Houmous is an extremely popular dip made from chickpeas that originated from the Middle East and Africa, but these days it can be found in pretty much any food store in a variety of different flavours. However, it’s extremely easy to make your own, you can tailor the flavour to suit you, and it’s so much better than the store bought stuff!
This recipe is the basic style of houmous using tahini, garlic and lemon. But this will give you the basis to experiment and try adding other flavours. I like to roast half the garlic to enhanced the flavour, but you can use things like Red Peppers, Chillies, Sundried Tomatoes, Caramelised Onion, Olives and Avocado in yours, which are all ingredients that have found their way into Houmous at some point. Don’t be afraid to experiment. It really doesn’t take very long at all to make, and you’ll have a lot of fun making it. Plus you can serve it with whatever you fancy, but the main staples for this are pitta bread, crudités (sliced or whole veg) or use it in a wrap or sandwich to complement meats like lamb or vegetarian alternatives like falafel.
Basic Homous
Print RecipeIngredients
- 400g Tinned Chickpeas, Drained
- 100g Tahini
- 1 Lemon, Zest & Juice
- 7tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 8 Garlic Cloves
- 1tsp Paprika
- 1tsp Ground Cumin
- ½tsp Ground Coriander
- ½tsp Cayenne (Optional)
- 2tsp Salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C Fan)/425°F/Gas Mark 7.
Drain the chickpeas of the water from the tin, place into a sieve, and rinse them under cold water for 30 seconds. Now place them into a saucepan of cold water seasoned with 1 teaspoon of salt, bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to soften them up.
While your chickpeas are boiling, take HALF of the garlic cloves, place them into a roasting dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes until the cloves are soft and golden. Once they've cooled slightly remove the papery skin. Don't dispose of the oil when you take the cloves out!
Remove your chickpeas from the hob, drain them in the sieve, and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Zest and juice the lemon, and place these to one side.
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor - that's the boiled chick peas, tahini, lemon juice and zest, roasted garlic, raw garlic, the olive oil including the oil you roasted the garlic in, paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and another teaspoon of salt.
Blitz it all up until it becomes a very smooth paste. Personally I don't think Houmous can be too smooth but if you prefer it coarser then by all means do so.
All that's left to do is to serve it up - enjoy with flatbread, crunchy veg, or however you wish! It should keep for a couple of days in the fridge, but fresher is always best.
