Silky Hummus
Serves: 6 portions
Prep Time: 30 mins
Plus soaking and boiling time
Ingredients
Kabuli Chana – 250 g
Baking Soda – 1 tsp (optional)
Tahina Paste – 60 g
Roasted Garlic paste – 50 g
Olive Oil – 60 ml
Ice Cubes/Chilled Water – as required
Lemon – 60 ml
Salt – to taste
For Finishing
Olive oil – 3 tbsp
Kabuli Chana Boiled – 3 tbsp
Paprika/Chili Powder – 1 tsp
Method
1. Wash the kabuli chana and soak it overnight or for 8 hours in the water.
2. Rinse again, transfer to a cooking pot, add water, salt, and baking soda and cook well, can take up to 90 minutes or more. You can even pressure cook up to 6 whistles. Make sure there is no bite to it on tasting, you should be able to mash chana with your fingers easily.
3. Drain the cooked kabuli chana and keep it aside to cool down. (the drained water can be used for making vegan mayo, have shared the recipe on my Instagram page if required)
4. In a food processor, add the boiled kabuli chana, tahina sauce, roasted garlic paste, olive oil, lemon juice and a few ice cubes. Blend this into a smooth paste, will take a couple of minutes. Adjust the seasoning and consistency by adding in the salt and chilled water, and further blend it to achieve a silky smooth paste.
5. Transfer it into a serving bowl, make a well in the centre, drizzle some olive oil, place a few pieces of boiled chana and garnish with fork impressions of paprika or paprika sprinkle. Pita Pillows Makes 6 Portions Prep Time: 90 mins Dough Ingredients Refined Flour – 500 g (plus 100g for dusting and rolling) Yeast – 1 1⁄2 tsp Sugar – 1 1⁄2 tsp Salt – 1 1⁄2 tsp Oil – 2 tbsp Water – 225 ml Spice Mix* – 2 tsp
Method
1. Lukewarm the water, add yeast and sugar to it and set it aside for 10 minutes.
2. Sieve flour with salt, add oil and warm water mix and knead into a smooth dough, which would take approximately 10 minutes. Shape it into a dough ball and rest in an oiled bowl. Cover it with a wet kitchen napkin and let it rise to double in the size, would take approximately an hour.
3. After an hour of resting, turn the dough onto a floured surface, press the air out and divide the dough into 6 equal parts and shape it into balls, cover it with a wet kitchen napkin.
4. Take one dough ball at a time, dust it with flour and roll it, into a rectangular sheet, about 1/8 inch thick. You can marginally trim the sides to achieve the exact shape of a 7.5” x 5” sheet.
5. Brush it with water on top and dust it with a spice mix. Divide the rectangular sheet into six small squares with a pizza cutter.
6. Bake it in a stone oven at 275° C, the dough should be nicely puffed in a minute, and turn the sides to have even baking. It should be baked with slightly brown speckles on the edges. Transfer to a bread basket lined with a napkin. Serve warm along with the silky hummus.
7. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough balls. Spice Mix* Ingredients Paprika Powder – 2 tsp Black Sesame Seeds Toasted – 1⁄2 tsp White Sesame Seeds Toasted – 1⁄2 tsp Oregano – 1⁄2 tsp Orange Peel, Dried, Crushed – 1⁄2 tsp Method Place all the ingredients in a dry bowl and mix well. Keep it in an airtight container and use it as required.
Spice Mix* Ingredients
Paprika Powder – 2 tsp
Black Sesame Seeds Toasted – 1⁄2 tsp
White Sesame Seeds Toasted – 1⁄2 tsp
Oregano – 1⁄2 tsp
Orange Peel, Dried, Crushed – 1⁄2 tsp Method
Place all the ingredients in a dry bowl and mix well. Keep it in an airtight container and use it as required.
