I’m not much of a chef, but part of me wants to be one of those guys who can really whip up a great dish. I’m not saying this is my launch into a newfound hobby, but I’m logging my attempt at making hummus in order to perfect the taste each time I make it.  I’m hoping to find an ideal blend that suits my taste, especially after a couple good tastings of hummus from Cafe Ole and at Capitol City Brewing Company.

Hummina Hummus Recipe:

  • 2 cups canned garbanzo beans
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • olive oil
  • paprika
  • 1/4 cup water
  • sea salt
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • parsley leaves

Directions:
In a food processor, add the beans, lemon juice, peanut butter, garlic, sea salt and sesame seeds.  Blend until the hummus is  a nice smooth paste. If it’s too thick, then add water a tablespoon at a time until you get it the way you want. Then pour the hummus into your serving bowl.  Add a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle on some paprika and parsley leaves.  Eat right away or store in the refrigerator.

This isn’t a perfect recipe. In fact, instead of peanut butter, the original recipe called for tahini, which is a thick paste made from sesame seeds, but I looked all over for it at our local grocery store but came up empty. I may order it online or visit a health food stores or nearby Middle Eastern grocery store.

I watched a video from a chef at Mahalo on how to make this dish. Pretty simple, and with the wonders of YouTube, it’s pretty hard not to mess up recipes like this. After combining all the ingredients, blending it up in the food processor and fine tuning the texture with water, I was pleased for it being the first time making hummus.

What I’ll change in the next recipe:

  • Get tahini.  The peanut butter is not the best alternative. If the tahini is good, then I won’t need to add the sesame seeds.
  • Less garlic. Maybe just a clove
  • More sea salt.  I ended up adding it after I poured it out of the processor, so I had to hand blend it in.

Here’s the video from the chef at Mahalo, if you’re looking for a step-by-step: