, it is important to pour hot water into the pan and remove the foam with the husk. The ideal degree of readiness of chickpeas is when the grains are easily turned into puree when rubbed with your fingers. And now an important nuance. Chickpeas should be whipped in a blender in hot form. This way it will mix better with other ingredients, and the texture will be perfectly smooth. In addition, in the heat, the spices will reveal the finest shades.
Zest with a nutty taste
Hummus without thin is not hummus at all, but an ordinary chickpea puree. This will be confirmed by everyone who has tried this snack in the traditional version. Thin, aka tahini or sesame paste, is a fairly thick paste made from sesame seeds. It gives the hummus the desired density, and at the same time enhances the seductive nutty shades. In search of it, you will have to go to specialized sections of supermarkets or a market where they sell oriental spices.
However, to achieve the right taste combination will help tahini at home. Fry 200 g of sesame seeds in a dry pan with 1 tsp of cumin until a rich golden color. Then we grind them into fine crumbs in a coffee grinder. Now we begin to add a little sesame oil. Add it to the eye — we should get a mass that resembles peanut paste in consistency. If desired, you can add some whole roasted black sesame seeds to make them crunch appetitiously on your teeth.
A charming bouquet of spices
Traditional hummus is impossible to imagine without a lush bouquet of spices. Coriander, paprika, cumin and a mixture of peppers make the taste voluminous and rich. Interesting notes are given to it by cumin. It is advisable to take the seeds whole, brown a little in a frying pan without oil and grind them with a pestle in a mortar.
Thrill – seekers can add a little ground chili pepper and ginger. Although this will be a departure from the classics. A little more velvety spicy shades will give garlic. Professional chefs bake it in the oven entirely and only then pass it through the press. So the taste is even more tender and interesting.
Olive oil will help you put all the flavors and aromas together. Do not spare this ingredient, otherwise you will have to add more tahini, which means that the consistency will lose its characteristic oiliness. The final touch is freshly squeezed lemon juice. Thanks to the light pleasant sourness of citrus, hummus will sound right.
Try the classic taste
With all the variety of hummus recipes, the classic remains out of competition. To prepare a classic hummus, you need a variety of chickpeas “Kabuli “”National”. This is not a smooth chickpeas, but a chickpeas with a wrinkled skin. Soak 250 g of chickpeas in water overnight. In the morning, fill it with fresh water, add 1 tsp of baking soda and cook over medium heat until softened. Filter the beans to get rid of the remaining husks. Rub the lemon zest and squeeze out all the juice. Fry 2 tsp cumin and 1 tsp coriander in a dry pan, grind in a mortar.
Combine chickpeas, 220 g of tahini paste, 2-3 cloves of baked garlic, lemon juice, cumin and coriander in the bowl of a blender. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, salt and black pepper to taste, carefully puree all the ingredients. If the hummus is too thick, pour in a little ice water to the desired consistency. Spread the hummus on a platter in an even pile, make a depression in the center, fill it with fried pine nuts, lightly pour olive oil and decorate with coriander petals. Serve this snack with a bread tortilla. From it, they roll up a kind of spoon and gradually scoop up the hummus with it.
Pumpkin sun on toast
As a bonus, we offer an unusual recipe for hummus with an autumn flavor. Soak 400 g of chickpeas “National” in a saucepan with water for the whole night. After that, we wash it well under water and put it to cook until it is completely softened.
At this time, cut into large slices 300 g of pumpkin pulp, sprinkle with olive oil, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven at 180°C. Put the finished chickpeas and pumpkin pieces in the bowl of a blender, add 2 tbsp. l. tahini, 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 tsp.cumin. Whisk all the ingredients until they are creamy. If necessary, dilute the pasta with a small amount of olive oil.
In addition, you can add chopped coriander to the hummus and garnish with pumpkin seeds. This hummus is perfectly complemented by dried whole-grain toast, rye bread or salted crackers. It is equally organically combined with olives and fresh vegetables.
Hummus is a win-win snack for all occasions. It will enliven the everyday menu with original variations and decorate any festive feast. The secrets of its preparation are now at your disposal. And the most important ingredient you will find in the brand line of TM “National”. Real chickpeas always delight with a rich, refined taste, unsurpassed quality and boundless benefits.