Comments on: Chummus (and Hummus) http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/ Focused on food. Fri, 16 May 2008 12:30:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Ruth http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4422 Ruth Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:55:44 +0000 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4422 I can't agree more (!!) And let's not even start to discuss the dire pita situation in this country (or at least here in Seattle)! We love the hummus (and everything else) at Yunna's, the Arab restaurant next to the gas station by Even Yehuda in Israel.YES, if making it at home, you need a boatload of tahini; this is a major sticking point with my husband, who likes his hummus weak and watery. You can order tahini online from an Israeli importer (Israeliproducts.com I think... No I am not affiliated with them, I import my tahini direct from Israel in my checked baggage, though I don't go quite often enough to make sure I have an uninterrupted supply.) Canned chickpeas (no additives) e.g. from Trader Joes, are fine, adding a half cup or more of (canned) canellini beans makes it smoother. Puree in some (home) roasted red pepper for a yummy variation. I once coaxed a Lebanese restaurateur outside Abu Ghosh to tell me how he makes it...he didn't tell me the whole story but did tell (show) me that they use CITRIC ACID ("sour salt" in hebrew), not lemon - I kid you not. Plus they boil the heck out of those garbanzos. I think they must boil them for months. I can’t agree more (!!) And let’s not even start to discuss the dire pita situation in this country (or at least here in Seattle)! We love the hummus (and everything else) at Yunna’s, the Arab restaurant next to the gas station by Even Yehuda in Israel.YES, if making it at home, you need a boatload of tahini; this is a major sticking point with my husband, who likes his hummus weak and watery. You can order tahini online from an Israeli importer (Israeliproducts.com I think… No I am not affiliated with them, I import my tahini direct from Israel in my checked baggage, though I don’t go quite often enough to make sure I have an uninterrupted supply.) Canned chickpeas (no additives) e.g. from Trader Joes, are fine, adding a half cup or more of (canned) canellini beans makes it smoother. Puree in some (home) roasted red pepper for a yummy variation.
I once coaxed a Lebanese restaurateur outside Abu Ghosh to tell me how he makes it…he didn’t tell me the whole story but did tell (show) me that they use CITRIC ACID (”sour salt” in hebrew), not lemon - I kid you not. Plus they boil the heck out of those garbanzos. I think they must boil them for months.

]]> By: tastingmenu » Falafel Shuki, Jerusalem, Israel http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4397 tastingmenu » Falafel Shuki, Jerusalem, Israel Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:36:04 +0000 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4397 [...] paul: I have done some testing and the trick to the... [...] [...] paul: I have done some testing and the trick to the… [...]

]]> By: paul http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4289 paul Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:34:10 +0000 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4289 I have done some testing and the trick to the smooth stuff is peeled chickpeas. Anyone have an idea on how to do that easily? I have done some testing and the trick to the smooth stuff is peeled chickpeas. Anyone have an idea on how to do that easily?

]]> By: keren brown http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4183 keren brown Sat, 29 Dec 2007 06:07:26 +0000 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4183 You are so right about the hummus.I lived in Israel for 10 years and find the hummus here to be inedible, especially Sabra which my husband loves. It has a horrible garlicky aftertaste. I hate all the packaged ones in Israel too. They are full of preservatives! I like to go to Yaffo and buy Hummus not far from the Abulafia. Anyway a great way to make your chummus taste better is to fry some onions and mushrooms and scatter them around the hummus with a nice swirl of olive oil. You are so right about the hummus.I lived in Israel for 10 years and find the hummus here to be inedible, especially Sabra which my husband loves. It has a horrible garlicky aftertaste. I hate all the packaged ones in Israel too. They are full of preservatives! I like to go to Yaffo and buy Hummus not far from the Abulafia. Anyway a great way to make your chummus taste better is to fry some onions and mushrooms and scatter them around the hummus with a nice swirl of olive oil.

