Loaded hummus – so smooth, and creamy, and loaded with fresh veggies, EVOO, and paprika. Who doesn’t like a good Mediterranean platter – hummus, lots of Olive oil, olives, Babaghanoush, Muhammara, Tzatziki, lavash chips, and pita bread. One of the most glorious Mezze platters I had was in Arab Street Singapore.
Unless I visit Turkey or Marakesh, the only hummus I am enjoying in this post-pandemic world is homemade. I had a very basic hummus recipe on the blog in the past, but making hummus is so much more than just grinding the chickpeas together. It all comes down to balance. Chickpea to aquafaba, tahini to olive oil. Let’s get started?
Also check out Muhammara, the low-profile cousin but so full of flavors.
Want more hummus? Check out these recipes –
Black gram hummus
Hummus with eggs
Hummus pasta
What is Hummus?
This Middle-Eastern “dip” is made with smashed chickpeas and smooth tahini and is one of the most popular and healthy munching options. Unless you have been living under a rock, you have by now also been introduced to the multitude of variations to hummus. But nothing beats a classic. The perfect smooth consistency, so creamy, garlicky, and oh, of course, healthy! Loaded hummus is topped with a light salad tossed in EVOO and paprika. But you can also opt for minced meat or tofu to make it a fuller meal.
3 Tip for the smoothest Hummus
- Chickpeas : Best to cook the chickpea perfectly in a pressure cooker. But the devil lies in de-skinning the chickpeas. If you can get your hands on some canned ones, nothing like that, but those aren’t available in India as easily. To de-skin, use a kitchen towel and rub them while they are still slightly warm.
- Tahini : You can make it at home, it is only toasted sesame and sesame oil. But using a smooth store bought tahini ensures the creamiest hummus. Check this one out, it’s pretty decent.
- Ice : The logic behind this is quite unknown, but it works like MAGIC. It not only gives you the creamy and fluffy hummus, but also, cools it down without having to chill it.
Ingredients for Loaded Hummus
- Chickpea – 1-1/2 cup, soaked overnight
- Garlic cloves – 6 to 8
- Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
- 3/8 cup – tahini
- Aquafaba – 1-1/2 cup
- Olive oil – 1/4 cup
- Ice cubes – 4 to 5
For the topping
- Onion – 3/4 cup, sliced
- Cucumber – 3/4 cup, chopped
- Tomato – 1/2 cup, chopped
- Olives – 1/2 cup, sliced
- Olive oil – 2 tbsp + more to drizzle
- Paprika – 1 tsp
- Feta cheese – 2 tbsp
Method for Loaded Hummus
- Add the soaked chickpea in a pressure cooker, add about 3-1/2 cups of water and pressure for 1 hour. Release the pressure naturally and drain. Reserve 1-1/2 cups of aquafaba (the water that the chickpea is cooked in) Aquafaba is also a great egg white substitute for you can save for later.
- Slightly cool down the chickpeas and de-skin by rubbing them in between a towel. Reserve 10-12 to use as a garnish later on.
- In a mixer, add the chickpea, salt, roughly chopped garlic cloves, salt, cumin, lemon juice and tahini. Pulse for 2 minutes.
- Slowly add 1/4 cup of aquafaba and 1 ice cube at a time and pulse to a smooth consistency.
- Add the olive oil at the very end and don’t pulse more than 1 minute after that, else it will turn bitter.
- To top, combine the sliced onion, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, olives, olive oil and paprika, Mix well.
- In a platter, dish out the hummus, and spread. Top with the fresh salad, add crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle some more olive oil and the reserved chickpeas as garnishes.
- Serve with warm pita and whipped feta cheese.
Loaded Hummus
Ingredients
For the hummus
- 1½ cups Chickpea soaked overnight
- 8 cloves Garlic
- ½ tsp Cumin powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- ⅜ cup Tahini
- 1½ cup Aquafaba
- ¼ cup Olive oil extra virgin
- 5 Ice cubes
For the salad
- ¾ cup Onion sliced
- ¾ cup Cucumber cubed
- ½ cup Tomato cubed
- ½ cup Olives sliced
- 2 tbsp Olive oil + some more to drizzle
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 2 tbsp Feta cheese
Instructions
- Add the soaked chickpea in a pressure cooker, add about 3-1/2 cups of water and pressure for 1 hour. Release the pressure naturally and drain. Reserve 1-1/2 cups of aquafaba (the water that the chickpea is cooked in) Aquafaba is also a great egg white substitute for you can save for later.
- Slightly cool down the chickpeas and de-skin by rubbing them in between a towel. Reserve 10-12 to use as a garnish later on.
- In a mixer, add the chickpea, salt, roughly chopped garlic cloves, salt, cumin, lemon juice and tahini. Pulse for 2 minutes.
- Slowly add 1/4 cup of aquafaba and 1 ice cube at a time and pulse to a smooth consistency. Add the olive oil at the very end and don’t pulse more than 1 minute after that, else it will turn bitter.
- To top, combine the sliced onion, chopped tomatoes, cucumber, olives, olive oil and paprika, Mix well.
- In a platter, dish out the hummus, and spread. Top with the fresh salad, add crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle some more olive oil and the reserved chickpeas as garnishes.
- Serve with warm pita and whipped feta cheese.
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