That’s me in Egypt – tired … and hot… oh, and hungry. No problem – the food was incredible. Lamb and pita bread, and especially the hummus.
Luxor, Egypt. I first discovered hummus in Egypt. So delicious it can be a meal in itself. But it’s not so easy to find good hummus back home. However, really good homemade hummus is so easy to make. You just have to start with really good ingredients.
INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING THIS EASY INSTANT POT HUMMUS RECIPE
There are very few ingredients, so it was important to start with the best we could find. We got dried chickpeas from Rancho Gordo, white hulled sesame seeds from Terrasoul Superfoods, meyer lemons from a local grower at the farmer’s market, and olive oil from California Olive Ranch, and then made our own garlic olive oil.
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TIPS FOR MAKING HUMMUS:
We started with some tips from the experts.
Use small, dried chickpeas from a good source – we used Rancho Gordo chickpeas (Milk Street)
Soak overnight with baking soda (Ottolenghi)
Make the tahini from white hulled sesame seeds (We tried black and unhulled and it was a mistake)
Use really good olive oil, lemons and salt (Still us)
Use ice water to make the hummus fluffy (Ottolenghi)
Process long enough to make the hummus smooth
Serve warm (Abu Hassan)
Easy Instant Pot Hummus Recipe
HOW THIS EASY INSTANT POT HUMMUS RECIPE FITS IN WITH OUR PLAN TO EAT BETTER
We refer to this as one of our “I don’t need no meat” meals. Starting with hummus and adding all kinds of vegetables, we don’t even miss having meat. Half of our days are vegetarian, so this is a real staple. You can cook the beans in a pot, but we use an Instant Pot which is faster, easier, and saves energy.
For certain products, the choice of brand will make a big difference in the outcome of the recipe and in your carbon footprint. So, for those products, we have listed the brand. We are not paid to mention a brand and have no affiliates.
Put the chickpeas and baking soda in a jar and fill with filtered water. Allow the chickpeas to soak overnight.
COOKING THE CHICKPEAS
The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas in the jar using the lid to filter. Refill the jar with filtered water and baking soda and pour the contents of the jar into the Instant Pot.
Put the lid on the Instant Pot and seal it. Set it for beans and pressure cook the chickpeas for 40 minutes. When it's done cooking, allow the Instant Pot to release the pressure naturally. Pour the chickpeas into a strainer set on a bowl, and reserve the liquid.
MAKING TAHINI
Set up the food processor.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frypan on medium until fragrant and you see just a few starting to turn light brown. Immediately pour them into the food processor so they don't brown.
Process the seeds while slowly adding the olive oil. Process the mixture for several minutes until it becomes a paste.
Add the chickpeas to the food processor along with the lemon juice and salt and process until light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. To make it more creamy, add some of the reserved cooking liquid. To make it fluffy as well, add cold water. Process for at least 5 minutes to make the hummus a smooth texture. It will thicken as it cools.
At this point, other flavorings can be added – more lemon juice, vinegar, garlic olive oil, spices, herbs, etc.
Traditionally served warm, it is also good cold. Drizzle with olive oil or homemade garlic olive oil. Add fresh herbs, salt and pepper, or any of a number of spices or seeds.
Check out the chart on the blog post to see how food choices affect climate change. This recipe uses responsible brands and items that are lower on the chart and the production creates less greenhouse gas.
Thanks! A few tips I didn’t know. I still remember my first bite of hummus 50 years ago at the Jewish Community Center café in Vancouver BC with my cousins and uncle Izy. Warm with a pool of olive oil & paprika poured and sprinkled on right at the table, with warm pita. I still eat it at least once a week! Saw your hummus appreciation on fb Climate Change: It’s Personal. Brock in Medford, MA
Thanks! A few tips I didn’t know. I still remember my first bite of hummus 50 years ago at the Jewish Community Center café in Vancouver BC with my cousins and uncle Izy. Warm with a pool of olive oil & paprika poured and sprinkled on right at the table, with warm pita. I still eat it at least once a week! Saw your hummus appreciation on fb Climate Change: It’s Personal. Brock in Medford, MA