]]> By: june2 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4182 june2 Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:25:19 +0000 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4182 I use a Vita-Mix blender (high power) and a LOT of Lebanese tahini - almost half tahini to garbanzos. I also use soaked garbanzos instead of canned to avoid that canned flavor. I used to use a lot of olive oil, but now I allow myself creative license to use just enough oil to add flavor and as much water as it needs to loosen it up enough for the blender to puree it. I do not understand the soggy, oil-free, chunky versions of hummus that motivated me to never purchase hummus again and learn to make my own! Some of them have only one or two Tbs of tahini. ??? It is ALL about the tahini, peepz, IMO! I know there is hummus and hummus bi tahini, but for me it just must have tahini, so I suppose it depends which recipe you're going for. Also, the trick to baba ghanoush is that the eggplant must be char-grilled. Period. (Once you have it this way, it will all become clear.) For that reason it is the best camping food in the world! And eggplants and pita breads are backpack safe and lightweight too. The rest of the ingredients go pre-measured into a tupperware and you've got a delicious easy campfire meal at the end of the day. I use a Vita-Mix blender (high power) and a LOT of Lebanese tahini - almost half tahini to garbanzos. I also use soaked garbanzos instead of canned to avoid that canned flavor. I used to use a lot of olive oil, but now I allow myself creative license to use just enough oil to add flavor and as much water as it needs to loosen it up enough for the blender to puree it. I do not understand the soggy, oil-free, chunky versions of hummus that motivated me to never purchase hummus again and learn to make my own! Some of them have only one or two Tbs of tahini. ??? It is ALL about the tahini, peepz, IMO! I know there is hummus and hummus bi tahini, but for me it just must have tahini, so I suppose it depends which recipe you’re going for.

Also, the trick to baba ghanoush is that the eggplant must be char-grilled. Period. (Once you have it this way, it will all become clear.) For that reason it is the best camping food in the world! And eggplants and pita breads are backpack safe and lightweight too. The rest of the ingredients go pre-measured into a tupperware and you’ve got a delicious easy campfire meal at the end of the day.

]]> By: Kfir Ben-Ari http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4168 Kfir Ben-Ari Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:52:21 +0000 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4168 Kevin, if you´ll put the chick pea in a bowl and run some cold water on it, then shake the grains, or just stir it with a wooden spoon gently for some minutes, the white skin will float and it will be easier to remove. that would make the process faster. Kfir Kevin,
if you´ll put the chick pea in a bowl and run some cold water on it, then shake the grains, or just stir it with a wooden spoon gently for some minutes, the white skin will float and it will be easier to remove. that would make the process faster.
Kfir

]]> By: Kevin http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4166 Kevin Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:55:35 +0000 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4166 hmmm good hummus is hard to fine, but easy to make, the biggest difference between a hummus you will find in a really excellent restaurant and the kind you make at home is that the rest. has prep cooks to peel the chickpeas :( I peeled mine once and it was much smoother and a bit better but not enough to justify the the very very long time it takes to peel them. as for tahini I think this is less important as I have made very good hummus with very bad tahini and vice versa, the key is the liquid ratio (not too much) and the lemon juice and garlic (probably more then you think) hmmm good hummus is hard to fine, but easy to make, the biggest difference between a hummus you will find in a really excellent restaurant and the kind you make at home is that the rest. has prep cooks to peel the chickpeas :( I peeled mine once and it was much smoother and a bit better but not enough to justify the the very very long time it takes to peel them. as for tahini I think this is less important as I have made very good hummus with very bad tahini and vice versa, the key is the liquid ratio (not too much) and the lemon juice and garlic (probably more then you think)

]]> By: hillel http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4160 hillel Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:06:08 +0000 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4160 The Sabra brand is what you want to buy. They make tolerable fresh-ish tachina. In Seattle you can get their stuff at the QFC in University Village (in the kosher refrigerated section) or at the Albertson's on Mercer Island. Outside of Seattle just go to any store that carries Kosher meat. The Sabra brand is what you want to buy. They make tolerable fresh-ish tachina. In Seattle you can get their stuff at the QFC in University Village (in the kosher refrigerated section) or at the Albertson’s on Mercer Island. Outside of Seattle just go to any store that carries Kosher meat.

