Hummus - Hummous

Right, I know someone out there has a good and easy recipe for it, doncha?  Jewlz?  Bueller?

I am beyond disgusted with shop bought hummus/hummous.  I bought one yesterday at Morrisons (that's probably the trouble right there), caramelised onion flavour - it was really sweeeeeeet and the label right there said 'muscovado sugar' right on it.  Yuck!  It tasted more like Skippy or Jif (probably because of the tahini) than it did like hummous.

Hummous isn't supposed to taste sweet.  Morrisons had them on offer, so I also got the 'healthier eating one' (I think it's lower fat or something) lemon/coriander - it's not disgusting sweet like the caramelised onion one, but even it has SUGAR in it!  WTF?!

Hummous isn't supposed to be all sugared up.  Bleh!

I want to start making my own.

I always did a lebanese version without tahini as I'm not a huge fan of it. It's also lighter and less fattening without it. Let me know if you want the recipe. It's heavy on the lemon and garlic with a hit of hot, too.

'Der, how bright am I?!  I meant this to be in Food Talk, but started it up in Chit Chat. 

Tis moved now, anyway.

Yes, balmerhon - sounds good!  (although I do like tahini as well)  But lighter & less fattening sounds good. 

Yeah, I don't find the hummus here too great, but maybe I'm missing a good one. I'd also love a recipe to follow of the tried and tested 

Personally, I prefer Sainsbury's Carmelised Onion Hummous.  The Muscovado sugar in it is from the carmelising the onions, and not very much.  Store bought is hit or miss depending on the store unfortunately.   

Yeah, I knew they were using the sugar to caramelise the onions, but I object to that too - you don't need sugar to caramelise onions, IMO.  I do agree that Sainsburys is better though. 

It's just like anything else - if you make it yourself, then you know & can control what's in it.

The stuff we get from our indie deli is good, but it'd probably be a lot cheaper for me to make it & I have tahini already! 

Tesco  is doing a Chorizo topped houmous with a red pepper dressing" with the red pepper dressing in a little bottle and it's lush! mmmmmm.

Weirdly we have a mediterranean grocery store at the end of the street and they make fresh hummous and tabouli every day (and fresh baklava), it's so much cheaper and nicer to buy it from ethnic grocery stores - worth checking those out instead of the supermarkets?

Tesco used to to a roasted tomato (yes, tomato, not red pepper) houmus that was really good. Not sure if they do it anymore.

Here's the Lebanese version I always get rave reviews for.

15oz can chick peas in brine (rinsed and drained) [note, I'm sure you can use chick peas that are not in brine]

2 garlic cloves crushed
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp sunflower oil
3tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2tsp freshly cayenne pepper
1/2tsp ground chili
2tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Throw it all in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add water or more oil to adjust consistency to your taste. This is best made the day before you want to eat it as I find it absorbs the flavors overnight and you may want to add more salt/heat/lemon.

I frequently make this one I got out of Real Simple magazine. I sometimes add a bit of roasted pepper but I'm sure you could add a little caramelized onion (agree, no need for sugar, yuck!)

5-Minute Hummus

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1 clove garlic
1⁄4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions
In a food processor, puree the chickpeas and garlic with the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini (if using), cumin, and ¾ teaspoon salt until smooth and creamy. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the paprika before serving.

I frequently make this one I got out of Real Simple magazine. I sometimes add a bit of roasted pepper but I'm sure you could add a little caramelized onion (agree, no need for sugar, yuck!)

5-Minute Hummus

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1 clove garlic
1⁄4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions
In a food processor, puree the chickpeas and garlic with the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini (if using), cumin, and ¾ teaspoon salt until smooth and creamy. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the paprika before serving.

Thats sounds like the recipe that I make, but I don't measure or anything like that! Enjoy, sounds great!

Also, if you haven't got tahini on hand, you can add in a spoonful of peanut butter in a pinch to get that nutty flavour. I've done it and it's not as nice as tahini, but it's better than none at all, IMHO (but I'm an unabashed tahini lover!!).

Thanks for the recipes & tips!  Gonna try the one with tahini first (since I have tahini right now). 

More recipes still welcome!