The Best Hummus

Creamy, silky, smooth hummus

I just hosted a middle eastern feast this past weekend and couldn't miss the opportunity to make my own hummus. I used my trusty Joan Nathan hummus recipe from an old cookbook and noticed hardly anyone ate the hummus. What went wrong? Why wasn't my hummus smooth and creamy like the store-bought brand? I needed to investigate.

All About the Baking Soda

Made with only five ingredients, hummus is a super simple dip that requires specific cooking techniques to make well. It turns out that the single most important step in the cooking process is boiling the chickpeas with baking soda. Do not skip this step. The baking soda creates a chemical reaction that softens the skin of the chickpeas and creates that ultra-smooth consistency we like.

Use Good Tahini

Tahini makes up more than 25% of the flavor profile of the dip, so try and get the good stuff when you can, preferably made with Ethiopian sesame seeds. It's not a big deal, but try when you can.

Use Fresh Lemon Juice

This is kind of a no brainer, but store bought will work too if you don't have fresh lemons handy.

Ice-Cold Water

Make sure that water glass is frosty before adding the H2O to the mix! The icey water causes the chickpeas to stop cooking, thus they swell up and create a fluffy consistency.

When you only have dried chickpeas

If you want to make hummus from dried chickpeas - go for it! Just be sure to soak them at least eight hours ahead of time before boiling them for an hour and then proceed to the recipe below.

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The Best Hummus

by Fay Walsh

• one 15 oz can of chickpeas

• 1/2 cup of tahini

• one lemon

• 1/2 tbsp flaky sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• two cloves of garlic

• olive oil for garnish

• smoky Hungarian paprika

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1. Drain and rinse one full can of chickpeas and add them to a small pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chickpeas with several inches of water. Add the baking soda and bring pot to a boil. Lower the heat a little if the water starts to spill over and cook for at least 20 minutes. Drain and rinse the baking soda off the chickpeas.

2. Add the juice of one lemon, salt, and two cloves of garlic to a food processor. Process until the garlic is very finely chopped. Add the cooked chickpeas and emulsify. Add the tahini. After a minute or so, introduce 2 - 3 tablespoons of icey cold water to the mix and process on high. The hummus should fluff up a bit.

3. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a couple of dashes of smoky Hungarian paprika and be ready to make more :)