What’s the secret to making brilliant hummus, and are there any variations to try? Jenny, Birmingham
“As there are so few ingredients in hummus, everything matters,” says Itamar Srulovich, whose latest venture, Honey & Co Daily, opens this month. “You have some easy wins: juicing the lemon yourself, fresh garlic, and you can buy good tahini now.” Where it “gets a bit murky” is the chickpeas. “It’s hard to find good ones – it took us five years to find our supplier, and if you’re that dedicated, we need to talk.”
Jarred chickpeas are a good (albeit pricey) option if you’re in a rush. “They’re smooth, salty, and produce amazing hummus,” says Noor Murad, co-author of OTK Extra Good Things. However, if time isn’t an issue, Murad and Srulovich recommend dried, which, of course, require soaking in water and, for Murad, bicarb. “They need to double in size,” Srulovich says, and some chickpeas will do this faster than others. “It’s a bit of an oxymoron but good, fresh dried chickpeas will be ready in two to three hours.” Once drained, Murad cooks her chickpeas in fresh water, with more bicarb (“it helps the skins separate from the chickpeas”) and ground cumin seeds. “It gives a nice, subtle flavour,” she says, but admits not everyone agrees (Srulovich included). Heat-wise, Srulovich suggests a rapid boil: “let them bubble nicely for 20, 30, or 40 minutes (depending on the batch of chickpeas), until really soft.” And keep skimming the foam off.
