22 votes

Don't make hummus at home, make msabbaha instead

18 comments

  1. [3]
    Evie
    Link
    This looks like a really interesting recipe, I'll have to try making it! I will say (as a frequent hummus maker,) the video really overstates the difficulty of making good, creamy hummus at home....
    • Exemplary

    This looks like a really interesting recipe, I'll have to try making it!

    I will say (as a frequent hummus maker,) the video really overstates the difficulty of making good, creamy hummus at home. Many people do. Here's a simple technique to do it even with canned chickpeas.

    Drop your chickpeas (28oz) in boiling water with ~1/2 tsp of baking soda. Boil for 10-20 minutes, until you see a good number of transparent chickpea shells float to the surface. At that point drain the chickpeas and refill the pot with cold water. Stir the chickpeas around and a lot of shells will float right up to the top where you can pour them off. Repeat this step (fill with cold water, stir, pour off shells) 3-4 times until most of the shells are gone. Now you can puree the chickpeas in your food processor for a few minutes with the other ingredients (tahini, garlic, lemon, salt, oil, cumin) to produce perfectly creamy hummus in less than an hour.

    25 votes
    1. [2]
      elight
      Link Parent
      Baking soda! Genius! Baking soda is great for breaking down the cell walls in onions, too, turning them almost into a paste! Learned this one from Alton Brown.

      Baking soda! Genius!

      Baking soda is great for breaking down the cell walls in onions, too, turning them almost into a paste! Learned this one from Alton Brown.

      7 votes
  2. [10]
    Akir
    Link
    This is actually way harder than my hummus! Especially if you make his extra sauces. I literally just strain my chickpeas, toss them in a blender, add tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and a splash of...

    This is actually way harder than my hummus! Especially if you make his extra sauces.

    I literally just strain my chickpeas, toss them in a blender, add tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and a splash of water, and I'm done.

    4 votes
    1. [5]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Sure, you can absolutely make hummus like that, I usually do too. But as he mentioned, that method wont result in the ultra-smooth hummus like you get in most Levantine restaurants, since without...

      Sure, you can absolutely make hummus like that, I usually do too. But as he mentioned, that method wont result in the ultra-smooth hummus like you get in most Levantine restaurants, since without shelling the chickpeas first (which the restaurants do) you end up with a grittier texture.

      Regardless of msabbaha being slightly more involved than basic hummus though, I still think this is a neat recipe for a dish that I'd never heard of before, but now intend on trying myself next time I get a hankering for hummus.

      2 votes
      1. [4]
        Akir
        Link Parent
        That's the thing, though, my hummus actually turns out creamier than any restaurant hummus that I've tried! Though to be fair, my description skipped the fact that I cook my chickpeas from dry, so...

        That's the thing, though, my hummus actually turns out creamier than any restaurant hummus that I've tried!

        Though to be fair, my description skipped the fact that I cook my chickpeas from dry, so technically my hummus takes "hours", though most of that time is downtime while the electric pressure cooker does it's thing. It also wasn't as smooth with my old blender or if I were to use the food processor instead.

        I might try this out some time, though, because I really like chickpeas.

        4 votes
        1. cfabbro
          Link Parent
          Ah, gotcha. I assumed you meant canned chickpeas, which is what I usually use. And while my hummus is not nearly restaurant quality, or super smooth, it's still pretty decent IMO. I'm lazy and not...

          Ah, gotcha. I assumed you meant canned chickpeas, which is what I usually use. And while my hummus is not nearly restaurant quality, or super smooth, it's still pretty decent IMO. I'm lazy and not very picky though, so it's good enough for me. :P Msabbaha seems to be really easy too though, so I'm definitely going to try it next time instead.

          2 votes
        2. elight
          Link Parent
          I love my pressure cooker for chick peas as well! Thanks for the reminder. Time to whip some up!

          I love my pressure cooker for chick peas as well! Thanks for the reminder. Time to whip some up!

