The old hummus recipe I used was a little grainy. And thick. Chip-breaking thick. Anything thinner than a “baby” carrot never came out in one piece. I never complained – I didn’t realize my hummus was broken until I made the Cook’s Illustrated’s Restaurant Style Hummus. It creates a hummus so smooth and light, it’s almost mousse-like.
Go make this. Just once. You won’t be sorry.
Restaurant-Style Hummus
Rich, creamy, mousse-like hummus that rivals that from a Mediterranean restaurant.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (or the juice from two lemons)
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 Tbsp Tahini
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (a handful of chickpeas reserved)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon course salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- dash of cayenne
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Combine the lemon juice and water in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the Tahini and olive oil together until smooth.
- Process the chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in a food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.
- With the food processor running, stream in the lemon and water and process for one minute. Scrape down the bowl again.
- Turn the food processor on and stream in the Tahini and oil mixture and process until smooth, about another minute.
- Transfer the hummus to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for an hour to let flavors blend.
- Sprinkle with remaining whole chickpeas, chopped cilantro, a pinch of sea salt, and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Eat with cucumber, crackers, red bell pepper strips, or a spoon.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days (if it lasts that long!).
Notes
Yields: ~2 1/2 cups
Estimated time: 10 minutes