Silky Whipped Hummus with Warm Cumin Oil

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The mezze-counter hummus you can never quite replicate at home: dried chickpeas simmered soft with baking soda until the skins slip away, then whipped with a generous pour of good tahini, lemon and ice water until it turns pale, glossy and almost mousse-like. Finished with a swirl of warm cumin-bloomed olive oil and a scatter of whole chickpeas, it's built for scooping with warm pita, crackers or cold crudités.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, divided
• 6 cups water, plus more for soaking
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cup well-stirred tahini, preferably Lebanese or Israeli
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 cup ice water, plus more as needed

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Flaky sea salt
• Warm pita, pita chips, crackers or raw vegetables, for serving

Instructions

1. The night before, put the dried chickpeas in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of the baking soda and cover with 3 inches of cold water. Soak 12 to 18 hours at room temperature; they should nearly double in size. Drain and rinse well.
2. Transfer the drained chickpeas to a large saucepan with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Set over medium-high heat and stir constantly for 3 minutes — the pan will smell nutty and the chickpeas will squeak. This head start helps the skins break down.
3. Add 6 cups water, the 3 whole garlic cloves and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Skim off the foam and loose skins that rise to the surface during the first 10 minutes. Simmer, partly covered, for 50 to 70 minutes, adding hot water if the chickpeas peek above the liquid.
4. Test for doneness: a chickpea should collapse completely when pressed against the side of the pan with a spoon, and the skins should be slipping off. Overcooked is correct here; undercooked is what makes gritty hummus. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain. Discard the bay leaf and set aside 1/4 cup of the nicest whole chickpeas for garnish.
5. While the chickpeas are still hot, tip them onto a rimmed baking sheet and pick out the loose skins — 3 to 4 minutes of casual picking is plenty, you do not need to get every one. Fish out the boiled garlic cloves and keep them; they go into the blender.
6. In a food processor, combine the tahini, lemon juice, grated raw garlic, kosher salt, ground cumin and the boiled garlic cloves. Process 30 seconds — the tahini will seize and go thick and pasty. With the machine running, drizzle in the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture loosens into a pale, fluffy, mayonnaise-like cream, about 1 to 2 minutes total.
7. Add the warm chickpeas and process for a full 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides twice. Set a timer — this long blend is what makes the texture silky rather than sandy. Thin with reserved chickpea cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the hummus is glossy and just slightly looser than you want it (it firms as it cools). Taste and adjust with more lemon juice and salt.
8. Make the finishing oil: warm the olive oil with the cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, swirling, until the seeds are fragrant and sizzling lightly but not dark. Off the heat, stir in the paprika and let it bloom for 15 seconds.
9. Spread the hummus on a wide shallow plate, using the back of a spoon to build a swoosh with a well in the center. Spoon the warm cumin oil into the well, scatter over the reserved whole chickpeas, parsley and a pinch of flaky salt. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with warm pita, chips, crackers or crudités.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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