          2 votes
        3. Flocculencio
          Link Parent
          What we do is soak the dried chickpeas overnight and then cook them without a pressure cooker

          What we do is soak the dried chickpeas overnight and then cook them without a pressure cooker

          1 vote
    2. [4]
      devilized
      Link Parent
      This is my recipe as well, except instead of the splash of water, I add a splash of the liquid from the chickpeas (which I cooked in a pressure cooker from dry). Perfectly smooth and better than...

      This is my recipe as well, except instead of the splash of water, I add a splash of the liquid from the chickpeas (which I cooked in a pressure cooker from dry). Perfectly smooth and better than what I've had at most restaurants.

      1 vote
      1. [3]
        Akir
        Link Parent
        I use fresh water because I've heard that the aquafaba can actually thicken the mixture, which is kind of the opposite of what it's supposed to do. That being said, I haven't actually done it with...

        I use fresh water because I've heard that the aquafaba can actually thicken the mixture, which is kind of the opposite of what it's supposed to do.

        That being said, I haven't actually done it with aquafaba before, so this might just be an old wives' tale. I probably should try it. Sometimes I cook my beans in broth, and that would just make the end result even more tasty.

        4 votes
        1. DrStone
          Link Parent
          Aquafaba behaves a lot like egg whites when worked, so I could see it thickening and adding a more “whipped” consistency compared to plain water thinning.

          Aquafaba behaves a lot like egg whites when worked, so I could see it thickening and adding a more “whipped” consistency compared to plain water thinning.

          4 votes
        2. devilized
          Link Parent
          Huh, I had no idea that that's what it was called (aquafaba). At the end of the day, the hummus is the consistency that I want it to be. Maybe the lemon juice I add ends up being enough liquidity....

          Huh, I had no idea that that's what it was called (aquafaba). At the end of the day, the hummus is the consistency that I want it to be. Maybe the lemon juice I add ends up being enough liquidity. Plus I do cook my chickpeas so that they're a bit softer than you get out of a can in the first place.

          1 vote
  3. [3]
    grumble
    Link
    It's too late at night for me to watch the video, and we've all had very different busy days. I'm the only one awake. Whenever I see hummus recipes I just feel compelled to say that you can make a...

    It's too late at night for me to watch the video, and we've all had very different busy days. I'm the only one awake.

    Whenever I see hummus recipes I just feel compelled to say that you can make a really nice hummus like dip with split peas.

    If you like to cook, I'm sure you'll do your own searching, but pretty much just sub the chick peas with well soaked or moderately cooked split peas. Tahini is fine. Garlic. Olive oil. Etc.

    Mint really makes the dip though.

    You don't want them mushy like for pea soup, though

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      lackofaname
      Link Parent
      I have trouble digesting chickpeas, but can eat split peas if i cook and rinse them very well. Split peas are the only way i can make what i call 'hummish'. For anyone trying this, I find i need...

      I have trouble digesting chickpeas, but can eat split peas if i cook and rinse them very well.

      Split peas are the only way i can make what i call 'hummish'. For anyone trying this, I find i need to add more of the other ingredients, and a bit extra water to keep it soft, than if i were using chickpeas

      2 votes
      1. grumble
        Link Parent
        I'm stealing hummish. That's great!

        I'm stealing hummish. That's great!

        2 votes
  4. [2]
    jwong
    Link
    Threw it together without the extra sauces, but did make my own tahini. Was pretty quick and a nice alternative to hummous. Next time I’ll try an immersion blender though. The worst/most annoying...

    Threw it together without the extra sauces, but did make my own tahini. Was pretty quick and a nice alternative to hummous. Next time I’ll try an immersion blender though. The worst/most annoying part was crushing the peas against the side of the bowl.

    2 votes
    1. cfabbro
      Link Parent
      Thanks for sharing. This makes me even more excited to try it myself now! Thanks for the heads up about the crushing being annoying too. I will make sure to use my immersion blender instead.

      Thanks for sharing. This makes me even more excited to try it myself now! Thanks for the heads up about the crushing being annoying too. I will make sure to use my immersion blender instead.

      2 votes