International Hummus Day | 5 easy recipes to smear on a pita, fill in your wrap or to dip your crackers into

Black Bean and Jalapeno Hummus by Chef Rollin Lasrado, Head Chef, Smoke House Deli

Rich, nutty, smooth and creamy – a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, hummus is one dish loved by all across the globe. Loaded with healthy nutrients like chickpeas, olive oil, garlic and rock salt, and low in saturated fat, hummus is everyone’s favourite. Smear it on a pita, fill it in your wrap or dip your crackers into it, it is one versatile dish you will embrace it anyways.

On International International Hummus Day, here are five easy to make recipes you can put together at home. Get going and celebrate your love for this special food.

Black Bean and Jalapeno Hummu 

By Chef Rollin Lasrado, Head Chef, Smoke House Deli

Ingredients: Boiled black beans, 300 gm; Ice, 2-3 cube; Peeled and chopped garlic, 4 cloves; Tahini, 30 gm; Extra Virgin Olive oil, 15 ml + more to drizzle on serving; Roasted cumin powder; Salt, To taste; Pickled jalapenos, 15 gm; Lime wedges, For garnish; Fresh coriander, For garnish; Chips, nachos, pita or fresh vegetables;

Method: Place the beans, garlic and ice in a blender and pulse until almost smooth /  Add the tahini, cumin powder, salt, jalapeno and olive oil, and pulse until completely smooth, yet thick  / Place in your serving bowl and chill it in the fridge /  Garnish with lime wedges, jalapeno and fresh cilantro sprigs, drizzled with olive oil and serve with your favourite chips, nachos, pita or fresh vegetables

Hummus Platter

By Chef Gaurav Gidwani, Consulting Chef, Silly, Mumbai

For Hummus (Base)

Ingredients: Boiled Chick peas, 750 gm; Lemon juice, 150 ml; Tahini, 180 gm; Garlic paste, 6 cloves; Olive oil, 100 ml; Ground Cumin, 15 gm; Ice cubes, for grinding

For Edamame truffle Hummus

Ingredients: Steamed edamame paste, 60 gm; Truffle oil,4 ml

For Paprika Hummus

Ingredients: Paprika powder, 60 gm; Chilly oil, 10 ml; Chopped Bell peppers, 5 gm

Method:  Mix the tahini and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and process for a minute /  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy / Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and  then process for another 30 seconds or until well-blended / Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for one minute. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, and then add remaining chickpeas and process until thick and quite smooth (about 1 to 2 minutes)  / Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add  ice cubes and blend until you reach the perfect consistency /  Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Serve hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and dash of paprika.

For Edamame Hummus: Take one third of the base hummus, add the edamame mix well set in a serving bowl and then spray truffle oil on top of the hummus

For Paprika Hummus: Take the remaining hummus, add paprika powder and mix well in a serving bowl garnish with chopped bell peppers and chilli oil

Smoked Paprika Hummus and Pita Bread

By Chef Yusuf Sayyed, Poetry by Love & Cheesecake, Mumbai

Ingredients: 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed; Tahini (sesame paste), 2 tbsp; Extra virgin olive oil, 3 tbsp; Freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 tbsp; Garlic (minced), 2 cloves; Smoked paprika, 1 tsp; Ground cumin, 1/2 tsp; Salt, to taste; Water (as needed for desired consistency), 2-4 tablespoons;  Optional toppings, Additional smoked paprika, drizzle of olive oil, chopped parsley

Method: In a food processor or blender, combine the drained chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, and a pinch of salt / Process the ingredients until smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too thick, add water, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency / Taste the hummus and adjust the seasonings to your preference. You can add more salt, smoked paprika, or lemon juice if desired / Transfer the smoked paprika hummus to a serving bowl. If you like, drizzle a little olive oil on top and sprinkle with additional smoked paprika and chopped parsley for garnish / Serve the hummus with pita bread, vegetable sticks, or your favorite crackers. It can be enjoyed as a dip or spread.

Hummus with Falafel Bullets & Pita

By Umesh Pawar, Head Chef, Seesaw, BKC, Mumbai

For Hummus

Ingredients: Chickpeas, 250 gm; Olive oil, 30ml;  Confit garlic, 5 cloves;  Tahina, 60ml; Lemon juice, 60ml; Salt, to taste

Method: Soak the chickpeas overnight and cook in a pressure cooker until soft / Transfer to a blender and add olive oil, garlic and tahini. Blend till smooth / Finish with lemon juice and season with salt to taste. Garnish with paprika powder.

For Falafel: Chickpeas, 600 gm; Fresh coriander seeds, 5 gm; Parsley, 50 gm; Garlic, 5 gm;  Onion, 100 gm;  Mint, 25 gm; Harissa, 1 tbsp

Method: Soak the chickpeas in water for 2-3 hours. Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse till roughly chopped (you can also do so by hand) / Season with salt and adjust any other spices as you prefer. Make small patties of about 25g per piece / Fry the falafel until deep brown and cooked through.

To assemble: Hummus, Falafel, Pita bread, brushed with a mixture of olive oil and za’atar, 1 large green bhavanagiri chilli (fried and lightly salted), Pickled vegetables, Olives

To serve: Smear the hummus across a wide, shallow bowl or plate and add a small scoop of harissa to the middle /  Top with three pieces of the fried falafel and add your choice of bhavanagiri chilli, pickles and olives to the bowl. Garnish with microgreens and serve with the za’atar pita.

Edamame Hummus

Plaka By Chef Ajay Chopra

Ingredients: Edamame, 100gm; Green peas, 30 gm; Soaked chickpeas, 30 gm; Tahina, 10gm; Gralic, 5 gm; Lemon juice, 5 gm; Salt, 5gm; Zatar spice, 3 gm; Truffle Scented Oil, 5ml; Nero cracker, 1

Method: In a mixer jar, add edamame, green peas, soaked chickpeas, garlic, tahini, salt, lemon juice, olive oil and grind like hummus. On a plate, add edamame hummus pour some truffle scented oil, nero cracker, sprinkle some zaatar spiced powder and serve.