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Today is a hummus day! I love it soooo much. And it is so quick to make that I only very occasionally get the store bought one anymore (some days you just have to).
I prefer to make hummus with freshly cooked chickpeas. What I usually do is soak a big batch of chickpeas overnight and cook them in the pressure cooker the next day. I love the Silampos pressure cooker that my dad got me at the local market here in Portugal (it’s a Portuguese brand) and I use it practically every day! It’s so much quicker! I cook enough at once to make a curry and have some leftover to make hummus…
You can of course use canned or tinned chickpeas (there are those days as well), but make sure you use organic chickpeas. It may be silly but I order these online as the only chickpeas you can get here in the shops are non-organic (or ridiculously expensive).
Here is a great spicy Ayurvedic hummus recipe.
Hummus Ayurvedic qualities and energetics
Traditionally hummus is based on chickpeas which we know are hard to digest so we need to add some spices! The second important ingredient of hummus is sesame paste (tahini). Sesame seeds are sattvic in nature and Vata decreasing. And that is the beauty of hummus: because we add sesame paste, plenty of spices and oil it is much easier to digest the chickpeas. So from an Ayurvedic perspective hummus makes total sense!
From an Ayurvedic perspective hummus makes total sense!
Chickpeas
Chickpeas, as all beans, are Vata increasing, Pitta and Kapha decreasing. Their rasa(taste) is sweet and aftertaste (Vipaka)is pungent. The energetics of chickpeas (Virya) is cooling. Chickpeas are a great source of iron, calcium and potassium and Vitamin A.
Tahini
Tahini is sesame paste. Sesame seeds (til) are sweet (rasa), Vata decreasing, Pitta and Kapha increasing. Sesame seeds are a sattvic food. So more goodness to add to the hummus! You can get some organic tahini here.
Garlic
Garlic is a medicinal food and regarded as tamasic in ayurveda. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have it! It helps (among many other benefits) with gas and indigestion so here it is good to add garlic. Too much garlic can cause Pitta imbalances and mental dullness (which is why it is usually avoided in yogic circles but as with all foods it has its time and place). Garlic (Rasonam) literally means ‘lacking one taste’, meaning it has all of the 6 tastes except one: the sour taste is missing. It is mainly pungent in rasa and is pungent as well in vipaka. Garlic is Pitta increasing and Vata and Kapha decreasing.
Harissa
Harissa is a Moroccan style red bell pepper and chili paste with garlic, oil, caraway seeds and coriander. If you don’t have harissa in the house substitute with a mixture of chili and paprika powder. The reason I add it here is to have some ‘punch’ as we are going into spring and Kapha will be aggravating. If you have Pitta imbalances you can leave it out.
Read more: Kapha balancing in winter
Turmeric powder
I add turmeric for its beautiful colour and health properties. I actually use double strength turmeric powder but be sure to add black pepper as that is what will increase the bio-availability of the turmeric.
Lemon juice
Adding a squeeze of lemon juice means your hummus has all the 6 tastes in it for optimal balance.
All these additions make that you can enjoy hummus every day if you want to. And be honest, who doesn’t?? ;-)
Read more: Fragrant Kapha balancing pumpkin soup
Read more: 4 ayurvedic tea blends (that you have in your cupboard)
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The warm and oily qualities of hummus can be too heating for Pitta types, particularly in summer months. If that's you, you might prefer to omit the garlic and lemon and add some cooling cilantro and lime instead!
Next, enhance the blank slate of flavor with a few squeezes of lemon juice, a sprinkling of garlic salt, a turn of freshly cracked pepper, a heavy-handed sprinkle of paprika, and a generous drizzle of your nicest olive oil. Bonus points if you have an herby olive oil on hand with a little color to it.
As I said earlier, tahini has a mildly bitter flavour, so if your hummus is bitter, you've most likely added too much tahini. Also make sure that the tahini you do have is hulled, as opposed to unhulled. Hulled tahini just means that the bitter husks on the outside of the sesame seed have been removed before blending.
While opened and homemade hummus can last up to seven days, it does not mean it will. You will definitely notice that the hummus is spoiled when you see mold growing on it. The less obvious may be that the hummus offers an unpleasant, off-odor and sour smell. This hummus may also taste sour if you decide to try it.
When you're shopping for hummus in the store, watch out for artificial preservatives like sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. Artificial preservatives are unnecessary, and we believe there are better ways to ensure that food stays fresh and safe.
Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves are always superior to garlic powder, and it's especially true in homemade hummus! Baking soda: Adding baking soda to the chickpeas helps make the legume easier to digest, softer, and makes them easy to peel. Don't skip this ingredient!
If you feel adventurous, try replacing the tahini with an equal amount of peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, Greek yogurt, chopped roasted peppers, pitted olives, roasted beets, steamed sweet potato, avocado, or thawed frozen peas, to name just a few possibilities.
The one ingredient that gives hummus its undeniable richness, depth of flavor, and subtle nuttiness is tahini. This means that the final product depends on the amount of tahini that you add and the brand of tahini that you're using.
In this hummus recipe, adapted from "How to Cook Everything," tahini is essential, as are garlic and lemon. But this dip is also flexible: cumin and pimentón are optional, as are herbs or blends like za'atar. Hummus can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week.
While paprika is the most common red spice used on hummus, some variations may use other spices such as cayenne pepper or chili powder to add heat and a different flavor profile.
In recipes where lemon juice mainly provides an acidic punch, from pan sauces to risotto to hummus, substitute ⅛ teaspoon of citric acid dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water for every tablespoon of lemon juice needed.
It's already a near-perfect food. That said, we've started adding cold water to our hummus. While it sounds counterintuitive, the water makes the hummus creamy, light, and almost fluffy in texture. It's a trick we learned from Yotam Ottolenghi that has improved our hummus game considerably.
Top up your hummus with delicious spices and nuts that not only look beautiful, but also add another depth of flavour. Try sprinkling with spices such as sumac, baharat blend or paprika, and with toasted pine nuts, pumpkin seeds or roasted chickpeas.
Legumes such as chickpeas or lentils are a great source of protein for Pittas and grains such as rice or quinoa are crucial to remaining balanced. Pittas need to counteract the heat element and opt for calming and cooling foods. This Coconut, Squash and Lentil Dhal recipe ticks all the right boxes.
Chickpea soaked water which is exposed to cool moon rays in the night when consumed relieves pain due to pitta dosha. Chickpea due to its strength promoting quality it nourishes the body when consumed after undergoing proper cooking.
Consuming large amounts of white pita bread with hummus could potentially lead to hyperglycemia. Thus, while hummus and pita bread can be healthy choices in moderation, portion control and the right pairing are key to avoiding spikes in blood glucose levels.
Second, pairing hummus with keto-friendly snacks like cucumber slices, celery sticks, raw bell peppers, or low-carb crackers helps keep the overall carb count low. It's best to avoid high-carb foods such as pita bread or chips when enjoying hummus.
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