We’ve been enjoying the smoothest hummus of our lives recently. The trick is to skin the chickpeas before blitzing them. I learned this technique from my brilliant friend Anissa Helou, and it absolutely revolutionised my hummus making experience. It takes a while, but don’t be put off. Just put on a good podcast and get in the zone. I like to serve my hummus with extra olive oil, chickpeas, something pickled, and good bread. It’s also great in a sandwich, and, to top off its credentials, it’s vegan.
Hummus
240 g cooked chickpeas, skinned
100 g tahini
1 clove of garlic, core removed and grated finely on a microplane
50-80 g of very cold water
30-40 g lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
Olive oil
Add the skinned chickpeas and the grated garlic to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until they start to form a smooth paste.
Stop the blender and add the tahini, lemon juice and salt. Start the blender again and drizzle the cold water into the bowl and a good glug of olive oil (2-3 tbsp). Blend for about 5 mins until very smooth.
I’ve experimented with different quantities of water. 50 g of water resulted in a firmer hummus, 80 g was much more loose. If you’re spreading in a sandwich maybe you’ll want it a bit firmer, but use a little more water if you want to dip. Adjust the lemon juice to your taste – maybe you like it zingier, maybe you want it gentle. The olive oil at the end gives it a very silky finish.