Hummus (Hummous, Hommus, Houmous)

Hummus or houmous, hommus, hummos, hummous -  no matter how you spell it, it will still be that one helluva delicious, versatile dip with amazing creamy texture. And yeah, its super healthy! Always remember - Olive oil is healthy!! OK, back to making Hummus. It is essentially made of blended chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.

You need:

Chick Peas/ Garbanzo Beans – 1 can (14oz or 16 oz) or 1.5 cup soaked overnight

Tahini  -  5 heaping tsp and adjust to taste (Sesame Seed Paste, notes below to see how to make it yourself)

Greek yogurt - 2 Tbsp (I used Fage brand of Greek yogurt, substitute with plain yogurt with any excess water removed )

Sour cream - 1 Tbsp

Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp (adjust to taste) 

Garlic – 2-3 cloves (grated, optional if you don't want the garlic taste)

Salt – ½ tsp

Fresh mint leaves – 3-4 nos.

To garnish:

Pomegranate seeds – ¼ cup

Fresh Parsley - 2 Tbs 

Cayenne Pepper or Paprika – 1 tsp

Olive Oil - 1/4 Cup 

1. Remove all the water from the chickpeas, as you can always add a little water later if its too thick, but you can't do the reverse! If you are using soaked chickpeas, boil them with ¼ tsp of baking soda  until soft and cooked through. Use minimum amount of water and drain it before you add the chickpeas to the blender. 
2. In a blender add chickpeas, Greek yogurt or sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, salt and mint leaves. Blend until smooth to desired thickness.
3. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, parsley, cayenne pepper and olive oil as shown in the picture.

*Lime juice can be adjusted. It does remove the bitterness from the tahini sauce and makes it sweet and creamy

**If you can't get hold of tahini sauce, dry roast sesame seeds and blend with olive oil to make a very very fine paste. Best gadget to use to blend to such a fine paste is to use a spice/ coffee grinder.