Every Wednesday for two years, I set up a stand at the Santa Monica Farmers Market and sold Hummus Bilia. One day, the new manager of the market came to my Hummus Bilia with her hunter's hat on, ready to batter out another critique. This time, however, she told me something I could not ignore, she required I have my hummus iced, due to the health department regulations.
"No way," I replied without having to think for a moment, “hummus is not meant to be eaten cold!”
You see, I would get up at 4 in the morning to prepare fresh, hot hummus to sell in The Farmers Market, upholding the tradition of serving hummus hot. I was not about to betray my culture.
So, I simply said "thank you", and left.
Since then, I make hummus only for friends and family, but most importantly, I remained a good friend of the farmer Larry Kandarian, which came to be the most meaningful outcome of my experience.
The most delicious organic chickpeas in the world are grown by Larry from Kandarian Farms, who sells his products every Wednesday at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. But, if you cannot buy his goodies, make sure your chickpeas are fresh and raised with love - it makes all the difference in the taste of your hummus.
Suggestions: Keep the water used to cook the chickpeas. This is my secret trick when making hummus. This water is called aquafaba.
Don’t soak the chickpeas for over 10 hrs, otherwise they will grow mold. If you want to preserve them, you can place the soaked chickpeas in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Also, the Tahini you use is essential, so make sure you buy a good one - usually a nearby middle eastern supermarket will have a good one.
WHAT YOU NEED
For soaking:
- 1.5 lbs garbanzo beans (4 cups)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 10 cups water
For cooking:
- 10 cups of water (in addition to the soaking water)
- 1 tsp salt
For blending:
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 cup tahini (I use Har Bracha Tahini)
- Salt (start with ½ teasoop, adjust to taste)
- 2 cups aquafaba (the water used to cook the garbanzo beans)
- 5 cups of cooked garbanzo beans
For serving:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ cup cooked garbanzo beans
Optional toppings:
- 3 tbsp water from pickled jalapeno jar
- ½ red onion
- Tahini/green sauce
- crushed tomato
*All of these go great with hummus
HOW TO MAKE
Soaking:
In a pot, pour water, garbanzo beans and baking soda. Let the garbanzo beans soak overnight, or for a minimum of 5 hours.
Cooking:
Once soaked, add an additional 10 cups of water to the same pot without removing the soaking water and place on high heat.
Bring to a boil and remove the white foam that rises to the top. Once you have removed all the foam, reduce to low-medium heat and continue to cook uncovered, between 3-5 hours.
After 2 hours, add 1 tsp of salt and continue cooking.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You always want about one finger length of water above the garbanzo beans, so add water when necessary.
Blending (5-6 servings):
In a food processor, add 5 cups (or ladles) of cooked garbanzo beans with the liquid that they cooked in, lemon juice, garlic, tahini and salt. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes until super smooth.
NOTE: Repeat this step with the rest of the cooked beans, or keep the leftovers in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days. When you are ready to make the hummus again, on medium heat, warm up the beans with an additional two cups of water.
Serving:
Place the hummus in a deep wide bowl that you love. On top, garnish with ½ cup of the cooked garbanzos and the water from the pot. Drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle with cumin, and the various optional toppings to your liking.
Usually, hummus is served with a boiled egg on top, some onion on the side to eat the hummus with, some pickles, and pita.
Go ahead and dip it!
