The perfect Hummus!

I was born and raised in the Middle East, in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was only in 2002, when my dad was offered a better job opportunity, that we shifted to Dubai. So technically, though I'm Indian, I consider Dubai to be my home. In fact, so does A, considering that he was born and raised here too. 

On the 2nd of December, the UAE celebrates it's 41st National Day. So, I thought, what better way to commemorate the happy occasion than by making a dish that's really close to the hearts of almost all Arab people. Hummus is nothing but a chickpea based paste that serves as the perfect dip/side dish to anything..meat, salads, or just plain bread. Personally, I like to eat it all by itself!! The 2 main things required for Hummus are Chickpeas and Tahina paste (also called Tahini), both of which are readily available in all markets and groceries. Tahina paste is ground sesame seeds which you can make from scratch at home or just buy it ready made  like I did. Trust me, this recipe is really simple to make as you will see below, in fact a total of 20 minutes max. And trust me, you will absolutely love it, guaranteed! I was looking around for the perfect recipe and got it  from Deedee's Mediterranean kitchen. Dede in fact has got some great Mediterranean recipes, so do check out her site for more Arab recipes! So, here's wishing the UAE in advance, and here's introducing my very first Mediterranean recipe, woohoo!!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can of chickpeas (approx 450 gms)- I used the brand "California Garden"
• Tahina paste- 4 tablespoons
• Yogurt- 4 tablespoons
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• Garlic cloves- 2
• Salt- To taste
• Chilly powder- Garnish
• Olive oil- Garnish

METHOD

• Drain out the water from the can of chickpeas and rinse it once or twice under normal running water.
• Put the chickpeas into a blender, and to this add the tahina paste and the yogurt. Blend it into a smooth paste. This could take a while, so to make the process easier, you could add 2 or 3 teaspoons of water. Ensure that the paste does not become too watery, because hummus should be thick.
• Now add the lemon juice, salt and mashed garlic and blend properly to get a thick creamy paste.
• Optionally, you could also add a few mint and parsley leaves, which gives it a great aroma. Unfortunately, I didn't have them with me, so had to skip that step.  
• Once the hummus is ready, spread it out on your serving dish with the back of a spoon. You will notice that there will be quite a few ripples in the mixture, only because it is thick. 
•  Sprinkle a little chilly powder (optional) as a final garnish and pour some olive oil all over. This makes the hummus more moist.
• Additionally, you could also garnish it with a few olives. 

Though I didn't have olives (and I'm not a very big fan of them anyways!), I was pretty lavish with the chilly powder and olive oil. So, wasn't that an easy breezy recipe? Here are the final pics. Let me know your thoughts!

So, what do you think? It does look a bit plain, but if you want more color  go ahead and add a few olives and some more chilly powder!

Do try this out and let me know the results. Till next time, adios amigos and God bless!