Description

Black Italian chickpeas from Puglia and black sesame paste are the base for this beautifully black, smooth, and creamy hummus. It tastes just as great as regular hummus but comes with a striking cement-gray color, making it a perfect recipe to share during Go Gray in May for Brain Cancer Awareness.

Ingredients

Scale

1 (14-ounce) can of black chickpeas, drained and lightly rinsed (400g)
1 teaspoon baking soda(5g)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (30g)
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed, (plus more to taste) (30g)
3 tablespoons black sesame paste (or regular tahini) (30g)
1 to 2 drops of toasted sesame oil, (optional but recommended)
1 medium garlic clove, middle shoot removed (3 to 5g)
1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (or sea salt) (6g)
2 1/2 tablespoons ice-cold water (plus more as needed) (40g)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark even when your hands have flour all over them

Instructions

Warm up the chickpeas. Add the drained and rinsed chickpeas to a small pot, add enough water to cover them, add the baking soda, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 6 to 7 minutes, or until the beans are heated through and the skins have softened. Strain the chickpeas and add them to the bowl of a food processor or blender.
Make the garlic paste (optional step). Place the garlic on a cutting board, and sprinkle the salt over it. Using the back of a knife scrape and press down at the same time in one motion to create a garlic paste (see photos). This will help the garlic incorporate better into the hummus.
Blend the hummus. To the chickpeas, add the lemon juice, olive oil, black sesame paste, salt, and garlic paste (or chopped garlic), and process until smooth. With the food processor still running add the ice-cold water, until you reach the desired texture.
Adjust the hummus for taste and texture. Taste the hummus, and adjust the seasonings adding more salt and lemon juice as needed, blend, and taste. If the texture is still a bit too thick, turn back on the food processor and add more ice water about 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Feel free to add a pinch or two of cumin if you like. Serve with raw or pan-seared veggies, pita bread, naan bread, or on a Mezza platter with pickled vegetables, Enjoy!

Notes

How to Make a Completely Smooth Hummus (without needing to remove the shells)

Below are some easy techniques to ensure the hummus you make will be smooth and fluffy like your favorite restaurant.

Add baking soda to the water when you reheat the canned chickpeas. If you’re using dried chickpeas, soak them with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and then cook them with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. This helps soften the shells so you don’t have to remove them.
Add the drained and rinsed canned chickpeas to a small pot, add enough water to cover them, add baking soda, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 4 to 7 minutes until the beans are heated through and the skins have softened.
Add ice-cold water to the chickpeas as they’re being processed in the food processor or blender with all of the other ingredients (Do not use room temperature water, hot water, or chickpea cooking water. Just use ice-cold H²O.

Is hummus considered hummus if you use a bean other than chickpeas? As you know, “hummus” means chickpeas in Arabic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t substitute other beans and still call it hummus or a hummus-style dip. You can substitute black-eyed peas, white beans, black beans, yellow lentils, fava beans, etc. for chickpeas in hummus recipes. Just know that the amount of bean to liquid ratio may change depending on what type of bean you use to replace chickpeas.
Can you freeze hummus? Yes, you can definitely freeze hummus! It’s as easy as portioning it into batches (I prefer smaller 2-4 person serving size portions otherwise it can take forever to defrost a larger “brick” of frozen hummus). Be sure to leave room in the container so that as the hummus freezes, it can expand without pushing out of the container. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and give it a good stir to re-incorporate any liquid that may have separated during the defrosting period.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Sauces + Spreads + Dips
Method: Food Processor or Vitamix
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/4 cup