The best houmous
We are a nation addicted to the chickpea tahini dip. Here, Martha Collison has roasted some chickpeas with zaatar to make crispy morsels for scattering over the top, ready to scoop up with flatbreads. Removing their skins creates the smoothest, most velvety dip, but using jarred chickpeas eliminates the need for this, as they are much softer.
- Serves6 as a dip
- CourseAccompaniment
- Prepare10 mins
- Cook25 mins
- Total time35 mins
Ingredients
- 700g jar Bold Bean Queen Chickpeas, or 2 x 400g cans chickpeas in water
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Cooks' Ingredients Zaatar
- 1 clove/s garlic, roughly chopped
- 85g Cooks’ Ingredients Tahini, or more to taste
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes, or more to taste
- 1 lemon, 2 tbsp juice, or more to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil, to serve
- Soft flatbreads, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. Drain the chickpeas over a small jug and reserve the liquid for use later. Spoon ¼ (125g) of the chickpeas into a small roasting tin, drizzle with the olive oil, then scatter with the zaatar and some salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes until crisp. Toss halfway to ensure even crispiness.
If using canned chickpeas, you can remove the skins from the remaining chickpeas at this point if you want a super smooth houmous (see tip). Place the remaining chickpeas into a food processor or blender and add the garlic, tahini, salt and lemon juice.
Process the ingredients, adding the reserved chickpea liquid 1 tbsp at a time, until you have used 4 tbsp and get a smooth and creamy paste, around 5 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to ensure every spoonful is well mixed.
Taste the houmous and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add more salt, lemon juice or tahini, according to your preference.
Transfer the houmous to a serving dish. Create a swirl pattern on top with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and fill the centre with the crispy chickpeas, then serve with soft flatbreads. This houmous will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Cook’s tip
Choosing chickpeas
Using a jar of Bold Bean Queen or Bold Bean Organic Chickpeas will result in the best houmous you can make at home. These chickpeas are plump and cooked to perfection, and the skins are so soft you won’t need to remove them. Other jarred varieties are next best, but if you’ve only got canned, try rubbing the drained chickpeas vigorously in a tea towel, or simmer in water and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda for 5 minutes to loosen the skins. Remove as many as you can prior to blitzing for the smoothest houmous possible. If you don’t mind it slightly coarser, skip this step – it’s still delicious!
Houmous bowls
I love using houmous as the basis of a meal. Serve a swirl in the bottom of each bowl and top with chicken or lamb shawarma, fried halloumi or roasted vegetables, alongside fresh herby salads. A great meal for a crowd.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving (houmous only) when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 852kJ/ 204kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 10g |
Saturated Fat | 1.6g |
Carbohydrates | 14g |
Sugars | 0.7g |
Fibre | 6.3g |
Protein | 10g |
Salt | 0.5g |