hummus and spicy roasted chickpeas

The last in our recent trio of dried bean recipes, this week is the classic and much loved Hummus.

Hummus is so easy to make, and tastes much better than store-bought. And it's yummier again when you use dried chickpeas rather than tinned. The critics all agree that starting with dried chickpeas gives Hummus better flavour and texture. And it's more economical to boot!

This recipe gives you a good sized bowl of hummus for 6-8 people to enjoy with crackers or crudités, as well as some spicy roasted chickpeas to munch on. You can of course just do one or the other, but serving both together is a lovely combo.

It's often hard to estimate quantities needed when using dried beans, especially when so many recipes refer to the weight or amount of the canned or cooked variety. 

Here's a good rule of thumb:
1 cup dried makes about 3 cups cooked, which weighs around 400g and there is 250g in a can of chickpeas when drained. Remember this and it will serve you well! 

​Ingredients:
Hummus:
1 cup dried chickpeas (some of these will be used in the roasted chickpeas)
1 tsp veg stock (optional but recommended) or 1 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil plus extra to serve
¼ cup tahini 
Juice of 1 lemon
⅓ cup cooking water left over from cooking the chickpeas
1 tsp cumin 
½ - 1 tsp salt
Pinch ground pepper
Paprika to serve
Fresh parsley or coriander to serve (optional)

Additional Ingredients for Roasted Chickpeas:
1 tsp sunflower or neutral cooking oil
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Method:
First, soak 1 cup chickpeas overnight. Drain, then simmer in a large pot with plenty of water for 1 hour. Drain - but reserve ½ cup cooking water. 

Set aside about ⅓ (about 130g)* of the cooked chickpeas for roasting later. To make sure they're dry and ready for roasting, leave them to drain in a colander and later pat them dry with a tea towel or paper towel.

*Not roasting any chickpeas, no problem, only soak ⅔ cup of dried chickpeas and use them all in the hummus.

Making the Hummus:
Throw the remaining ⅔ (about 270g) of the cooked chickpeas and all the other hummus ingredients into a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. Add the reserved cooking water as needed until you reach your desired texture and thickness. 

Don't have a food processor? Just use a potato masher or fork and smash the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Season to taste.

Whether blending your hummus by machine or hand, it's better to do it while the chickpeas are still hot, or warm at least, as this mellows the raw garlic flavour as well as making the whole thing easier to blend.

Hummus can be stored in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed container.

Making the Roasted Chickpeas:
Grab that ⅓ cup of cooked chickpeas you reserved before you made the hummus. Make sure they're well drained - the drier the better - then put them in a large bowl. Add the spices, salt & a drizzle of olive oil, then  tumble the chickpeas in the bowl until all are well coated. Lay them out on a baking tray and roast for 20-30 mins at 200°c or 180°c fan forced, or until golden. Take them out of the oven and let them cool on the tray - they will become cruncher as they cool. 

If not eating straight away, store in a jar for up to 5 days.

Pimp My Recipe 
Add a roasted beetroot, roasted red capsicum or a packed handful of spinach leaves & rocket to the hummus for a flavour and colour explosion

Make sweet potato hummus by swapping out half the chick peas for cooked sweet potato. Garnish with a spoonful of harissa.

Smoky Orange Hummus. This is a recipe I stumbled upon years ago and it's glorious. Swap out the lemon juice in the above recipe for the juice and zest of 1 orange. Also  add ½ tsp smoked paprika.

Add a generous amount of herbs for my favourite variation - Herby Hummus. I use ⅓ cup of each of the following herbs (leaves only, no stems):
Mint
Coriander
Parsley
Basil and dill work well too. Experiment to find your favourite blend.