Making your own hummus is one of the simple pleasures in life. The inspiration for this dish came after I hit downtown Chicago with rooftop reservations at the posh Mediterranean tapa’s restaurant- Aba. It was love at first bite with their sweet corn hummus and I knew I had to attempt a recreation. That’s one of my favorite parts of hummus, there is so much room to be creative with it. I have made everything from pink beet hummus to a chocolate hummus. There are just no rules… at least not in my kitchen.
What is Hummus?
Hummus is a popular Middle Eastern dish made of chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste), olive oil, lemon, and whatever other spices and veggies you want to include. The mixture is pureed until light and fluffy and often served with warm pita bread or naan. In this recipe I include sweet corn, smoked paprika, chives, and garlic. If you’re feeling really ambitious, I would recommend roasting the corn and garlic first as it will bring out even more flavor.
Should You Peel Chickpeas?
To peel or not to peel, that is the question. I’ll be honest, this was the very first time I ever peeled my chickpeas. The result was a fluffier hummus and I was impressed. With that being said, I don’t believe it is necessary if you are looking for a quick hummus recipe just skip the peeling step. However, if you do want to peel them, you can do a few things to make your life easier. I use canned chickpeas. First I drain and rinse them. Then I boil them (the mushier the better) with a teaspoon of baking soda (a trick I saw online that helps release the peel… something about the pH) for about 30 minutes. When they are done boiling you can do what i did… individually peel each chickpea (what a waste of time) OR you can soak them in ice cold water for a minute, agitate them, and when most of the peels float to the top then scoop them out.