DIY Hummus

DIY Hummus: Things To Know

Originally chickpeas came from the Turkish-Asian region. From there on they spread into the Mediterranean regions and India. Botanically chickpeas belong to the bean family. Chickpeas grow best in subtropical region, this is why India is a perfect place for them to grow. There are two different types of chickpeas. There is the slightly larger, yellow chickpea, which is harvested in the Mediterranean region and the smaller, brown variety that is harvest in India.

Hummus: More Than Just An Appetizer

Chickpeas come with tons of good qualities. They are not only an excellent supplier of important vitamins, such as A, B1, B2, B6, C and E, but they also contain large quantities of trace elements magnesium, iron and zinc. Adding chickpeas into their regular diets can be extremely beneficial to vegetarians and vegans since they contain such a high amount of protein. In 100 g / 3.5 oz chickpeas have 18 g / 0.6 oz of protein. This is already a third of your daily requirement of protein! Additionally, chickpeas have a considerable amount of fiber, which can help with your intestinal health. Some researches even believe that chickpeas can help prevent cancer!

Hummus And Phytic Acid

All legumes contain phytic acid and chickpeas are no exception to this rule. In the past people have viewed phytic acid as something to be avoided. This is because it builds on to magnesium, iron and protein complexes and makes them so the body can’t absorb them. However, it has been discovered that with the absorption of vitamin C, this effect is inhibited, so there is no reason to panic. On the contrary, recent studies have even shown that phytic acid is likely to act as an antioxidant.

DIY Hummus: The Recipe

For those of you who want to learn how to make hummus at home you can use this recipe or any of EAT SMARTER’s other hummus recipes.

Ingredients (for four people):

Instructions:

Let the chickpeas soak in water overnight. Pour out the water. Next, put the chickpeas into a saucepan with just enough water to cover them. Let them simmer for about 40 minutes. Then pour the chickpeas in a colander, rinse them under cold water and purée them with a blender. Peel garlic cloves and add salt. Mix both into the purée. Then add the tahini paste, lemon juice and cumin and salt to taste. Let the hummus sit for another 30 minutes.

To serve, wash parsley and pluck off leaves. You can now serve the hummus in a small bowl. Drizzle a little oil over the top. Finally garnish the hummus with olives, lemon wedges, parsley and chili powder.

• 12 ounces chickpeas
• 3 garlic cloves
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Salt
• Cumin
• 5 ounces tahini paste (sesame paste from a jar)
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• 2 ounces black olives
• Lemon wedges, chili powder and toasted pita bread for serving