Hummus has been a hit or miss for me for years. It’s one of those things that, for whatever strange reason, I gravitated to wanting to like. You see so many things online to say it’s a healthier alternative to chips and dip. However, if I was truly being honest with myself, it wasn’t my favorite thing. I was only tolerating it and food shouldn’t just be tolerated. It should be fully enjoyed. I didn’t appreciate what hummus could be because I was relying on the version that came pre-made in the grocery store. You want plain, they have plain. You want spicy, they have spicy. You want roasted garlic…ok, you get the point. Anyways, like I was saying, I was I just tolerating the taste at that point, until I had REAL hummus.

When I had Pasha Grill’s hummus for the fist time, no other hummus could compare after that. Pasha Grill is a restaurant here that has Mediterranean food. It may not be fully authentic, but it’s still dang good. So, when it comes to their hummus, for me, it’s undefeated. The texture and taste was unmatched to any hummus I had up to that point, and that included flavored ones. However, this basic, plain hummus was game changing for me. Then Pasha has the audacity to give you the hummus with freshly make naan bread. Made as you’re ordering! I was hooked I tell you!

Recently, I was craving this hummus, but since I’ve working from one for the last seven months, I’m not near a Pasha anymore and as much as I love the hummus, I wasn’t about to take the journey to get it. So, what do you do when you’re craving something that’s out of reach, you google how to make it yourself and thanks to curbside, I ordered all the ingredients to pick them up the next day.

The most tedious part about this simple recipe is peeling each individual chick pea. I don’t care how tedious and unnecessary this task may seem, you cannot, I repeat, you CANNOT skip this step. I don’t care what other food blog told you it’s ok to leave the skin. Or, if you use organic chick peas it’ll still turn out smooth, they are LYING. Leaving the skin gives that store bought grainy texture, which, now I know is what hindered me from really enjoying hummus. For the best tasting hummus you need 1) quality ingredients and 2) to peel the skin off the chick peas. If you don’t believe me, try making the hummus with the skin and the on a day you have time, make it after you’ve removed the skin. You will instantly be able to tell the difference, I promise!

Anyways. You get the point. Peel the dang skin.

Now, let’s talk about the ingredients. Because this is such a simple recipe with minimal ingredients, you’ll want to use the best you have in your area; the best chickpeas, tahini and olive oil. You shouldn’t have to search very hard or far for these things either. Most grocery stores should have at least one varietal of each item. If that’s all you have in your area, use it. I’m using Cento brand chickpeas and Ziyad brand tahini and it turned out amazing, but I don’t believe you need to have the same brands in your area to have this turn out great. As long as you’re using the best quality you can find, it’ll be just fine.

Ok, I think I rambled on long enough. I thought for this quick recipe the intro would be a lot shorter, but I guess not. Either way, here you go, my classic hummus. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Yields: 16 oz

Ingredients

1 can (19 oz) chickpeas
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup tahini
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
up to 3 tbsp water
salt to taste

garnish
olive oil
paprika
parsley

Special Tools

food processor
stainer

Instructions

Begin by draining and rinsing the chick peas. Once they are drained and rinsed, peel the thin outer skin from the pea. The skin should easily slide off as you apply very light pressure with your fingers or hands in a rubbing motion. Discard all removed skin and rinse the chickpeas one final time to get rid of any lingering debris.
Next, combine all ingredients, except for the salt and water into a food processor and puree for 1 minute. After a minute, taste for texture and salt.
If it’s not smooth enough, incorporate 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it has reached the desired texture. Puree 30 seconds for each tablespoon added.
To serve, place desired portion in a shallow bowl or appetizer plate, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with paprika and parley. Serve along side warm naan bread. You can also use hummus in wraps and sandwiches as a spread to add a different depth of flavor than regular sandwich condiments.

Storing

Store remaining hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.