Everyone has a dish they usually bring at get-togethers or picnics, which is always a hit. Well, mine is a good old hummus.

It is one of my favourite things ever and I have invested quite some time to perfect this recipe, which is why I even have a secret ingredient. We’ll get to that…

I feel in love with hummus while I was studying in London. It was one of the most popular things there and every super market had so many different versions: classic, with roasted tomatoes, with beets, with coriander and anything else in between. Even though the classic one was my favourite, as a food adventurer I did try all of those interesting combos, just to make sure that I will stick with the simple hummus. And the ways to eat it are way too many, from dipping veggies in it to making handsome looking hors d’oeuvres and from stuffing it into pita sandwiches to smothering it into a piece of toast.

When I left London for Tirana, finding ready-made hummus was a struggle, and it still is. These kind of circumstances made me come up with my homemade hummus recipe, after a long research online. I learnt from Smitten Kitchen that to get a smooth consistency it’s best if you peel the chickpeas of their skins before using them. Although recommended, I would totally understand if you don’t feel like spending half an hour by the sink peeling chickpeas. The hummus is still gonna taste awesome.

Now that I am back to Tirana, I make it very often as it truly doesn’t take much effort. I make it for most gatherings, especially with my colleagues, and it’s always the one thing that everyone asks for.

Ingredients

200 gr or about 2 cups chickpeas ( in a tin – the easy way / dried– longer)

1 teaspoon Tahini

2 or more tablespoons olive oil ( depending on how creamy you want it)

1-2 garlic cloves

juice of 1 lemon 

Pinch of salt 

A pinch of cumin

My secret ingredient: 1-2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or sour cream

~If you are using raw chickpeas, you need to follow a couple of steps before making the hummus. After rinsing the chickpeas, they need to be soaked in abundant water for several hours or preferably overnight. Then drain them and put them in fresh water with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Bring to boil then simmer for about 15-20 minutes. This part need caution as the baking soda forms a foam and it can get quite messy. Rinse them ang get ready for the next steps

If you are using canned chickpeas, follow the directions from here directly:

Put all the ingredients chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, cumin and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a food processor and blend until creamy. The add the yogurt and the 1 tablespoon of olive oil until you get the desired consistency. For a thinner version, feel free to add a few tablespoons of water.

They pair well with pitta bread, cucumbers and carrots and basically anything that can be dipped.

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[Albanian] 

Përbërësit

200 gr ose 2 kupa qiqra ( të konservuara – mënyra e thjeshtë/ të pa konservuara – pak më gjatë)

1 lugë çaji pastë Tahini ( pastë susami që ka te Neranxi, te Bio Center – mund edhe të mos perdoret)

2 ose më shumë lugë vaj ulliri ( varet sa kremoz e doni)

1-2 thelpinj hudhra 

lëng nga 1 limon ( varet sa të athët e doni)

Kripë sipas dëshirës

Përbërësi sekret: Kos i trashë ose salcë kosi  1-2 lugë gjelle

Unë kam qejf t’i hedh dhe pak kumin

~Nëse do përdorni qiqra jo të konservuara ( rekomandohet) duhet t’i lini në ujë disa orë ose gjatë natës më mirë. Më pas të shpëlahen dhe të vendosen në tenxhere me ½ lugë sodë dhe ujë derisa të marrin valë, më pas e ulni zjarrin për rreth 15-20 min  (duke bërë shumë kujdes pasi soda formon shkumë dhe mund të bëjë goxha rrëmujë në kuzhinë). Në fund qiqrat shpëlahen dhe janë gati për të vazhduar me hapat më tej. 

Nëse do përdorni qiqra të konservuara, kaloni direkt tek hapat këtu:

Në një tas/mikser fusni në fillim qiqrat, tahinin, hudhrat, kripen, kumin, lëngun e limonit dhe 1 lugë vaj ulliri dhe me mikser dore ose food processor miksoni derisa përbërja të bëhet kremoze. Më pas shtoni lugen tjetër të vajit dhe kosin derisa të jetë në trashësinë që ju pëlqen. Për një humus më të hollë mund të shtoni disa lugë ujë.

Shkon shumë me karrota, kastraveca, pite dhe gjithçka tjetër që mund të lyhet me humus 🙂