Cooking at home: Hummus Hakosem
A culinary treasure in Israel, hummus is easy to make at home as celebrity chef Ariel Rosenthal shows with this recipe.
Celebrity chef, founder of acclaimed Hakosem street food restaurant in Tel Aviv and author of cookbook ‘On the Hummus Route’, Ariel Rosenthal says: “Hummus is a spiritual dish to share with loved ones – the secret to making this ‘treasure of the Middle East’ is patience and dedication, and it’s a standalone show, so is best served with just slices of onion and olives. If you’re not using canned chickpeas from your pantry staples, you should look in the shops for dry kernels that are uniform, intact, stain-free and without odour. When cooking, it’s important they’re a smaller variety which can be completely softened when cooked, as you want to produce a creamy and smooth paste.”
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (300 grams) chilled cooked chickpeas plus ½ cup (120 ml) chilled chickpea cooking liquid
- 1 ¼ teaspoons citric acid (see note)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 2 cups (480 grams) raw tahini
- 1 cup (240 ml) cold water
Serves: 10 Difficulty: Easy Time to cook: 10 minutes mins
Method
Place the chickpeas, cooking liquid, citric acid, and salt in a food processor and process until smooth, about 3 minutes.
Add 1 cup (240 grams) of the tahini and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the cold water and process for 2 minutes more.
Add the remaining 1 cup (240 grams) tahini and the remaining 1/2 cup (120 ml) water and process for 2 to 3 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and citric acid, if needed.
The hummus should be slightly thin and runny.
Transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for 6 to 10 hours.
During this time, the hummus will stabilise, develop a creamy texture, and its flavor will deepen.
The hummus will keep in an airtight container refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.