Israeli Hummus with Paprika and Whole Chickpeas

Name: Israeli Hummus with Paprika and Whole Chickpeas
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 cups
Ingredients: 1/2 pound dried chickpeas; 1 tablespoon baking soda; 7 large garlic cloves, unpeeled; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for garnish; 1/2 cup tahini, at room temperature (see Note); 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; Salt; Paprika, for garnish; 1/4 cup chopped parsley; Pita bread, for serving

1,664 Ratings
6 Reviews

Before opening Zahav restaurant in Philadelphia, chef Michael Solomonov visited hummus parlors all over Israel trying to find the best recipe. "Hummus is the hardest thing to get right," he says. "It has to be rich, creamy and mildly nutty." To make his hummus luxuriously smooth, he soaks the chickpeas overnight with baking soda to soften them. While Americans now flavor hummus with everything from pureed red peppers to fresh herbs, Solomonov says among the fanciest garnishes you can find in Israel are whole chickpeas, paprika and lemon-spiked tahini, used for hummus masabacha. More Party Dips

By Michael Solomonov

May 2008

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Credit: © Amit Geron

Recipe Summary

total:

1 hr 15 mins

active:

15 mins

Yield:

4 cups

Directions

Step 1
In a medium bowl, cover the dried chickpeas with 2 inches of water and stir in the baking soda. Refrigerate the chickpeas overnight. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them under cold water.

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Step 2
In a medium saucepan, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of fresh water. Add the garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until the chickpeas are tender, about 40 minutes. Drain, reserving 10 tablespoons of the cooking water and 2 tablespoons of the chickpeas. Rinse the chickpeas under cold water. Peel the garlic cloves.
Step 3
In a food processor, puree the chickpeas with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 6 of the garlic cloves. Add the cumin along with 1/4 cup each of the tahini and lemon juice and process until creamy. Season the hummus with salt and transfer to a serving bowl.
Step 4
Wipe out the food processor. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of tahini, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of reserved cooking water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and garlic clove and puree.
Step 5
Using a ladle, make an indent in the center of the hummus. Spoon in the tahini-lemon mixture. Sprinkle the hummus with the cumin and paprika. Garnish with the reserved whole chickpeas and the parsley, and serve with pita bread.

Make Ahead

The ungarnished hummus and cooked chickpeas can be refrigerated separately for up to 2 days.

Notes

Tahini has a tendency to separate, so be sure to stir the sesame paste thoroughly before measuring.

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Jan Williams

04/25/2022

Hummus is Arabic, not Israeli. You have stolen it from Palestinians and Egyptians.

Sheila burgess

03/11/2021

I just made this and it’s a wonderful recipe! I noticed someone had said they didn’t know why the baking soda. My mother in law always did this to her dried beans. She said it took the bark out! She was correct as usual! I asume it’s the same here.

Food & Wine Member

12/01/2020

Pretty good except waay too much garlic. It overwhelmed the hummus.

Juliestannard

01/29/2020

I lived in Israel around 40 years ago and have been trying and failing to recreate the gorgeous creamy texture of hummus and also tahini sauce. I actually FOLLOWED your recipe and instructions and thank you, thank you, thank you. Absolutely perfect

LRNell

04/12/2019

First time I made my tahini and recipe worked as written. But sieving the tahini to get rid of the sesame seed husks took lots of time, so I used store bought the next two times. The lemon caused the tahini to seize and turn into a broken paste. Also, I agree that cooking for about 20 min after overnight soak is better. That way, you can scrub the garbanzos between your hands to remove the husks (smoother dip) without having the beans dissolve. The business of soaking in baking soda - I don't get that. A basic soak water is supposed to cause the husks to come loose, but they don't until they are subjected to the heat of cooking. Hence scrubbing them between your hands. Despite these issues, this dip is eaten until it is all gone. Good compliment to a heavily spiced cracker.

Allison Murphy

07/16/2017

Best hummus recipe I've tried. Super authentic!

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Israeli Hummus with Paprika and Whole Chickpeas

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Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Make Ahead

Notes

Reviews (6)

All Reviews for Israeli Hummus with Paprika and Whole Chickpeas

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Israeli Hummus with Paprika and Whole Chickpeas

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Make Ahead

Notes

Reviews (6)

All Reviews for Israeli Hummus with Paprika and Whole Chickpeas