The perfect hummus
How I make classic hummus tehina, and the 6 steps to getting there.
Hey there,
It’s been a frantic couple of weeks. My book finally came out in Norway!
I signed 700 copies that had been pre-ordered, which turned out to be enough to make it to number 3 on the non-fiction bestseller list. Happy days!
As of now, there are no plans for the book to be published in any other language than Norwegian, but rest assured my agent is on the case. The book has already been sent to multiple publishers who have shown interest, but, alas, there are no guarantees. If anything happens, in any language, you’ll be the first to know!
What’s an authentic hummus?
The book is all about meze, and I can think of no meze dish more quintessential than hummus. Beloved and controversial in equal measures, everyone has their favourite way of making it.
Contrary to what appears to be popular belief, there isn’t one way to make hummus in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria or any other place with long historical links to the dish. I’ve been served hummus made by people from those countries which many Westerners would’ve claimed to be “inauthentic”. The reality is that each place and each family have their own methods and relative ingredient amounts. Some like it chunky, others smooth. Some like it with lots of garlic, others with less. Some like it laden with tahini, others with just a little. And so on.
The non-negotiable bit, though? Chickpeas and tahini. Yes, the original hummus (to the extent that exists) was made without tahini, but it’s now been a crucial part of the recipe for the best part of a millennium. I therefore think it’s safe to claim that hummus these days should have tahini in it.
And I can’t believe this needs explaining, but if it doesn’t have chickpeas in it, it isn’t hummus. Replacing the chickpeas with white beans doesn’t make it “white bean hummus”, for example, it makes it “white bean mash with tahini”. Delicious it might be, but “hummus” it ain’t.
How I make my hummus
My recipe for hummus is based on recipes from Lebanon and Palestine, not the US or any other Western country. While everyone will have their own favourite way of making hummus, I can assure you this method passes the test of anyone from Lebanon, Syria or other countries with hummus in their food culture.
The important distinctions?
Unapologetically made with dried chickpeas, never canned. Freshly cooked chickpeas make for a much improved texture and flavour, since canned ones tend to be too hard and can have a “brine”-y flavour.
Boiling the chickpeas until they are fall-apart tender, not just cooked through. Essential if you want a smooth and creamy hummus.
Adding bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to the chickpea cooking water. This helps break down the skin of the chickpeas, making your hummus super smooth (and means you can ignore the crazies telling you to peel(!) each(!!) individual(!!!) chickpea (!!!!!)).
Lots of tahini, and no olive oil. Bizarrely, a lot of earlier Western recipes call for olive oil in the mixture. I suspect this is because they add too little tahini, making for a very dry hummus. If you use enough tahini, your hummus will be able to absorb more water, in addition to adding a bunch of flavour. No more dry or flavourless hummus!
Calling for a good quality tahini. Tahini can vary wildly in quality, and the Western brand at your local supermarket is most likely holding your hummus game back. Go to your local international store and try out a few Arab brands until you find your favourite. It can make a huge difference.
Adding a little of the cooking water. The starches help fluff up the hummus, and when you’ve cooked your chickpeas from dried, the cooking water has a nice flavour as well. You can substitute ice cold water, but I like using the cooking water.
If that sounds like something you want to try, my full recipe is here:
With very best wishes from Istanbul,
Vidar 🧿
Vidar,
I am requesting a recipe for rice pudding. I am on a soft diet for a few weeks. Rice pudding will work!
I am traveling to Urfa and Antep in 2 weeks. Cannot wait to see Gobeklitepe, Karahan Tepe and the mosaic museum.
Then back to Izmir for a week to visit friends. We lived in Izmir in the 80's. My husband was and Air Force doctor at the American hospital.
Thank you,
Katie Meyer
Vidar- thank you for this…your hummus recipe is similar to mine, although the spicing in mine is more along the lines of my Antepli mother-in-law’s version., i.e., more highly spiced. Two comments/suggestions: instead of water, I always use the chickpea cooking liquid. And yes, absolutely mandatory to use dried chickpeas. Secondly, the lemon juice really needs to be fresh, not bottled. Big difference in flavor. Thanks for this- in US easy to buy prepared hummus, but freshly made is so much better!