Hummus Day is an annual event celebrated on the third Thursday in May.

A must on any mezze table, traditional Chickpea dip (Hummus) is a century old recipe that is easy to prepare, and incredibly versatile. Serve it as accompaniment to souvlaki, falafel, grilled chicken, fish or eggplant. As a dip, it can be garnished with chopped tomato, cucumber, coriander, parsley, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, paprika, sumac, cumin, olives, pickles or pine nuts.

Nutritionally packed with protein (and heaps of other healthy stuff) hummus is a staple food for many Arabic countries. Hummus makes a perfect vegan option for the lunchbox, serve simply with crackers or a selection of veggie sticks.

We prefer to use dried chickpeas for this Hummus recipe, simply because they taste better. But if you don’t have too much time up your sleeve, substitute with a can of chick peas.

If you are planning  to feed the kids, we suggest you halve the quantity of garlic and omit the chilli.

We have written the standard hummus recipe, along with a thermomix variation.

What you will need:

1 cup dried chickpeas

1 garlic clove

1 small red chilli

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil

1 tbs Tahini (sesame paste)

Juice of 1 large lemon

Salt to season

Olive oil to drizzle

Sumac to sprinkle

Preparation:

Soak chickpeas in cold water for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Drain well and rinse.

Boil the chickpeas in water for approximately 50 minutes. The chickpeas need to be tender, but not breaking apart.This will ensure a smooth consistency for your hummus.

If using a Thermomix: Add chickpeas to the mixing bowl and fill with water under the max line. Season with salt. Reverse blade / speed 1 / 98 degrees / 50 minutes. Replace the measuring cup with the simmer basket. Once cooked strain, however keep approx 1/4 cup chickpea water in the mixing bowl.

Once the chickpeas are cooked, drain, reserving a little of the liquid. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly.

In a food processor or thermomix, blitz the chickpeas together with the olive oil, chilli, garlic, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt. Blend and mix on high until the chickpeas turn into a smooth paste. Adjust the flavours by adding olive oil, balsamic or lemon juice. If you prefer a thinner texture, add some of the reserved cooking liquid.

If using a Thermomix: for the above step, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, tahini, garlic and chilli in to the mixing bowl. Apply the measuring cup. Speed 5 / 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides, adjust flavour if required with salt, lemon juice , olive oil or vinegar and repeat on  Speed 7 /  15 seconds. Continue mixing at high speed until the chickpeas have turned into a smooth paste.

Transfer into a bowl, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the sumac.

Serve with you favorite dipping foods or Tabouleh salad.

This recipe will keep for a week, stored in the refrigerator.