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
How to Make It
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Notes
Tahini has a tendency to separate, so be sure to stir the sesame paste thoroughly before measuring.
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Aggregate Rating value: 5
Review Count: 1661
Worst Rating: 0
Best Rating: 5
Author Name: Allison Murphy
Review Body: Best hummus recipe I've tried. Super authentic!
Review Rating: 5
Date Published: 2017-07-16
Author Name: Nell Matthews
Review Body: Overnight soaking meant the hard, shriveled chickpeas were cooked in 20 min. Not 40. Forty turned them to disintegrating pulp. Not a big deal since they were going to be pureed, but I could have saved some cooking time. Final product was, even for my challenged taste buds, a bit lacking in flavor. I added some lemon zest. About two teaspoons of salt was needed to bring out some umami. Now, my concern is that once the pita dips below the tahini topping and sprinkled herbs, it will revert to a more bland flavor. I don't like all flavored hummus (red pepper, roasted garlic bits), but this needs something more. Or, it is a side dish like poi - something to boost the caloric intake but not the star.
Review Rating: 3
Date Published: 2018-02-18
Author Name: Julien Gardner
Review Body: When I made it, it was very runny.
Review Rating: 3
Date Published: 2018-03-06
