[Darlene]

Hummus​

Recipe Description

Most recipes ask for tahini and I rarely have that in the house so I've adapted this recipe to be tahini free but still full of lots of flavor and creamy goodness.​

Preparation Steps:

​

Level of Difficulty:

Easy​

Time Needed:

​

Ingredients:

2 (15oz) cans chickpeas,drain and reserve juice
3 cloves garlic,minced
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1tsp. ground. cumin
few drops hot sauce to taste.​

Serves:

​

Directions:

Mix all except reserved juice in food processor or blender. Slowly add reserved juice to consistency. Best if made ahead so flavors can get cozy.
I serve it with tortilla chips​

 

[Ali Lee]

The price of tahini is outrageous for the size of the bottle, but maybe it lasts forever... Read somewhere to substitute peanut butter, so that is what I do. Tastes good. Of course, since I've never had tahini, maybe that would be better!

 

[Palooka]

I never use tahini and I add some olive oil.

 

[buffy871]

Thanks! I've been wanting to make hummus, but I couldn't find any recipes without tahini. I'm going to give this a try. I live in a small town and it's hard to find gourmet ingredients like that without paying a ton of money.

 

[greekislandgirl]

I always use powdered peanut butter and it works great. Keeping tahini around just to make hummus is not that appealing - plus it's all fat! I also throw olive oil in to DH's portion but I leave it out of mine! Also, I use about 4x the cumin you use haha! I LOVE cumin!!!

 

[OOwl]

I love hummus, and I am happy to see a recipe without the sesame butter (tahini). It IS expensive and mine actually expired before I used it all. I am going to give the PB substitution a try. I mix in roasted, minced garlic so I bet you couldn't even tell with that strong garlic flavor masking it. Thank you for sharing the suggestions.

 

[mauimagic]

Mahalo - same as all - I love hummus, but then the tahini is a kick in the budget - am going to make this recipe this afternoon!!

 

[joyofsix]

The price of tahini is outrageous for the size of the bottle, but maybe it lasts forever... Read somewhere to substitute peanut butter, so that is what I do. Tastes good. Of course, since I've never had tahini, maybe that would be better!

Yep, I use peanut butter

 

[Amdukias]

Tahini is expensive for what it is, however, if you want to make some it is really simple. All you need is some sesame seeds and vegetable oil/olive oil. Toast the sesame seeds in a pan on the stovetop, you are going for lightly golden, not too dark or you get bitterness, a quarter cup or so is all you need. Use the small bowl on a food processor, or mortar and pestle if you don't have one. Put in the sesame seeds, and pulse, it will be a thick paste, drizzle in the oil on high until you get a peanut butter like consistency, a little thicker is better. Use the couple spoonfuls you need in your hummus, and save the rest in a jar in the fridge, will keep for quite a while.

 

[OOwl]

Why couldn't one use toasted sesame oil in place of the olive oil or tahani paste? I wonder if that would work? I may give it a try. I have a couple of bottles of sesame oil for topping of fried rice, and it has a wonderful toasty flavor. Hummus is one of my favorite foods, so I need to learn to make it as easily as possible. Appreciate all the suggestions on this thread. I still haven't tried the PB but I will.

 

[greekislandgirl]

OOwl, let us know how it turns out if you try it - I would worry that the nutty taste would be lost a bit.

I made hummus yesterday (using powdered peanut butter) and I threw some whole untoasted sesame seeds into the food processor with everything else and I think it helped - maybe next time I would lightly toast the sesame seeds first.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

I get big jars of tahini cheap at ethnic groceries. To me it's an essential part of the flavor and texture of hummus. If you leave it out, you're just making bean dip (and there's nothing wrong with that).

Toasted sesame oil actually has no flavor. It smells fantastic, but there is no taste. Try tasting it without having a big whiff of it first, you'll see.

What I find really good on top is a big splash of fresh green olive oil. It has a wonderful rich, green taste that goes so well with the nutty hummus. Kind of expensive, but a tablespoon goes a long way.

 

[moasmom]

Why couldn't one use toasted sesame oil in place of the olive oil or tahani paste?

Go ahead and experiment because tastes differ, but in my experience, I was not happy with substituing toasted sesame oil in place of tahini. I didn't even like the taste of the hummus I made that way. I much prefer to just leave the tahini out entirely, since it is so costly. I cannot substitute peanut butter in my house (DH allergic to nuts).

I also disagree that hummus without tahini is just "bean dip." Middle eastern cookbooks I have seen have recipies for hummus both with and without tahini. Olive oil, however, is non-negotiable.

That said, I will try making tahini soon, since I can get raw sesame seeds pretty cheaply here.

My other tip to add to this hummus thread, is to try making hummus with garbanzos cooked from dried. Flavor and texture is so much better than using canned, IMO.

Kara