Dara's Houmous

Is it houmous or hummus? Or Hummus or Hamas? Whatever you call it, it sure is tasty, and it's pretty easy to make as well. I shall guide you now in making Dara's Houmous. Here are the main ingredients:

Chickpeas

Garlic

Olive/ Veg oil

Lemon Juice
Light Tahini
Frank's Red Hot Sauce

First, soak some chickpeas in the fridge over night. Barely half-fill the containers (I just use washed out jars) with chickpeas, then fill them up the rest of the way with water and put the lid on. They'll expand overnight. Alternatively, you can just use pre-soaked, tinned chickpeas, but soaking your own is normally cheaper. The next day, boil them up in some fresh water until they're nice and tender. It may take a while, maybe half an hour or more, or nothing at all for tinned chickpeas. But do make sure they are nice and tender, as Gwen tells me under-cooked chickpeas (and other pulses) make you fart. Personally, I don't know what she's talking about. But... do watch out for that

So, when they're nice and tender, strain them off. Add them to a bowl along with lots of crushed garlic (the amount is up to you - I'm a fiend), a small bit of tahini (not too much - it's bitter), and a dash of oil and a bit of water to start.  Blend them up if you have a blender - it will make things much smoother - or if not just mash them up. You can gradually add more oil and water to the mixture (more oil is better, depending on how healthy you want to be) and continue mixing until you're happy with the consistency. Don't throw the liquids all in at once, as your houmous may end up too watery or oily (if it does though, don't despair - oily houmous makes a good base for a curry). Now, squeeze in some lemon juice to your taste. As well as giving it a zesty twist, the citric acid also helps preserve the houmous, or so Gwen tells me. Then add salt and pepper to taste. And, the secret ingredient of Dara's houmous, a secret no longer - add lashings of Frank's Red Hot Sauce! Oh yeah.  Mix it all up and you're done! Good work!

You generally get a jar of houmous per jar of soaked chickpeas used, so you can just store your houmous in those jars in the fridge for a few days (4 - 5, maybe more) till it goes stinky. Not that I need to tell you how to serve your delicious houmous, but serve your delicious houmous on some bread, in a sandwich, or with some crisps. Sometimes I just eat it from the jar. That's completely normal, too.

Try also: caramelised onion houmous. Same recipe, but with onions fried in oil with sugar.

- Dara