]]> By: dana http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4159 dana Wed, 19 Dec 2007 22:21:42 +0000 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4159 I seem to remember being scolded and having a can of tahini ripped out of my hands by you, dear Hillel. You told me that what I was about to use, the only tahini I have seen available in american grocery stores, is a far cry from real tahini. You dissapeared for half an hour and came back with something so far above and beyond what I had, but I have yet to find it again. It seems a shame to ruin home made hummus with bad tahini. Any advice to us goyim on sourcing the right tahini? I seem to remember being scolded and having a can of tahini ripped out of my hands by you, dear Hillel. You told me that what I was about to use, the only tahini I have seen available in american grocery stores, is a far cry from real tahini. You dissapeared for half an hour and came back with something so far above and beyond what I had, but I have yet to find it again. It seems a shame to ruin home made hummus with bad tahini.

Any advice to us goyim on sourcing the right tahini?

]]> By: Kfir Ben-Ari http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4157 Kfir Ben-Ari Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:43:10 +0000 http://www.tastingmenu.com/2007/12/18/chummus-and-hummus/#comment-4157 once you had a Hummus in Israel, you know what hillel is talking about. i grew up, having two or three times a day a bawl of Hummus, with some tznobarim (roasted pine nuts) ,some tahini in the middle, mild paprika, and great israely olive oil. thats true that its almost imposible to find this simple Hummus arround here, so i need to do it myself, or to go half block to the only Hummus , the Hummus place, which is like having it back home, at northen Tel-Aviv. here my recipe for my Hummus: -1 quart of chick pea, if dried - soaked overnight at refrigirator. then cooked till soft, but not too much, like al-dente texture. -1 cup of tahini -1/2 tea spoon of ground cumin -4 chopped garlic cloves -juice from 1 lemon -salt and white pepper as for your taste -1/2 cup of canola oil or any other that is not dominate in flavor. place 3/4 of the cooked chick peas in your food processor, add the tahini, the cumin, the garlic ,lemon juice and the oil, process for about a minute. crush in a bowl the other 1/4 of the chick peas, using a bottle, or a glass. put together the Hummus from the food processor and the crashed cheak peas, add warm water to make it thinner, finish with salt and pepper. plating: put in a centure of a deep dish, spread to the edge from the centure, and place some fresh tahini or cooked fava been (foul,in hebrew) ,some chopped parsley and finished with the best olive oil you can get. i got the israeli one from the galile. Bete'avon! (Bon Apetit) Kfir Ben-Ari www.chefkfir.com once you had a Hummus in Israel, you know what hillel is talking about. i grew up, having two or three times a day a bawl of Hummus, with some tznobarim (roasted pine nuts) ,some tahini in the middle, mild paprika, and great israely olive oil.
thats true that its almost imposible to find this simple Hummus arround here, so i need to do it myself, or to go half block to the only Hummus , the Hummus place, which is like having it back home, at northen Tel-Aviv.
here my recipe for my Hummus:
-1 quart of chick pea, if dried - soaked overnight at refrigirator. then cooked till soft, but not too much, like al-dente texture.
-1 cup of tahini
-1/2 tea spoon of ground cumin
-4 chopped garlic cloves
-juice from 1 lemon
-salt and white pepper as for your taste
-1/2 cup of canola oil or any other that is not dominate in flavor.

place 3/4 of the cooked chick peas in your food processor, add the tahini, the cumin, the garlic ,lemon juice and the oil, process for about a minute.
crush in a bowl the other 1/4 of the chick peas, using a bottle, or a glass.
put together the Hummus from the food processor and the crashed cheak peas, add warm water to make it thinner, finish with salt and pepper.

plating: put in a centure of a deep dish, spread to the edge from the centure, and place some fresh tahini or cooked fava been (foul,in hebrew) ,some chopped parsley and finished with the best olive oil you can get. i got the israeli one from the galile.
Bete’avon! (Bon Apetit)

Kfir Ben-Ari
http://www.chefkfir.com

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