I make hummus at home, from scratch, or rather from dry beans which I soak and cook, sesame paste, etc. My hummus recipe is based on a Joan Nathan’s recipe for Jerusalem Hummus. It is delicious, but I have never made it exactly the same twice.
The reasons vary. First, the beans here are vary from batch to batch. Second, I do not cook them to decomposition. Third, the sesame paste here tends to be settled, meaning that the top is rich in sesame oil, and the bottom is an almost solid paste of pulverized seeds. Finally, I don’t always follow the same amounts – I rather prefer to add lemon juice and cooking liquids until I get the right consistency.
Having visited a number of excellent hummus joints in Tel Aviv on a recent trip, I noticed that their chick peas (garbanzo beans) were a lot softer than mine. The hummus was smoother, too, and a lot blander. I decided that I have to delve more deeply into the art and science of making hummus, and try to come up with a plate of hummus that is soft, tasty, and reproducible, using cooking methods that will help get the same outcome every time.
In the coming entries I plan to outline what I do, what I plan to change or at least test, and how my changes are working out. Cooking a dish is like having a baby – the journey is at least as much fun as the destination. So even if I do not make the perfect hummus, I should have plenty of excellent, almost perfect, meals!