[Lucy Lou]

At the moment I am loving hummus and buy the many different varieties available.......is really that easy to make your own?.....anyone got any good tips?


Edit: Not sure how to spell Hummus/houmous

[swingaleg]

I buy mine at the shops !



my favourite is the Moroccan style

[rancidbeings]

Despite being a cooking from scratch fan, I've just never cracked it with houmous.

I think it very much depends how picky you about your texture. For me, gritty houmous is a big no-no - and sadly I've never achieved one smooth enough for my liking.

I've tried soaking in bi-carb which does help some, so that's a tip if you want to reduce grittiness somewhat.

I wish I had a pressure cooker as apparently that really helps a lot, but I can't justify the kitchen space!

[Lucy Lou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swingaleg

I buy mine at the shops !



my favourite is the Moroccan style

The ready-made ones are so tasty - not sure its going to be worth making from scratch.

[stud u like]

With hummous, well, this is another dish that I do cheat on and buy rather than make as I can't make it as nice as Sainsburys.

When I made it, it was horrible. They must use some sort of special machine.

In the summer, I may well have another try and experiment a bit more seeing how they make it on Youtube.

[gmphmac]

It's so easy to make your own, I often whiz up a batch in my food processor. Good in summer with a refreshing salad and raw carrot.

I tend to leave out the tahini, as it's pricey and doesn't affect the taste much.

[Lucy Lou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmphmac

It's so easy to make your own, I often whiz up a batch in my food processor. Good in summer with a refreshing salad and raw carrot.

I tend to leave out the tahini, as it's pricey and doesn't affect the taste much.

Do you use dried or tinned chick peas?......just wondered which work best

[Toby LaRhone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucy Lou

Do you use dried or tinned chick peas?......just wondered which work best

Tinned - especially if you even slightly lean toward "can't be arsed to make my own" camp.
Soaking chick peas for hours beforehand will definitely tip you into the camp.
If you make your own the seasoning/flavouring is critical or you'll just get a bland paste.
Also, it's best to rub the skins off for smoother paste - yes, another reason not to be arsed
I just bought some hummus with feta and spinach and it's delicious (but a strange colour).
Definitely something to experiment with when I next make some.

Heres a sample recipe
http://www.fifteenspatulas.com/the-s...smooth-hummus/

[Lucy Lou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby LaRhone

Tinned - especially if you even slightly lean toward "can't be arsed to make my own" camp.
Soaking chick peas for hours beforehand will definitely tip you into the camp.
If you make your own the seasoning/flavouring is critical or you'll just get a bland paste.
Also, it's best to rub the skins off for smoother paste - yes, another reason not to be arsed
I just bought some hummus with feta and spinach and it's delicious (but a strange colour).
Definitely something to experiment with when I next make some.

Heres a sample recipe
http://www.fifteenspatulas.com/the-s...smooth-hummus/

Feta and spinach hummus sounds divine although I imagine it looking like mint ice-cream

Thank you for the link - what a clever way to get rid of the pesky skins - I will definitely be giving this a go tomorrow

[howmanytimes]

Right now I'm eating sweet potato chips dipped in hummus.

[epicurian]

For smooth hummus, try removing the chick pea skins. It sounds arduous, but it's less time consuming than you'd think.

[Toby LaRhone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucy Lou

Feta and spinach hummus sounds divine although I imagine it looking like mint ice-cream

Thank you for the link - what a clever way to get rid of the pesky skins - I will definitely be giving this a go tomorrow

Er, no.
It looks like something you wouldn't want to step in
But it tastes delish.

[Paulie Walnuts]

There is no advantage at all to boiling up your own fresh chick peas, you can get 3 or 4 tins for £1 and they are perfect for making hummus.

Tahini paste is a must though, but you only need 1 teaspoon for every can full of chickpeas so a jar will last for ages.

I use a hand blender and put all the ingredients into the small bowl that it came with before blitzing for a few seconds.

Can chickpeas
Table spoon extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 tea spoon tahini paste
Large splash of lemon juice
1 or 2 garlic cloves.

[Lucy Lou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

There is no advantage at all to boiling up your own fresh chick peas, you can get 3 or 4 tins for £1 and they are perfect for making hummus.

Tahini paste is a must though, but you only need 1 teaspoon for every can full of chickpeas so a jar will last for ages.

I use a hand blender and put all the ingredients into the small bowl that it came with before blitzing for a few seconds.

Can chickpeas
Table spoon extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 tea spoon tahini paste
Large splash of lemon juice
1 or 2 garlic cloves.

Thanks for the recipe Paulie. I did try my first attempt yesterday and it turned out okish although slightly disappointing - I didn't add any tahini, I will try the next lot with some tahini and maybe it will be tastier.

[neo_wales]

Its very easy to make and adapt to your taste, just play around with the basic recipe.

[~sugarpinkloz]

I tried some the other day, followed a recipe and it was disgusting!

Stick to shop bought ones I would!

[Lucy Lou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neo_wales

Its very easy to make and adapt to your taste, just play around with the basic recipe.

...yep thanks I found the basics quite easy but I think the trick is getting the flavour right next time I am going to add tons more garlic

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~sugarpinkloz

I tried some the other day, followed a recipe and it was disgusting!

Stick to shop bought ones I would!

I am going to have another try but I know what you mean the shop bought ones are delicious.

[swingaleg]

I think it's one of those things where the shop ones are so good and cheap and with a large variety of flavours that it really isn't worth while making your own !

[Lucy Lou]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swingaleg

I think it's one of those things where the shop ones are so good and cheap and with a large variety of flavours that it really isn't worth while making your own !

Yes probably

[Victoria Sponge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucy Lou

Thanks for the recipe Paulie. I did try my first attempt yesterday and it turned out okish although slightly disappointing - I didn't add any tahini, I will try the next lot with some tahini and maybe it will be tastier.

Tahini is a VITAL ingredient - hummus isn't hummus without it!

[grassmarket]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucy Lou

At the moment I am loving hummus and buy the many different varieties available.......is really that easy to make your own?.....anyone got any good tips?

It's a strange thing, back in the 1980s when I first tasted it, the ONLY way to get it was to make it yourself, it just was not sold in mainstream shops.